TL;DR
Design thinking — the empathy-driven, five-stage problem-solving framework used by companies like Amazon and Apple — is a powerful tool for tackling systemic challenges like e-waste and the digital divide. Moss Pike, Director of Educational Technology at Vistamar School, partners with Human-I-T to show students how this process works in the real world: identifying root problems, not just symptoms, and building actionable solutions. If you want to apply that same model — turning unwanted technology into opportunity — you can donate your tech to Human-I-T today.
Table of Contents
- What Is Design Equity and Why Does It Matter?
- How Does Vistamar School Teach Students to Solve Real-World Problems?
- What Do E-Waste and the Digital Divide Have in Common?
- What Are the Five Stages of Design Thinking?
- Why Does Problem Solving Through Empathy Work?
- FAQ
Introduction
In 2022, the world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste — averaging 7.8 kg per person — according to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024. If current trajectories persist, that number will swell to 82 million tonnes by 2030, with only 20 percent properly recycled. Meanwhile, roughly 9.78 million Americans still don’t use the internet, and more than 5 million households don’t have a computer.
These two crises — mountains of discarded electronics and millions of disconnected families — look separate on the surface. But one educator in El Segundo, California, is teaching high schoolers to see them as two sides of the same coin, using the same problem-solving framework that drives innovation at Amazon and Apple.
His name is Moss Pike, and his tool of choice is design thinking.
What Is Design Equity — and Why Should You Care?
Design equity is the practice of creating and executing ideas that solve persistent social challenges — in education, the workplace, urban spaces, and beyond — by placing people at the center of solutions. Over the last decade, the concept has permeated organizations ranging from startups to world-renowned universities. The core premise is straightforward: when you design with affected communities instead of for them, you directly impact the well-being of those communities.
Scaling this school of thought is exactly what Moss Pike focuses on as the Director of Educational Technology at Vistamar School in El Segundo, California. He works with students to deliver a design-based computer science curriculum that supports their academic and professional growth. Vistamar’s mission centers on equity and inclusivity, integrating innovative practices with a global perspective.
Discovering this mission led Moss to "combine his various interests in technology, in education and leadership" to help propel Vistamar forward. It’s part of a larger plan to "innovate around the learning process by using technology."
How Does Vistamar School Teach Students to Solve Real-World Problems?
Through a program called Civic Engagement Day — designed to motivate 10th-grade students "to think about real world problems and work on creating more equity in the world," as Moss puts it. Students don’t just study issues from a textbook. They focus on developing solutions for problems that are often overlooked.
Moss is blunt about why this matters: "Most of the time solutions cover the symptoms and not the actual problem itself." With Civic Engagement Day, students focus on the root of a problem and ideate on actionable ways to solve it.
"It’s centered around the design thinking process. It’s a cycle that starts with an empathy or discovery phase where you try to get a sense for the people affected by a problem," Moss says.
Human-I-T attended Civic Engagement Day to highlight our work on the digital divide and repurposing unwanted technology for income-qualified households — showing students what the discovery phase looks like when it’s applied to a real-world scenario.
What Do E-Waste and the Digital Divide Have in Common?
They’re the same problem viewed from two directions — and Human-I-T’s model treats them that way.
"The ideation and discovery of what the problem was occurred when [we took] two problems: e-waste and the digital divide," says Brandon Smith, then Vice President of Sales at Human-I-T. E-waste comprises electronics that are old, obsolete, or broken and can no longer be used. The digital divide is the gap between those who have access to technology and the internet and those who don’t.
The numbers expose the absurdity of the disconnect. E-waste accounts for roughly 70% of our toxic waste — leaching hazardous substances like mercury, lead, and brominated flame retardants into the environment, according to the Geneva Environment Network. Globally, only about 20% of e-waste is properly recycled, per the Global E-waste Monitor 2024. At the same time, about 9.78 million Americans don’t use the internet, and the FCC reports that more than a third of Americans have only one broadband provider or lack access altogether.
Human-I-T’s solution started by taking unwanted technology that no one was using, repurposing it, then distributing it to families that needed it the most.
Brandon described what typically happens instead: "There are two things that happen to e-waste; first you send it to a recycler where they put it in a grinding machine, then it gets shredded." That shredded material is then shipped to other countries, where people extract rare metals to sell — a process that impacts communities by negatively affecting their health and damaging the environment.
Donate, don’t recycle. That’s the circular model: extend the lifespan of devices, divert e-waste from landfills, and close the digital divide simultaneously.
What Are the Five Stages of Design Thinking?
The design thinking process is one of the most influential models for problem solving to date. It’s part of the core model for companies like Amazon and Apple, which use it to develop new products and services. While different organizations vary in the number of stages, all follow this path as outlined by the Interaction Design Foundation:
1. Empathy Stage — You work to understand the experiences people are facing. This stage is considered crucial to gaining empathy about the problem.
2. Defining Stage — After observing and developing understanding, you define the problem itself. This stage helps your team generate ideas in the following stage.
3. Ideation Stage — You begin generating ideas from everything you’ve analyzed up to this point.
4. Prototype Stage — This stage produces a basic version of your idea.
5. Testing Stage — You put your idea through rigorous testing of its key elements to ensure it functions the way it should.
Understanding how the discovery phase works helps students define the problem, then ideate on ways to solve it. From there, Moss says, "We teach them how to see problems that may not have been identified before and work towards solving them in meaningful ways."
Inviting Human-I-T for Civic Engagement Day shows students how the discovery phase is applied in a real-world scenario. Once students have a greater understanding of the problem, they can start ideating solutions and testing them.
Why Does Problem Solving Through Empathy Work?
Because it forces you to confront root causes rather than patch over symptoms.
Problem solving is one of the most challenging aspects that organizations and people face everywhere. Moss says that "just learning how to problem solve is a huge skill to have" when focusing on core issues affecting people. When it comes to civic engagement, applying the design thinking process is a critical first step to empathize with the direct causes of social problems.
That’s what makes Human-I-T’s approach different from conventional e-waste recycling. We didn’t start with the technology. We started with the people who need it — working families, single parents, underserved communities priced out of the digital economy — and worked backward to design a solution that serves them and the environment at the same time.
FAQ
What is design equity?
Design equity is a problem-solving approach that places people — especially those most affected by systemic challenges — at the center of the design process. It applies design thinking principles to issues like education, digital access, and environmental justice, ensuring solutions address root causes rather than symptoms.
How does design thinking relate to e-waste and the digital divide?
Design thinking starts with empathy: understanding who is affected and why. When you apply that lens to e-waste and the digital divide, you see two problems with one solution. Millions of devices get shredded or dumped while millions of families go without technology. Human-I-T’s model connects the dots — repurposing unwanted electronics and distributing them to families who need them.
How much e-waste does the world produce?
In 2022, the world generated 62 million tonnes of e-waste, according to the Global E-waste Monitor 2024. If current trends hold, that figure will reach 82 million tonnes by 2030, with only 20% properly recycled.
How can I donate technology instead of recycling it?
Fill out Human-I-T’s technology donation form to give your unwanted devices a second life. Our technicians securely sanitize your data, refurbish what’s viable, and distribute devices to income-qualified families — diverting e-waste from landfills while closing the digital divide.
How does Human-I-T use the circular economy model?
Instead of shredding electronics and extracting raw materials, we extend the lifespan of donated devices through refurbishment. Working tech goes to families who need it. What can’t be repurposed is responsibly recycled through our R2-certified ITAD services. It’s repair over replacement — and it addresses both digital equity and environmental justice in a single model.
Ready to put design thinking into action? Donate your technology to Human-I-T and turn your unwanted devices into opportunity for working families. Or contact us today to learn about our secure ITAD services for your organization.
