Service 4:

Strategic Design Thinking

This program fosters a design-thinking approach to innovation within your organization, equipping employees with the skills and mindset to solve problems creatively and develop user-centric solutions. It unfolds over 12 months, divided into quarterly phases with specific focus areas.

Target Audience: This program is designed for individuals from various departments and experience levels who are interested in developing their design-thinking skills and contributing to the innovation process.

Program Structure:

Core Curriculum (Monthly):

• Monthly Design Challenges (1 hour): Individual or team-based challenges focusing on applying design thinking principles to real-world problems.

• Guest Speaker Sessions (1 hour/month): Monthly sessions featuring industry leaders, design experts, or entrepreneurs sharing their design-thinking journeys and best practices.

• Book Club & Online Resources (Ongoing): Curated selection of design-thinking books and online resources available for ongoing learning and exploration.

Quarterly Phases

Phase 1: Foundations & User Empathy (Months 1-3)

• Design Thinking Fundamentals (2 workshops): Interactive workshops providing a comprehensive understanding of the design thinking process, its core stages, and application methods.

• User Research Techniques (1 workshop): Hands-on workshop on user research methodologies like user interviews, surveys, and ethnography.

• User Empathy Building Exercises (Monthly Design Challenges): Applying user research principles to build empathy for user needs and pain points.

Phase 2: Ideation & Creative Problem-Solving (Months 4-6)

• Brainstorming Techniques & Creativity Hacks (1 workshop): Techniques for generating a vast quantity of diverse ideas and overcoming creative blocks.

• Rapid Prototyping Methods (1 workshop): Explore various rapid prototyping tools and techniques for building low-fidelity representations of solutions.

• Focus on Quantity & Divergence (Monthly Design Challenges): Emphasis on generating a wide range of ideas without judgment or early selection.

Phase 3: Solution Development & Prototyping (Months 7-9)

• User Testing & Feedback Techniques (1 workshop): Learn how to conduct user testing sessions and gather valuable feedback on prototypes.

• Prototyping Tools & Resources (Online Resources): Curated resources on various prototyping tools and software for building more advanced prototypes.

• Iteration & Refinement (Monthly Design Challenges): Focusing on iterating on solutions based on user feedback and refining prototypes for usability and testing.

Phase 4: Storytelling & Implementation (Months 10-12)

• Crafting Compelling Pitches (1 workshop): Learn to present ideas effectively, communicate value propositions, and engage stakeholders.

• Innovation Champions & Intrapreneurship (1 workshop): Explore how to champion new ideas within the organization and navigate internal hurdles.

• Develop Implementation Strategy (Monthly Design Challenges): Develop a roadmap for implementing the most promising solutions, identifying resources and overcoming potential challenges.

Learning Outcomes

• Develop Design Thinking Mindset: Cultivate a user-centric approach to problem-solving and innovation.

• Master User Research & Empathize with Users: Learn to gather user insights, understand their needs, and empathize with their pain points.

• Generate Creative Solutions: Develop brainstorming and ideation techniques to generate a wide range of innovative solutions.

• Become a Prototyping Pro: Enhance your skills in creating low-fidelity and potentially more advanced prototypes.

• Craft Compelling Pitches: Learn to effectively communicate your ideas and secure support for implementation.

• Become an Innovation Champion: Drive innovation within your organization and empower others to contribute.

Additional Benefits

• Mentorship & Support: Connect with experienced design thinking practitioners for ongoing guidance and support.

• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Work in collaborative teams with individuals from different areas of the organization.

• Real-World Application: Focus on applying design thinking principles to solve real-world challenges within your organization.

• Community Building: Foster a network of design thinking enthusiasts who can collaborate and learn from each other.