Teaching MBAs to Solve People Problems

Can you teach first-year MBAs to go beyond business models and truly solve for people?

IIM Udaipur invited TinkerLabs to deliver a hands-on Design Thinking sprint for its first-year MBA cohort. The goal was to move beyond classroom theory and immerse students in solving real, human problems using empathy, creativity, and rapid prototyping.

A 9-day, hands-on innovation sprint for 120 IIM Udaipur students

We ran a full-scale, immersive Design Thinking x Behavioural Science program to help students break free from linear, surface-level problem solving—and learn to tackle real-world challenges with empathy and creativity.

It began with an unusual brief: Don’t wait for a case study - pick a messy, real-world problem you care about.

From plastic waste on campus to tourism gaps in Udaipur and late-night safety in ride-hailing, students chose challenges rooted in everyday friction, not boardroom theory.

Each day layered concepts with hands-on application:

• Design research using observation, immersion, and conversation to uncover real behaviours that contradicted user claims, bringing hidden friction points to light.
• Insight synthesis to decode small, unconscious habits often revealed the root of the problem, not the obvious symptoms.
• Lateral ideation and rapid prototyping to turn dozens of scattered ideas into bold, testable concepts without overthinking.
• User testing and iteration to fail fast and learn faster 
• Business modelling and storytelling to communicate the “why” and “how” that drives belief and buy-in.

The sprint culminated in a Shark Tank-style Innovation Showcase, where students presented their refined solutions to a live jury of faculty, bringing their journey full circle.