In this article, we present the first conclusions drawn from the educational innovation and improvement project launched in 2024 by faculty members from three degree programs at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Universitat Politècnica de València). The project aims to determine whether tools such as Life Design and Design Thinking can help our students better define their emotional needs, life goals, and even personal values, thereby improving their resilience and overall well-being—key aspects for approaching their professional goals with greater clarity and chances of success.

We live in a context of constant change in the job market, which inevitably increases anxiety among students as they struggle to envision their future. For this reason, learning to cope with uncertainty is more necessary than ever. Those who are unable to imagine options believe they have none. More than ever, we are in an era of creating opportunities, not just choosing among existing ones.

As a logical evolution of traditional vocational guidance, Life Design emerged at the beginning of the 21st century, having become popular among major universities as a result of the methodology developed by the d.School of Stanford University. Standford’s Life Design approach applies design thinking to address the wicked problems of life and vocational wayfinding. In this sense, we could say that it emerged as a response to the difficulty of navigating the inherent uncertainty of our time without having the appropriate tools. To this end, this methodology provides students with creative strategies to design their educational, professional, and even personal paths in an environment that is changing at an exponentially accelerating pace.

The Universitat Politécnica de València (UPV) is a pioneer institution in our country in developing initiatives in this area, with subjects such as "Career Introduction: Design your future in design engineering", self-knowledge and academic guidance workshops, or pilot programs based on the use of Design Thinking and other creativity techniques aimed at vocational guidance. These experiences have shown a positive impact on students’ motivation and self-regulation of learning, with outstanding results in satisfaction surveys and active participation.

This educational innovation project seeks to systematize and document the application of these methodologies in various university subjects, integrating self-knowledge and creativity techniques into the classroom. Through the identification and adaptation of tools derived from Life Design, the goal is not only to improve academic training but also to provide students with essential skills to face the challenges of work and personal life.

Keywords: Life Design, Design Thinking, curriculum design, vocational guidance.