What you will study
Design thinking is a solution-based approach to creative problem-solving. In this course, you’ll discover what design thinking is, why it works well for digital transformation, and gain a step-by-step approach to implementing it as part of your digital transformation plans.
Practical exercises will help you to apply your new knowledge, and the social learning approach will empower you to further enhance and reflect on your understanding by sharing your thoughts and opinions with co-learners.
Delivered over four easy-to-digest sections, you will cover:
1: An introduction to design thinking
- The design thinking approach
- The role of innovation in digital transformation
- Structured innovation
- The stages of design thinking
- Creating the right conditions for design thinking
- Planning a design thinking project
2: The discover phase of design thinking
- Defining the field of search
- The role of divergent thinking
- Interviews and observations
- Developing personas
- The role of empathy
- User journey mapping
3: The define phase of design thinking
- Redefining the problem
- Focusing on the right people
- Too broad or too narrow?
- Analysing needs
- Prioritising
- The problem statement
4: The develop and deploy phases of design thinking
- Finding ideas
- Developing ideas
- Creative techniques
- Evaluating ideas
- Prototyping
- Testing and maintenance.
You will learn
By the end of the course, you’ll have the skills to:
- understand the key stages and phases of design thinking
- plan design thinking processes to create a structured approach to innovation
- create team and organisational conditions to enable effective design thinking
- develop design thinking plans as part of a broader digital transformation strategy.
Vocational relevance
Professionals who can implement design thinking for digital transformation are in high demand as it’s a key differentiator for businesses and a valuable asset for career growth in today’s digitally-driven world. Businesses across industries are using design thinking to solve problems, improve decision-making, and foster innovation, creativity, and a user-centred focus.
This course has been created by the OU in collaboration with industry experts, Target Internet, who deliver digital training to some of the world’s leading organisations, as well as building online learning that is used in over 100 countries worldwide.
Learner support
There is no tuition on this course and all study is self-directed. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to enhance and reflect on your understanding by sharing your thoughts and opinions with co-learners.