Crafting Tomorrow's Retail: Uniqlo Design Thinking Transformation

Master in Management students welcomed UNIQLO and various high-level staff members on campus for a challenge organized by i2i Design Thinking Lab.

The i2i Design Thinking Lab offered our management students a unique platform to develop innovative solutions for challenges presented by respective corporate partners. Previous labs featured industry giants such as L’Oréal, Adidas, Ikea, and Uber Eats. 

This year, 13 teams comprising 78 students from the January and September 2023 cohorts were asked to create a plan for UNIQLO to challenge conventional wisdom about working in retail by offering a unique working life, opportunity for self-expression, and genuine happiness at work.

Each year, participants use the Design Thinking methodology to observe the company’s customers, observe their interaction with the product or service, gather insights, and apply creative tools to arrive at a solution.

“Our students dove into a creativity journey implementing teamwork skills and creating fantastic breakthroughs. This lab got them all about hands-on learning, starting in the classroom and getting ready to tackle real-world challenges in the global job scene,” said Cristina Elena Gil, Master in Management Program Coordinator.

During this challenge, students received support from various facilitators and professors at IE Business School, including Adam Lawrence, Andrew McCarthy, Gabriel Campillo, Emilie White, and Andrés Saavedra. These mentors assisted the participants in reaching their highest potential through Design Thinking sessions. 

“Insights from design experts played a critical role in the learning process. Their knowledge helped in exploring the intricacies of design and leveraging it as a tool for change,” said Kshitij Garg, Master in Management lab participant.

The final fair of team presentations marked an explosion of creativity, energy, and expertise. Students showcased their solutions to Koh Kobayashi, UNIQLO Spain COO; Sandra Pedra, Human Resources Manager at UNIQLO Spain; Gonzalo Sánchez Trueba, Operations Manager of the UNIQLO Flagship store in Madrid; and María Lembo, Regional Training Manager Europe LTD.

“You guys are future business leaders. It will be your responsibility to change the value for the better,” said Kobayashi.

IE Business School would like to thank UNIQLO, our facilitators and professors, and our students for making this year’s design thinking lab a success. We look forward to a new challenge this year.