Introduction

In a rapidly changing business environment, innovation and creative problem-solving have become essential skills for organizations aiming to sustain growth and competitive advantage. Design Thinking offers a human-centered, structured approach to solving complex challenges and generating breakthrough ideas. This program guides participants through the full cycle of innovation—from understanding user needs and defining problems, to ideation, prototyping, and implementing impactful solutions.

Participants will learn to combine the principles of innovation with practical design thinking frameworks, build empathy for users, foster a culture of experimentation, and drive results through creative collaboration. Through interactive sessions, hands-on activities, and real-world examples, this course empowers teams and individuals to master the art and science of innovation.

Objectives

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Understand the principles, processes, and value of design thinking.

• Apply innovation and design thinking to real-world business challenges.

• Build empathy and deep user understanding through research and interviews.

• Effectively use ideation techniques to generate and select creative ideas.

• Frame design problems and define project requirements.

• Develop, test, and refine prototypes efficiently.

• Integrate feedback, usability, and evaluation tools for solution improvement.

• Foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within teams.

• Assess opportunities and measure innovation success through benchmarks and frameworks.

Target Audience

• Managers and team leaders seeking to foster innovation

• Product managers and designers

• Business development professionals

• Project managers

• Entrepreneurs and startup founders

• R&D teams

• Anyone involved in problem-solving or service/product development

Course Methodology

• Interactive Lectures: Theory supported by practical insights.

• Workshops & Group Activities: Hands-on exercises for real-world learning.

• Case Studies: Examination of successful innovation and design thinking projects.

• Simulations & Role-Plays: Applying design thinking to simulated challenges.

• Feedback & Peer Review: Collaborative learning and knowledge sharing.

• Toolkit Application: Use of templates, canvases, and checklists to reinforce learning.

Organizational Impact

• Enhanced problem-solving and creative thinking abilities across teams.

• Improved capability to develop user-centric products, services, and solutions.

• Stronger culture of collaboration, experimentation, and agility.

• Increased competitive advantage through innovative practices.

• Measurable improvement in project outcomes and customer satisfaction.

Outlines

Day 1:

Introduction to Design Thinking

• Overview and definition of design thinking

• History and evolution of design thinking

• The five stages of design thinking

• Solving problems with design thinking

• Application of design thinking within organizations

• Benefits and the design thinking framework

Day 2:

Introduction to Innovation

• Definition and importance of innovation

• Benefits and processes of innovation

• Problem-solving skills for innovation

• Brainstorming techniques and their value in creative thinking

• Convergent and divergent thinking

• Mastering innovation

• Innovation vs. design thinking

• Motivation and imagination in innovation

Day 3:

Building Empathy & Ideation

Part 1: Building Empathy

• What is empathy in design?

• Techniques for building empathy

• Empathy for design thinking

• Conducting user interviews and ethnographic research

• Building empathy for target groups

Part 2: Ideation

• Defining ideation and its role

• SCAMPER ideation technique, analogies method

• The value of ideation in design thinking

• Techniques and planning for brainstorming

• Sketching, employing the worst idea method

• Overcoming barriers to ideation

Day 4:

Building Innovative Skills & Framing Design Problems

Part 1: Building Innovative Skills

• Types of innovative skills

• Innovative toolkits and skillsets

• Drawing inspiration and overcoming fear of failure

Part 2: Framing Design Problems

• Stakeholder mapping in design projects

• Define methods and phase overview

• Personas: creation and engagement

• Affinity diagrams, empathy maps

• Developing point of view problem statements

Day 5:

Prototyping

• Definition and process of prototyping

• Types of prototypes and fidelity levels

• Best practices in prototyping

• Prototyping relevance in design thinking

• Gaining insights and avoiding pitfalls

• Ensuring feasibility and viability of prototypes

Day 6:

The Value of Design Thinking in Driving Innovation

• Using design thinking to foster innovation

• Leadership as an enabler of innovation

• Curating and developing design thinking mindsets

• Navigating execution of design thinking projects

• Identifying application areas across industries

Day 7:

Designing Solutions

• Introduction to the solution design phase

• Importance of feedback

• Evaluative research: types and applications

• Usability testing and common challenges

• Conducting heuristic evaluations

• Testing prototypes and integrating feedback

Day 8:

Building an Experimentation Mindset & Assessing Opportunities

Part 1: Building an Experimentation Mindset

• Mixing ideas into complex innovation concepts

• Prototyping guided by critical questions

• Critiquing and strengthening concepts

• Evaluation tools and stakeholder analysis

Part 2: Assessing the Opportunity

• Harnessing inspiration

• Applying learnings to current design problems

• Building a culture of experimentation and safety

• The six fundamentals of the real-win-worth framework

• Establishing benchmarks and success frameworks