Masterclass Design Thinking

The instrument for change and innovation

At its essence, Design Thinking is about exploring problems from a different perspective. Designers trained in this method tackle problems in a positive, constructive, and holistic way, enabling them to come up with unique solutions. It’s the ideal way of handling social issues and other complex matters in both the private and non-profit sectors that demand a different, more innovative approach.

With Design Thinking, the needs of the various stakeholders take center stage. While the end users’ needs are clearly important, Design Thinking is unique in that it also takes the interests of other stakeholders into account throughout the entire design process. This ensures that the decisions that are made add value for all parties involved. In this way, Design Thinking generates solutions that are positive, futureproof, and – most importantly – offer enormous added value.

What will you learn in this Design Thinking training?

Admission requirements for Design Thinking training

TIAS will check your work experience and ambitions beforehand in order to be able to share experiences and dilemmas at a high level.

The following admission requirements are important:

• HBO (Higher professional education) or WO (Academic higher education) professional and intellectual ability
• A minimum of five years work experience
• Work relevance regarding problems involving multiple stakeholders

Costs of the program

The price of one masterclass is € 3,150 including reading materials, coffee/tea/soda, lunch and bites between lecture sessions. If you take multiple masterclasses, a discount applies:

• 2 masterclasses: 5% discount
• 3 masterclasses: 7,5% discount
• 4 or more masterclasses: 10% discount

Program

The Design Thinking approach can only truly be understood by working with it yourself. For this reason, the sessions are highly interactive. You’ll work in a group with other participants, tackling an issue of your choosing and practicing each of the steps in the methodology.

The theory behind each element of the methodology will be touched on briefly during the course. Participants will be expected to dive deeper into the material in their own time using a reading list, which will be provided in advance. It is up to each participant to decide how much time and effort to devote to supplemental reading. Between each of the three sessions, you will conduct research and test the solutions that you have developed. You will need to reserve one full working day between each session to complete your assignments.

The main topics that will be covered in this masterclass are:

1. Problem definition – what is the real issue that needs solving, and how can you define it as accurately as possible? During this portion of the masterclass, we will break into groups. Each group will tackle a specific issue relating to their own fields of expertise using the Context Radar tool.
2. Stakeholder analysis and empathetic research – we will discuss stakeholder mapping and teach participants to use empathetic research skills. As a group, you will prepare interviews with stakeholders using Empathy Maps and Interview Guides, which you will then use to interview stakeholders individually between sessions. After completing your interviews, you will use the Data Download method to analyze and interpret your findings.
3. Ideation, creative thinking and visualization – you will be introduced to different aspects of creative thinking and ideation and will work with your group to apply the Reframing technique, helping you to generate new ideas. With the help of User Scenarios, you will then present your ideas convincingly and validate them in meetings with stakeholders between sessions.\
4. Business modeling – how can you develop an idea into a realistic business model? Working in groups, you will study the Business Model Canvas and the Value Proposition Canvas and apply them to your own problem in order to come up with viable solutions. This will then form the basis for developing a convincing pitch for your solution.
5. Implementation – during the final session, we will discuss how to implement Design Thinking within your own organization. What are the potential benefits and what do you need to get started? Professor Toni Sfirtsis and experts from design agency VanBerlo will help you to reflect on how you can make a positive contribution to your organization.