Overview
Design thinking is a creative, human centred approach to business innovation. It’s about applying the design mindset to business challenges, making sure solutions are customer-centric and focused on meeting the needs of all stakeholders.
The A4Q Design Thinking Foundation certification attests to an individual’s knowledge and understanding of this collaborative, innovation-seeking approach to problem solving and solutions development.
Prerequisites
There are typically no formal prerequisites to take the A4Q Design Thinking certification.
Target Audience
This course is designed for:
- Product Owners
- Scrum Masters
- Product Managers
- Software Engineers
- UX Designers
- Designers
Delegates will learn how to
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Understand the theory and application of the Design Thinking creative and iterative process.
- Investigate and resolve business challenges, identify options and test proposed solutions using the Design Thinking innovative customer-centric approach.
- Empathize with the customer, unlock key insights, question assumptions, explore strategies and test ideas.
- Find innovative and relevant solutions
Outline
Introduction to Design Thinking (10%)
- Define the nature and characteristics of Design Thinking
- Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale for Design Thinking
- Identify the core elements of the Design Thinking mindset
Fundamental Design Thinking Practices (15%)
- Describe the following Design Thinking practices:
- Empathy and perspective analysis
- Research and investigation
- Divergent and convergent thinking
- Experimentation and prototyping
- Visualisation
- Validation
- Assumption identification and testing
- Iteration and continuous learning
Design Thinking Approaches (20%)
- Demonstrate understanding of the Design Council approach
- Demonstrate understanding of the d.School 5 stage approach (Stanford)
- The design thinking macro and micro processes
Design Thinking Techniques (40%)
- Describe the structure and application of the following Design Thinking techniques
- Explain the rationale for using each of the following Design Thinking techniques (Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver) within the stated Double Diamond stage
- Describe and distinguish between; brainstorming and brainwriting, focus groups, user role and persona analysis, storyboarding.
Implementing Design Thinking (15%)
- Describe the relationship between organisational culture and the application of Design Thinking
- Distinguish between the elements of organisational culture using the Culture Pyramid
- Define cultural aspects that may inhibit or enable the use of Design Thinking
- Define the POPIT™ elements needed to support the implementation of Design Thinking
Exams and Assessments
The examination leading to the Foundation Certificate in Design Thinking:
- Consists of 40 multiple choice questions, each of which has a value of one mark. Candidates must gain 26 marks out of the available 40 marks (65%) in order to pass the examination and be awarded the certification.
- Has a duration of 60 minutes. If a candidate’s native language is not the examination language, the candidate is allowed an additional 25% (15 minutes) of examination time.
- Is a closed book examination and no reference materials may be used while sitting the examination.
- Assesses competence at levels 1,2 and 3 of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Cognitive Domains. These levels assess competence as follows:
- K1: remember
- K2: understand
- K3: apply
Hands-On Learning
This course includes:
- Instructor-led scenarios, helping develop design thinking skills.
- A detailed insight into Design Thinking concepts
- Being able to apply useful design thinking techniques to drive business innovation.
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