Amy Wang is an SVA MFAD alum from 2006 with a deep passion for human-centered design. Her lecture last Thursday centered around design thinking and featured examples from her time spent at IDEO, where she served as the Senior Communication Director. Amy emphasized the power human-centered design has to effect positive change in people’s lives; from finance, to disease control, to gender equality and beyond.

She offered tips on how we, too, could implement these strategies. One significant takeaway was that a designer should always think from the perspective of the audience. Design decisions should be based on real people’s needs, and that knowledge can be gained through empathy and research on the ground. Amy encouraged us to go out into the field and speak with those we design for.

Following Amy’s lecture, one classmate exclaimed, “Now I truly understand what it means to be a designer!”