Design Thinking Bootcamp
How This Course Will Help Your Career
What You Will Learn
An overview of the elements of Design Thinking and the Design Thinking process.
Methods and processes that you can apply to creatively solve complex problems in a work or community environment.
How to plan a research project, strategic research methods including domain research and PEST analysis.
User research methods including interviews.
Methods to visually synthesize data, such as Affinity Mapping, Empathy Maps, Experience Maps and Personas.
How to define the problem statement and conduct an effective brainstorming session to generate ideas to solve the problem.
Methods to understand the user’s context, including Scenarios, Storyboards, Paper prototypes and Formative testing.
How to build empathy with users and why it’s so important in Design Thinking.
The three lenses of Human-Centered Design, Desirability, Feasibility, Viability and Design Thinking mindsets.
How to create rapid prototypes of your design solutions.
How to build a Business Model Canvas and explore a value proposition.
How to conduct usability and viability tests.
How to pitch your design solution to stakeholders.
Get introduced to what Design Thinking is, how it fits into the creative industry and what you’ll do in a real Design Thinking role. If you’re new to Design Thinking, this Bootcamp can give you the perfect mix of expert guidance + real-world projects to fast-track your learning.
Ideal for complete beginners who wish to transition their career to Design Thinking, this Bootcamp will give you a rock-solid foundation in Design Thinking theory and practice. This Bootcamp is also suitable for intermediate level learners, that want to build on their existing Design Thinking skills and undertake a more challenging pathway through the Bootcamp by engaging with the Level Up Challenges in the course. When you graduate, you won’t be ready to apply to jobs yet, but you’ll find it much easier to continue learning UX in other ways, such as our UX Career & Portfolio Bootcamp!
What You’ll Receive
Teaching by expert instructors
Detailed feedback from senior mentors
Project-based curriculum to build skills fast
Practice job skills through weekly critiques & presentations
A community of peers to network with
Perks and discounts from partners like Sketch, Figma, InVision, and more.
What You’ll End Up With
A portfolio-worthy project to demonstrate your abilities
One-year access to 30+ self-paced UX design courses
Knowledge on how to create the most common deliverables in a Design Thinking project
In-depth and practical understanding of the Design Thinking process in action
A new mindset for approaching problem-solving
Gain an Industry-Recognized UX Course Certificate
Use your industry-recognized Course Certificate on your resume, CV, LinkedIn profile or your website.
Our courses and Course Certificates are trusted by these industry leaders:
Is This Bootcamp Right For You?
This Bootcamp will be especially helpful for:
Aspiring designers who are looking to understand the Design Thinking process to start building a portfolio.
Graphic and web designers who want to transition to Design Thinking.
Any professional looking to switch to Design Thinking.
Learn and work with a global team of designers
When you take part in this course, you will join peers from around a global multidisciplinary team working on the Bootcamp and the exercises at the same time as you. You will work together to improve your skills and understanding. Your course group will be made up of an incredibly diverse group of professionals, all of whom have the same objective—to become successful designers. It’s your chance to learn, grow, and network with your peers across the planet.
Lessons in This Course
- Each week, one lesson becomes available.
- There’s no time limit to finish a course. Lessons have no deadlines.
- Estimated learning time: 20 hours 15 mins spread over 13 weeks .
Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 6 mins.
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0.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
Lesson 1: Week 1: Module 1 - An Intro to Design Thinking
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 29 mins.
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1.1: What is Design Thinking? (24 mins)
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1.2: The History of Design Thinking (27 mins)
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1.3: The Principles & Processes of Design Thinking (54 mins)
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1.4: Design Thinking Frameworks (30 mins)
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1.5: Careers within Design Thinking (11 mins)
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1.6: Congratulations and Recap (5 mins)
Lesson 2: Week 2: Module 2 - Empathy
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 7 mins.
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2.1: Welcome (2 mins)
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2.2: User Research (18 mins)
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2.3: Understanding Your Audience (34 mins)
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2.4: The Design Challenge (19 mins)
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2.5: Learning From People (36 mins)
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2.6: Interview Preparation (19 mins)
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2.7: Congratulations and Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 3: Week 3: Module 2 - Empathy
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 37 mins.
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3.0: Welcome (2 mins)
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3.1: Discover (20 mins)
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3.2: Asking questions (1 hour 16 mins)
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3.3: Cultural Probes (27 mins)
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3.4: Looking at context (15 mins)
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3.5: Pre-Flight Checks (17 mins)
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3.6: Congratulations and Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 4: Week 4: Module 3 - Define
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 6 mins.
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4.0: Welcome (2 mins)
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4.1: Looking At Your Research (24 mins)
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4.2: Affinity Diagrams (19 mins)
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4.3: Introduction to Personas (16 mins)
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4.4: Creating Personas (11 mins)
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4.5: Persona Creation Deep Dive (53 mins)
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4.6: Congratulations and Recap (4 mins)
Lesson 5: Week 5: Module 3 - Define
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 35 mins.
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5.0: Welcome (2 mins)
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5.1: Empathy Maps (29 mins)
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5.2: Find Themes (15 mins)
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5.3: Insight Statements (12 mins)
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5.4: POV Statement (19 mins)
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5.5: How Might We Questions (19 mins)
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5.6: Congratulations and Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 6: Week 6: Module 3 - Define
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 37 mins.
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6.1: Welcome to Week 6: Define (2 mins)
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6.2: Creating Frameworks (10 mins)
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6.3: Experience Maps (24 mins)
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6.4: Congratulations and Recap (2 mins)
Lesson 7: Week 7: Module 4 - Ideate
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 25 mins.
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7.1: Welcome to Week 7: Ideate (2 mins)
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7.2: Ideation (22 mins)
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7.3: Generate Ideas (28 mins)
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7.4: The Art of Brainstorming (25 mins)
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7.5: Analogies and Assumptions (25 mins)
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7.6: Sketching Your Ideas (44 mins)
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7.7: Congratulations and Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 8: Week 8: Module 5 - Prototype
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 3 mins.
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8.1: Welcome to Week 8: Prototype (2 mins)
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8.2: Selecting Ideas (24 mins)
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8.3: Prototyping Your Ideas (50 mins)
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8.4: Making Prototypes (46 mins)
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8.5: Congratulations and Recap (4 mins)
Lesson 9: Week 9: Module 5 - Prototype
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 58 mins.
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9.1: Welcome to Week 9: Prototype (2 mins)
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9.2: Desirable, Feasible, Viable (28 mins)
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9.3: The Business Model Canvas (27 mins)
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9.4: Congratulations and Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 10: Week 10: Module 6 - Test
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 50 mins.
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10.0: Welcome (2 mins)
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10.1: Testing and Feedback (14 mins)
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10.2: Usability Tests (1 hour 5 mins)
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10.3: Testing Prototypes (29 mins)
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10.4: Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 11: Week 11: Module 6 - Test
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 23 mins.
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11.0: Welcome (1 min)
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11.1: What is a Pitch? (17 mins)
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11.2: Stakeholders (16 mins)
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11.3: Creating a Roadmap for Success (28 mins)
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11.4: Create a Pitch (21 mins)
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11.5: Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 12: Week 12: Module 7 - Project Finalization
To be scheduled.
How It Works
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Control your learning.
Lessons are self-paced so you’ll never be late for class or miss a deadline. Learning and life, hand in hand.
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Earn Course Certificates.
Your answers are graded by experts, not machines. Get an industry-recognized Course Certificate to show you’ve put in the work.
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Advance your career.
Grow your professional knowledge by watching Master Classes, networking within our UX community, and more.
Start Advancing Your Career Now
Join us to take “Design Thinking Bootcamp”. Take other courses at no additional cost. Make a concrete step forward in your career path today.
Advance my career nowFrequently Asked Questions
When I finish a course, do I have to pay extra to get my certificate?
Can I take more than one course at a time?
With a Student membership, you can take a maximum of two courses at the same time. You can still take as many courses as you would like – free of extra charges – just as long as you finish or drop them so that you don’t have more than two ongoing courses.
I missed the enrollment, and now the course is closed. What can I do?
Don't worry if you missed the course. We will re-run it shortly. One of the reasons we continually open and close courses is in order to control the classroom size.
Networking is a large part of our value proposition, so we want just the right number of people inside the courses. That is also why we display the "XX % percent booked" on our course icons.
Do I have to be online at an exact time to study?
No. You can set your own study schedule. There are no "live sessions" since we have members from all timezones around the world. We are a truly global community.
Thus, once you are enrolled, you can take all the time to complete a given course. Every "classroom" in each course will never close, so you’ll have permanent access to your classmates and your course material (as well as your own answers).
Will I receive a Course Certificate?
Yes. You will get a digital industry-recognized course certificate every time you complete a course. Certificates never expire and can be saved as a .jpg file, so it's easy to be shared. Also, there is no limit to how many certificates you can earn during your membership.
You can see an example of a Course Certificate at the bottom of the Course Catalogue.
I have answered questions in a lesson; when will they be marked/graded?
I have updated my name, but my course certificate is not updated — how can I change it?
Don't worry; once you change your name, your certificate will be updated automatically in the next 48 hours.
I have started my course later than the specified date, are my answers still going to be marked?
Sure! We will be marking all your answers for as long as you are an active member.
How are courses graded?
For how long will I have access to the course materials?
You will have access to the course materials for the entire duration of your membership. So, if you pay for a one-year membership, you will have access for one year. Renewing your membership for a second year means you will have access to one more year, and so on.
New lessons are starting before I have completed the previous lesson(s). Am I going to be locked out of these unfinished lessons?
No, you will not be locked out of any lesson or course. You will have access to all course materials throughout your membership, so there is no pressure to keep at the same pace as the specified lesson release dates.
All we recommend is that you try to stick to the same schedule as other participants. The reason is they may have moved on to other lessons, thereby meaning you could miss out on the social aspects of the course(s).
Do I have a specific date to award my certificates?
No, you can generate your certificate as soon as you score at least 70% of the total course points.
When will I receive my Course Certificate?
Course certificates will be given to participants when they have scored more than 70% or more of the total course points. For example, if a course contains ten lessons each with ten questions, you will receive a course certificate when the instructor has awarded you at least 70 points (70% of the total course points).
There is no specified time that certificates will be awarded — instead, they are given to participants as and when they have answered all questions, even if this is long after the official end date.
How do I add my Certificate to my LinkedIn profile?
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to add your Interaction Design Foundation course(s) to your LinkedIn profile:
Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
Below your profile description, click on the button Add profile section, choose Recommended and then select Add license or certification.
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3. In the following fields add:
Name – Course name
Issuing organization – The Interaction Design Foundation
Check the field “This credential does not expire”
Issue date - Input the date written on your certificate (e.g., May 2021)
Credential ID – Your membership ID number – it's written on your certificate. (For non-members, you can leave this field blank or, if you prefer, insert the certificate ID, which can be extracted from the certificate link. This ID will begin with "mcc_" and be followed by a string of numbers and letters.")
Credential URL: Input the certificate URL provided on your course page
4. Click the Save button.
Congratulate yourself! Earning the certificate is a great accomplishment and now you can share it with the world!
How do I add the Interaction Design Foundation Membership Certificate to my LinkedIn Profile?
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to add your Interaction Design Foundation course(s) to your LinkedIn profile:
Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
Below your profile description, click on the button Add profile section, choose Recommended and then select Add license or certification.
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3. In the following fields add:
Name – Membership Certificate
Issuing organization – The Interaction Design Foundation
Check the field “This credential does not expire”
Issue date - Input the date when you joined our community (e.g., May 2019)
Credential ID – Your membership ID number (it's written on your certificate)
Credential URL: Input the certificate URL provided on your profile page
4. Click the Save button.
It is as simple as that. Now, anyone who visits your profile can see your certificate!
How much will I have to pay for the courses?
After you pay for your membership, you can take as many courses as you want with no additional costs. There are no further charges on top of the membership fee.
Do you provide mostly beginners' or more advanced courses?
How long does it take to complete a course?
You will need approximately 5-8 hours to complete one lesson. Each course has between 3 and 16 lessons.
Once enrolled in a course, you will gain access to a new lesson each week, which you are free to complete without any deadlines and no end date, either.
I scored less than 70% in a course, so I didn't qualify for a certificate. Can I try again?
Yes! Everyone's learning journey looks different, and we'd never stop our members from trying again. To retake a course, just follow these steps:
1. Go to your profile and click on the relevant course you'd like to retake.
2. Underneath your progress bar, you'll see a phrase "UX Courses" with an arrow (>) pointing to a clickable landing page of that course. Click on that link.
3. Once on the landing page, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page. You'll see a red button, which you can simply click to drop the course.
4. Head back to our main list of UX Courses, and re-enroll yourself in the course. You'll all set to try again!
Please note that when you drop a course, you will lose any answers and progress you submitted. We advise that you screenshot or save any answers you'd like to reuse.
In some cases, we can open up lessons for members who are retaking a course, so that they don't have to wait for familiar lessons to unlock each week. If you'd like us to do this for you, please get in touch with our support team at hello@interaction-design.org, and we can help you out.
How do I drop a course?
To drop a course, the following should be done:
1. Visit your profile page and click the 'continue lesson...' button for the course you want to drop.
2. Click the course name link breadcrumb near the top of the page that opens (this only appears in unlocked lessons, not upcoming lessons)
3. Click the red 'drop my course now' button at the bottom of the page that opens
