The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) and the Student Affairs Office – Career Planning and Development Section (SAO-CPD) co-hosted Career 104: Design Thinking for Career and Entrepreneurship on 17 October 2026, which is part of Career and Entrepreneurship Education Series.
The morning session was led by Mr Cyron Chan, Founder of Chaotic Innovation Studio, who introduced the five stages of design thinking through engaging real-world entrepreneurial examples.
Putting theory into practice, students worked in teams to tackle challenges in three areas: the pet economy, elderly care and food waste. Each team stepped into the shoes of its target customers, explored their everyday needs and identified a problem worth solving. With their ideas taking shape, teams embraced vibe coding to turn their proposed solutions into working prototypes.
Teams brainstorm solutions to real-world challenges and bring their ideas to life through vibe coding.
In the afternoon, the focus shifted from solving business challenges to exploring personal career journeys. Ms Winnie Chan, Senior Career Officer of SAO-CPD, guided students in applying a design thinking mindset to better understand their interests, values and career aspirations.
Winnie opened with a thought-provoking question: "If you were travelling far away into universe and could bring only one thing, what would it be?" The question sparked lively exchanges, encouraging students to reflect on what matters most to them. Using inspiration cards, they then explored their perspectives on life and work, taking the first steps towards designing their own career paths.
Students share what they would bring on a journey and use inspiration cards to reflect on their values and aspirations.
From tackling real-world challenges to reimagining their own futures, Career 104 showed that design thinking goes beyond just "thinking" but more about turning ideas into action. Through hands-on activities and personal reflection, students discovered how a creative, human-centred mindset can help them approach problems, explore possibilites and shape their next steps.