CIO and CountrySTAT Teams are organizing two-day session of CountrySTAT Design Thinking in FAO-Rome on 16 - 17 October 2017 from 9.30am to 5pm.

Design Thinking is a design methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. It’s extremely useful in tackling complex problems that are ill-defined or unknown, by understanding the human needs involved, by re-framing the problem in human-centric ways, by creating many ideas in brainstorming sessions, and by adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing proposed solutions to gather feedback and insights. Understanding the five stages of DT will empower anyone to apply the methodology in order to solve complex problems that occur around us and that need a fresh approach.

The objective for the session concerning CountrySTAT is to create an environment where innovative and desirable solutions can be presented on how CountrySTAT can move ahead and be even more relevant and useful to countries and to FAO. The discussion will tackle the changes to the global context concerning data dissemination, new technologies and systems in place, the different needs of some partner countries, and the relevance of the platform considering the FAO strategic objectives and the 2030 SDG Agenda.

The two-day session will involve interactive group activities. The intensive programme will introduce the fundamentals of this creative approach to problem solving by immersing the group in dynamic discussions, relevant theory, and hands on team exercises.  The DT will focus on the five-stage model proposed by the Hasso-Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school). d.school is the most prominent university when it comes to teaching Design Thinking.  The five stages of Design Thinking, are as follows: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.