Recently, Levi Lim, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Art and Design and the School of Design and Media at the University of the Arts Singapore – Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts visited SFD. Together with Zhou Tiange, Head of the Art and Technology Laboratory at SFD, Levi Lim co-hosted a Design Innovation Workshop.

The workshop centred on the theme of social service design in Singapore, employing design thinking to explore mind maps as a tool for innovative service solutions.

Vice Dean Levi Lim stated:"I hope students learn to adopt a ‘traveller’s mindset’ in their observations, resonate with users, define meaningful problem statements, and employ mind maps to devise creative solutions, thereby leading innovations in social service design."

Image: Levi Lim, Vice Dean, with faculty and students from SFD

Image: Levi Lim, Vice Dean, sharing insights during the workshop

Vice Dean Levi Lim focused on the topics of improving welfare for migrant workers in Singapore. He demonstrated how Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) trains its students to apply the five stages of design thinking—empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test—to address societal challenges effectively.

Vice Dean Levi Lim encouraged students to utilize mind mapping as a tool to explore innovative solutions for clients. This approach aims to build empathy and foster observational skills.

The workshop sought to demonstrate to participants how seemingly unrelated concepts could be connected to generate novel and valuable service ideas. This initiative showcased the power of project-based learning, enabling students to design creative and impactful solutions.

Vice Dean Levi Lim stated:"I hope students learn to adopt a ‘traveller’s mindset’ in their observations, resonate with users, define meaningful problem statements, and employ mind maps to devise creative solutions, thereby leading innovations in social service design."

Background to the Collaboration

This year, SFD and the University of the Arts Singapore - Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, signed a Memorandum of Understanding and a Student Overseas Learning Agreement. Both institutions plan to leverage their respective resources to collaborate in areas such as academic research, student and faculty exchanges, joint programmes, and design exhibitions, fostering innovation in design education.

In June, the two institutions jointly hosted "Innovative Horizons: A Showcase of Design Excellence", a faculty and student exhibition from Beijing Normal University and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts at the China Cultural Centre in Singapore.

In October, two students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts began a three-month exchange programme at SFD. During their stay, the students participated in courses, lectures, and PBL (Project-Based Learning) projects alongside SFD students.