Maria Martinez
09/11/2023
WCS494
Journal 2
What is design thinking?
Design thinking can be defined as a non-linear, iterative process that teams can utilize to understand users, challenge assumptions that arise, redefine any occurring problem, and create innovative solutions to create and test. There are five phases: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Design thinking is useful for unknown problems and focuses on putting the person (whether that be employees or students, etc.) at the center of problem-solving.
How has design thinking influenced a product I used?
Airbnb and Doordash are two apps I utilize in my life commonly. Both of these platforms were created with design thinking. There are times where I am stuck at work for 12-13 hours and cannot leave, and just didn’t pack enough food to hold me over that whole shift. Doordash acts as the middleman and orders the food I want and finds someone to deliver it to me. The creators of this app used design thinking to find a solution to my very problem. Airbnb was also created using design thinking. There are times where I travel and the hotels in that area charge insane amounts and are not worth the price. Airbnb lets me pick a house to stay at and I can see the profile of whose house it is, and most of the time it is cheaper than a one-bedroom hotel.
What are the connections between opportunities and planning?
Opportunities and planning are connected where business comes into play. Entrepreneurs, for example, create an idea of what business they want to create, and then find an opportunity to execute that idea out. Planning the idea out will lead to higher chances of success with better outcomes. Like planning your day out: if you plan your day out, you are more likely to complete things you would not normally complete had you not planned your day out. Planning will lead to finding opportunities that you need as an entrepreneur to be successful.
What opportunities have I missed?
I missed out on gaining the experience a cybersecurity internship can offer me. I am not in a state where I can agree to work even 20 hours for free, even if I gain precious knowledge and experience from it. I have to work at least 40 hours at my paying job to have just enough for rent, phone, car, utilities, internet, energy, insurance, gym membership, groceries, student loan, etc. I would have to work 40 hours a week at my paying job just to barely make it through the month and then work another 20 for free at an internship while being in my last semester of school. I decided it was best to not work a 60-hour week for the next 3-4 months and really give myself time to do good in my capstone courses. Unfortunately, I missed the opportunity of multiple great cybersecurity internships, due to me being the only income I have for myself.
Can a successful venture be unethical?
Most of the successful ventures we see today are completely unethical. The company Amazon is a very successful venture, but it is the reason 71.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide were emitted into the air in 2019. The numbers grow each year. If one does not care about environmental impacts then you can say this venture is ethical, but if one cares about pollution and CO2 emissions, then this can be ruled unethical. Shein is another company that makes about 30 billion a year selling very inexpensive clothing but has been under fire lately for using child labor. On some of the clothes sold, the tags have stitching in them that says “help” or other phrases like that. One can say this very successful venture is unethical.