Design thinking is a process of creative problem-solving that is used to bring transformative change to people’s wellbeing or career, or to their chosen cause. In this Q&A with Marilyn Cornelius, we explore the importance of design thinking and how she began her career in the subject. Sign up for the Design Thinking Bioneers Learning course to learn more about how leaders can make innovation a habit.

Bioneers: Why is Design Thinking so important for people to learn about right now?

Marilyn Cornelius: It’s a problem-solving process that builds in creativity so anyone can use it for any problem, particularly complex or “wicked” problems where conventional thinking often fails. 

Bioneers: How did your career in Design Thinking begin?

MC: At Stanford University where I took a class in design thinking, then another, and then co-founded a program called Research in Design and began co-facilitating workshops for graduate students, post-doctoral scholars and faculty.

Bioneers: What is one thing that you find particularly fascinating about Design Thinking?

MC: I love the Ideation and Prototyping phases of design thinking because you can come up with tons of ideas and build a 3-D solution in less than 30 minutes total.

Bioneers: Tell us one great reason why people reading this should sign up for your course.

MC: It’s going to be a refreshing journey filled with fun, inventiveness, and integration of methods to help you learn and immediately apply tools to the challenges you’re facing right now.