On 30 May, colleagues from IEU, IRM, and IIU came together for an immersive 1-day retreat at the GCF Liaison Center in Seoul. The retreat, led by KAIST Professor Christopher Han, introduced participants to the fundamentals of design thinking. Design thinking is a human-focused problem-solving methodology that prioritizes understanding user needs, encouraging creativity, and using iterative testing to create innovative solutions.

Participants were divided into groups and tasked with identifying a specific work-related issue they wanted to address. Each group used a Value Proposition Canvas to pinpoint the job (initial challenge), gains, pains, gain creators, pain relievers, ultimately developing actionable solutions tailored to their workplace challenge. The retreat fostered a spirit of innovation and teamwork, equipping IU colleagues with the skills to drive positive change in their respective units.