At the conclusion of the course, students are able to:
- Explain key design thinking concepts and its relevance for businesses
- Execute a design thinking project in a business context
- Delve into the needs of the user and create innovative solutions
- Collect and analyze feedback about prototypes developed throughout the design process
- Present the solution proposed, addressing its technical feasibility, desirability and financial viability, with attention to storytelling and visual presentation
- Reflect upon their own process and their colleagues’ projects.
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As the world become more globalized, customers more engaged and technology and internet more ubiquitous, the complexity of the post-industrial markets requires new approaches to support the development of competitive advantages. In that context, Design Thinking provides tools and methods to support customer centric innovation, which takes into consideration the viability, the feasibility and desirability of new offerings. That is, Design Thinking balances market demands with the business strategy and organizational capabilities.
In this course we will learn Design Thinking from its academic origins – that is, the study of the designerly ways of thinking, the nature of design problems, and the unique ways in which design can tackle complex problems – to the contemporary managerial perspective focused on the development of design capabilities in organizations. The goal is to prepare the students with the knowledge and skills to perform innovation projects in corporations, addressing the complexities of organizational structures and behaviors. In other words, enable students to execute Design Thinking intervention that ensures new solutions which are not only desirable, but also technically feasible and financially viable. This will present the students with challenges such as navigating the complexities of siloed culture, resistance to change and fear of the unknown.
The course is structured in a transdisciplinary fashion, where students from business, design and technology backgrounds cooperate to address complex challenges facing organizations. In order to balance autonomy and structure, the course will combine lectures with a practical design challenge. The students are expected to develop an innovative solution for the given challenge. This process will be supported by theoretical lectures and practice-based tutorials. The goal is to ensure students are capable of implementing the learned concepts, processes and tools, transforming knowledge into skills through practice.
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