Learning by Design: Be My Eyes

Be My Eyes is a learning-by-design initiative that brings together designers, educators, and theatre practitioners to explore how we understand the world through our senses.

Co-created by Pinch Design, and InArts Collective, in collaboration with Glyph Community, the workshop invites learners to experience the world from the perspective of the visually impaired — using touch, sound, scent, and movement as tools for discovery.

2022 — Introducing Design Thinking to Children (Singapore)

In 2022, we partnered with Glyph Community, a Singapore-based charity supporting underprivileged youth, to pilot the Be My Eyes workshop locally.

The program introduced design thinking through sensory exploration, allowing children to discover empathy and creativity by engaging in playful, embodied experiences.

This first edition laid the foundation for a more inclusive and imaginative approach to learning by design.

Project 1

2023 — Be My Eyes at Chiang Mai Design Week

In 2023, we brought Be My Eyes to the public at Chiang Mai Design Week, Thailand.

This international version transformed the workshop into a public design experiment, where participants of all ages explored how the visually impaired make sense of their surroundings.

The open format allowed us to gather diverse feedback and observe how cross-cultural participants responded to embodied empathy, providing insights for future educational design frameworks.

Design Thinking through the Body

At the heart of Be My Eyes is embodied learning — thinking through doing, feeling, and sensing.

Learners participate in sound-based games, blindfolded navigation, and group storytelling, designed to sharpen awareness, foster trust, and build creative confidence.

Highlights include:

Hearing the Way – Discovering how sound guides movement and orientation.
Scent Marking – Recognising how smells can become intuitive navigation cues.
Mindful Eating – Exploring how touch and taste contribute to judgment and safety.
Don’t Touch! – Realising that unseen challenges, like a hot handrail, can shape human experience.
Forging Trust – Building reliance and cooperation through blindfolded teamwork.

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”
— Mark Twain

Learners are encouraged to imagine beyond sight — feeling tree bark as dinosaur skin or mapping sounds like textures — turning ordinary surroundings into design inspiration.

From Theatre to Design

The workshop bridges theatre play and design thinking, giving participants a tangible way to understand empathy, inclusion, and sensory design.

Through storytelling, learners craft narratives from their experiences, reflecting on how design can extend care, awareness, and imagination.

Key Outcomes

Fosters empathy and trust
Strengthens creative confidence
Builds multi-sensory awareness
Connects design thinking to inclusive design practices

Partners in Collaboration

Pinch Design – Creative strategy and design catalyst

InArts Collective – Theatre and community arts by Jalyn Han

Glyph Community – Singapore charity for underprivileged youth

Together, we’re cultivating the next generation of changemakers through design, empathy, and imagination.

Learning by Design: Be My Eyes

Be My Eyes is a learning-by-design initiative that brings together designers, educators, and theatre practitioners to explore how we understand the world through our senses.

Co-created by Pinch Design, and InArts Collective, in collaboration with Glyph Community, the workshop invites learners to experience the world from the perspective of the visually impaired — using touch, sound, scent, and movement as tools for discovery.

2022 — Introducing Design Thinking to Children (Singapore)

Project 1

Project 1

Project 1

Project 1

Project 1

Project 1

2023 — Be My Eyes at Chiang Mai Design Week

Design Thinking through the Body

At the heart of Be My Eyes is embodied learning — thinking through doing, feeling, and sensing.

From Theatre to Design

Partners in Collaboration

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” — Mark Twain

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“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” 
— Mark Twain