Danielle Piccinini Black, MPH, MBA, joins our Faculty Factory family this week to share with us the latest information on human-centered design and design thinking.

At the forefront of effective problem-solving methodologies is design thinking. By embracing design thinking, you can systematically question assumptions, leading to the discovery of innovative and distinctive alternatives.

“Design thinking is really this creative, iterative, problem-solving process that's rooted in empathy,” she said.

“It emphasizes the importance of keeping the people that you're designing for central to the process, because we believe that those closest to the problem are going to be best positioned to come up with the solutions.”

About Danielle Piccinini Black, MPH, MBA

Danielle Piccinini Black, MPH, MBA, is the Design Innovation Lead at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs and Academic Lead for Design Thinking at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School—Executive Education.

She leads the development and implementation of design thinking research, workshops, and co-creation internationally to address emerging public health needs, and uses that experience to enhance her design thinking courses.

Danielle’s current Design Thinking/Human-Centered Design portfolio consists of projects in nutrition, malaria, harm reduction in opioid use, WASH, and safe surgery in family planning and obstetrics.