Are you ever frustrated with something that you thought you could design better?  Perhaps something at work, or in your local community? Design thinking can structure your natural creativity to come up with solutions to all kinds of problems, and have fun during the process too!

In this course, you will find a mix of inspirational readings, ‘how to’ guides and practical design activities. This course will give you examples of each, discussing ‘What is design,’ showing you ‘How to make compositions’ and introducing you to a simple, but effective drawing technique by way of a hands-on activity.

Design thinking, will show you how to structure your natural creativity to come up with solutions to all kinds of problems, and have fun in the process too!

(THIS IS A 1 DAY COURSE)

COURSE OUTLINE 

1. INTRODUCTION & 5 PHASES OF DESIGN THINKING

Before we begin to talk about design thinking, you may be wondering what exactly design is. Perhaps you had some idea when you chose to study this course, in which case, see if the ideas here meet your expectations. You might be surprised at how widely we define design. Designs are the things that design thinking produces - the products of thinking if you like. First, we will consider what design is, as well as considering its purpose and effects. You will learn and master the 5 phases of:

1. Empathize

2. Define

3. Ideate

4. Prototype

5. Test

2. DESIGN AROUND US

Almost everything you see around you is designed; that is, it exists as a result of human thought about what is needed. As I sit in my office (Figure 1), I see a telephone, a cup, a desk light, a building opposite my window, a computer in front of me, the chair I am sitting on, and the clothes I am wearing. These are the obvious objects of design. However, there are less obvious things, too: the software I'm using to write this paragraph, the circuit boards in the computer (and the chips on the circuit board), the timeline I have on my whiteboard, the way I have organised the books on my shelves, the noticeboard where I've pinned up images, documents, lists and reminders. (And, of course, those images, documents, lists and reminders themselves.)

2.1 A world of stuff

2.2 Changing our behaviour

2.3 Involving other people

2.4 Summary

3. COMPOSITION IN DESIGN

In this part of the course, you will learn about composition in design. Composition is a characteristic of all types of design. It can be found in written designs, such as novels and poems. It’s found in time-based media such as music or films, and it’s found in visual and physical design, such as postage stamps, products and architecture. Understanding the principles of composition will help you make better designs.

This part of the course guides you through the principles of composition using a wide range of examples of design outputs. There are a number of exercises to help you apply your learning and to experiment with variations in composition.

3.1 Principles of composition

3.1.1 Structure

3.1.2 Repetition

3.1.3 Symmetry

3.1.4 Proportion

3.1.5 Positive and negative space

3.1.6 Emphasis and dominance

3.1.7 Combining the principles of composition

4. COMPLEX INFORMATION
   Being able to reduce complex information to simple information is an important skill to learn in design thinking because it provides a way to explore creative possibilities further.

4.1 The hand activity

5. WORKSHOP
   You will be guided to complete at least one design thinking project from start to the end using th 5 phases of Emphatize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. Finally, a review will be done on your progress with the trainers and participants.

 WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This course is ideal for professionals in any industry who want to enhance their problem-solving skills and develop a user-centered approach to innovation. It is particularly relevant for designers, product managers, marketers, engineers, and anyone who wants to drive innovation in their organization. No prior design thinking experience is required.

• Working professionals with an interest in innovative design thinking, those who intend to know the potential. Prerequisites: No prior knowledge is required

• This workshop is especially important for organisations looking to solve actual challenges in their industry, or at their organisations.

RATIONALITY

Solving challenges in your industry or organisation can be an uphill task. Our 1-day Innovation Design Thinking training and workshop will help you identify, outline and solve these challenges in  easy and creative ways. We will aid you to understand your company issues and how best to solve them.

Design thinking is a problem-solving methodology that emphasizes understanding and empathizing with users or customers, exploring multiple possible solutions, and iteratively prototyping and testing those solutions to arrive at an effective solution to the problem.

The design thinking process typically consists of five stages:

1. Empathize: This stage involves gaining an understanding of the user or customer and their needs, motivations, and challenges through observation, interviews, and other research methods.

2. Define: Based on the insights gathered during the empathy stage, the problem or challenge is defined and framed as a design challenge.

3. Ideate: This stage involves generating a wide range of possible solutions or ideas to address the design challenge. This can be done through brainstorming, sketching, or other ideation techniques.

4. Prototype: In this stage, one or more solutions are selected for further development, and low-fidelity prototypes are created to test and refine the solution.

5. Test: The final stage involves testing the prototypes with users or customers to gather feedback and refine the solution further. This iterative process continues until an effective solution is arrived at.

Design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving that encourages creativity, collaboration, and empathy. It has been widely used in fields such as product design, user experience design, and innovation management, but its principles can be applied to any problem-solving context.

We will focus on Innovation Design Thinking theory, with additional focus on actively solving the challenge / issue in the organisation. Participants can dive deep into solving actual challenges at the organisation and also take some time for the ‘Empathy’ stage where they can use workshop time to interview potential users. 

LEARNING OUTCOME

By the end of the program, you will be able to:

• have an awareness of how design thinking can be applied in a wide range of contexts, from the personal to the global

• investigate and think creatively about design problems and opportunities

• initiate an attitude of playfulness to aid design thinking

• develop visual literacy and articulacy to explain design decisions

• use computing tools and online environments to aid design thinking