New Design Ideas

This article analyzes a social design hackathon held in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2023, as a co-creation methodology aimed at sustainable innovation and water management. The purpose of the study is to evaluate how social design and design thinking can generate technological solutions for environmental challenges through collaboration among academia, government, the private sector, and civil society. The study employs a qualitative case study methodology based on direct observation, document review, and participant interviews. The hackathon brought together 14 interdisciplinary teams that proposed solutions using technologies such as IoT sensors, machine learning, and data analysis. The results show the generation of viable proposals but highlight the limited participation of civil society and the need for more structured corporate involvement. The study concludes that social design, when integrated with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and open innovation principles, can be a powerful tool for sustainable development, especially within a quadruple helix model that strengthens multisector collaboration.