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Design Thinking: The Beginner's Guide

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Beginner

How this course will help your career

What you will learn

  • How to apply design thinking to your problems in order to generate innovative and user-centric solutions
  • How to make use of practical design thinking methods in every stage of your problem, with the help of method templates
  • How to initiate a new working culture based on a user-centric approach, empathy, ideation, prototyping, and playful testing
  • How to employ ethnographic and analysis methods, such as interviews, focus groups, and surveys
  • How to prototype early and fast, as well as test your prototypes so as to reduce risks and accelerate organizational learning

Some of the world’s leading brands, such as Apple, Google, Samsung, and General Electric, have rapidly adopted the design thinking approach, and design thinking is being taught at leading universities around the world, including Stanford d.school, Harvard, and MIT. What is design thinking, and why is it so popular and effective?

The overall goal of this design thinking course is to help you design better products, services, processes, strategies, spaces, architecture, and experiences. Design thinking helps you and your team develop practical and innovative solutions for your problems. It is a human-focused, prototype-driven, innovative design process. Through this course, you will develop a solid understanding of the fundamental phases and methods in design thinking, and you will learn how to implement your newfound knowledge in your professional work life. We will give you lots of examples; we will go into case studies, videos, and other useful material, all of which will help you dive further into design thinking.

This course contains a series of practical exercises that build on one another to create a complete design thinking project. The exercises are optional, but you’ll get invaluable hands-on experience with the methods you encounter in this course if you complete them, because they will teach you to take your first steps as a design thinking practitioner. What’s equally important is you can use your work as a case study for your portfolio to showcase your abilities to future employers! A portfolio is essential if you want to step into or move ahead in a career in the world of human-centered design.

Design thinking methods and strategies belong at every level of the design process. However, design thinking is not an exclusive property of designers—all great innovators in literature, art, music, science, engineering, and business have practiced it. What’s special about design thinking is that designers and designers’ work processes can help us systematically extract, teach, learn, and apply these human-centered techniques in solving problems in a creative and innovative way—in our designs, in our businesses, in our countries, and in our lives.

That means that design thinking is not only for designers but also for creative employees, freelancers, and business leaders. It’s for anyone who seeks to infuse an approach to innovation that is powerful, effective and broadly accessible, one that can be integrated into every level of an organization, product, or service so as to drive new alternatives for businesses and society.

Gain an industry-trusted UX Course Certificate

You earn a verifiable and industry-trusted Course Certificate once you complete the course. You can highlight them on your resume, CV, LinkedIn profile or your website.

Course Certificate

Our courses and Course Certificates are trusted by these industry leaders, who have taken up company memberships with the IDF:

Centure, Adobe, GE, IBM, Philips and SAP

Who should take this course

This is a beginner-level course suitable for anyone interested in mastering the powerful and versatile design thinking approach:

  • UX, UI, and graphic designers interested in gaining a new approach to solving design problems and generating solutions that work
  • Project managers looking for a holistic process that integrates all stakeholders in order to create user-centric solutions
  • Software engineers interested in playing a part in idea generation and the design process
  • Entrepreneurs looking to empathize with users and build products that fit the market and users’ lives
  • Marketers who want to gain a deep understanding of customers
  • Stakeholders of a project/company who are keen to get involved in the process of building a product or service
  • Anyone who is interested in an innovative problem-solving approach that can be applied to all types of problems in work and in life

Courses in the Interaction Design Foundation are designed to contain comprehensive, evidence-based content, while ensuring that the learning curve is never too steep. All participants will have the opportunity to share ideas, seek help with tests, and enjoy the social aspects afforded by our open and friendly forum.

Learn and work with a global team of designers

When you take part in this course, you will join a global multidisciplinary team working on the course 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

  • Lessons become available at a schedule of one lesson per week.
  • Lessons remain open for you forever and have no deadlines.
  • There is no time limit to finish a course.
  • You have permanent access to your course material, answers, and classmates for the entire duration of your membership.
  • Estimated time to complete: 12 hours 17 mins spread over 7 weeks.

Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 46 mins.

  • 0.1: Welcome and Introduction (4 mins)
  • 0.2: Build Your Portfolio Project (3 mins)
  • 0.3: An introduction to IDF courses (14 mins)
  • 0.4: Let our community help you (1 min)
  • 0.5: How to earn your Course Certificate (4 mins)
  • 0.6: Meet your peers online in our discussion forums (6 mins)
  • 0.7: Meet and learn from design professionals in your area (1 min)
  • 0.8: Gain Timeless Knowledge Through IDF Courses (11 mins)
  • 0.9: Mandatory lessons vs. Optional lessons (2 mins)
  • 0.10: A mix between video-based and text-based lesson content (2 mins)

Lesson 1: What is Design Thinking and Why is it so Popular?

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 19 mins.

  • 1.1: What is Design Thinking and Why Is It So Popular? (19 mins)
  • 1.2: Design Thinking: New Innovative Thinking for New Problems (16 mins)
  • 1.3: Obstacles to Problem Solving and Innovation in Design Thinking (13 mins)
  • 1.4: Wicked Problems: 5 Steps to Help You Tackle Wicked Problems by Combining Systems Thinking with Agile Methodology (13 mins)
  • 1.5: Essential Design Thinking Videos and Methods (6 mins)
  • 1.6: Break down the Barriers to Innovation (6 mins)
  • 1.7: Share Your Thoughts (6 mins)

Lesson 2: The Design Thinking Process

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 54 mins.

  • 2.1: 5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process (12 mins)
  • 2.2: Stage 1 in the Design Thinking Process: Empathise with Your Users (13 mins)
  • 2.3: Stage 2 in the Design Thinking Process: Define the Problem and Interpret the Results (9 mins)
  • 2.4: Stage 3 in the Design Thinking Process: Ideate (10 mins)
  • 2.5: Stage 4 in the Design Thinking Process: Prototype (12 mins)
  • 2.6: Stage 5 in the Design Thinking Process: Test (14 mins)
  • 2.7: Design Thinking Methods (2 mins)
  • 2.8: Design Thinking: Select the Right Team Members and Start Facilitating (15 mins)
  • 2.9: Design Thinking: Get a Quick Overview of the History (8 mins)
  • 2.10: Design Thinking: A Quick Overview (12 mins)
  • 2.11: The Design Thinking Stages (6 mins)

Lesson 3: Empathise with the People You Design For

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 57 mins.

  • 3.1: The Power of Empathy (4 mins)
  • 3.2: Design Thinking: Getting Started with Empathy (17 mins)
  • 3.3: How to Develop an Empathic Approach in Design Thinking (11 mins)
  • 3.4: Empathy – How to Improve Your Designs by Developing Empathy for Your Target Group (17 mins)
  • 3.5: Probes for Context Mapping – How to Design and Use Them (14 mins)
  • 3.6: 7 Simple Ways to Get Better Results from Ethnographic Research (5 mins)
  • 3.7: How to Conduct User Interviews (12 mins)
  • 3.8: Question Everything (9 mins)
  • 3.9: The Power of Stories in Building Empathy (13 mins)
  • 3.10: Choose your own Design Thinking Challenge (7 mins)
  • 3.11: Build Your Portfolio Project: Empathize (9 mins)

Lesson 4: Define the Design Challenge

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 36 mins.

  • 4.1: Stage 2 in the Design Thinking Process – Define the Problem by Synthesising Information (6 mins)
  • 4.2: Methods to Help You Define Synthesise and Make Sense in Your Research (16 mins)
  • 4.3: Affinity Diagrams – Learn How to Cluster and Bundle Ideas and Facts (4 mins)
  • 4.4: Empathy Map – Why and How to Use It (11 mins)
  • 4.5: Personas – A Simple Introduction (16 mins)
  • 4.6: Define and Frame Your Design Challenge by Creating Your Point Of View and Ask “How Might We” (23 mins)
  • 4.7: Map the Stakeholders (5 mins)
  • 4.8: Define Your Challenge (6 mins)
  • 4.9: Build Your Portfolio Project: Define (10 mins)

Lesson 5: Ideate

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 36 mins.

  • 5.1: What is Ideation – and How to Prepare for Ideation Sessions (14 mins)
  • 5.2: Understand the Elements and Thinking Modes that Create Fruitful Ideation Sessions (12 mins)
  • 5.3: Create Some Space – for Ideation Sessions and Design Thinking (9 mins)
  • 5.4: Create Some Space With d.school (5 mins)
  • 5.5: Introduction to the Essential Ideation Techniques which are the Heart of Design Thinking (16 mins)
  • 5.6: Learn How to Use the Best Ideation Methods: Brainstorming, Braindumping, Brainwriting, and Brainwalking (22 mins)
  • 5.7: Learn How to Use the Best Ideation Methods: SCAMPER (9 mins)
  • 5.8: Learn How to Use the Best Ideation Methods: Worst Possible Idea (6 mins)
  • 5.9: Learn How to Use the Best Ideation Methods: Challenge Assumptions (5 mins)
  • 5.10: Learn How to Use the Best Ideation Methods: Analogies (7 mins)
  • 5.11: Etch A Sketch: How to Use Sketching in User Experience Design (11 mins)
  • 5.12: How to Select the Best Idea by the end of an Ideation Session (11 mins)
  • 5.13: 14 Barriers to Ideation – and How to Overcome Them (13 mins)
  • 5.14: Exercise and Discussion: Share Your Reflections on Ideation (7 mins)
  • 5.15: Build Your Portfolio Project: Ideate (10 mins)

Lesson 6: Prototype and Test

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 9 mins.

  • 6.1: The Key Benefits of Prototyping (8 mins)
  • 6.2: Design Thinking: Get Started with Prototyping (13 mins)
  • 6.3: Prototyping in Design Thinking: How to Avoid Six Common Pitfalls (10 mins)
  • 6.4: What Kind of Prototype Should You Create? (10 mins)
  • 6.5: Prototyping: Learn Eight Common Methods and Best Practices (14 mins)
  • 6.6: Don’t Build It, Fake It First – Prototyping for Mobile Apps (10 mins)
  • 6.7: Test Your Prototypes: How to Gather Feedback and Maximise Learning (12 mins)
  • 6.8: How to Get More Honest Feedback in User Testing (6 mins)
  • 6.9: Heuristic Evaluation: How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation (5 mins)
  • 6.10: Unmoderated Remote Usability Testing (URUT) - Every Step You Take, We Won’t Be Watching You (6 mins)
  • 6.11: From Prototype to Product: Ensuring Your Solution is Feasible and Viable (18 mins)
  • 6.12: Prototyping Process (5 mins)
  • 6.13: Build Your Portfolio Project: Prototype and Test (13 mins)

Lesson 7: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up

To be scheduled.

  • 7.1: Course Evaluation (1 min)

Learning paths

This course is part of 10 learning paths:

  • UX Designer
    UX Designer
  • Interaction Designer
    Interaction Designer
  • Visual Designer
    Visual Designer
  • Usability Expert
    Usability Expert
  • UI Designer
    UI Designer
  • Front-End Developer
    Front-End Developer
  • Product Manager
    Product Manager
  • Marketer
    Marketer
  • User Researcher
    User Researcher
  • Executive
    Executive

    • How others have benefited

    Reid Dickson

    Reid Dickson, United States

    “The course is very comprehensive and offers a good balance of mediums to learn from.”

    Jenna Franklin

    Jenna Franklin, United States

    “I enjoyed all of the tools available for download. It helped me easily share this information with others who were interested in design thinking.”

    Gillian Tyler

    Gillian Tyler, Australia

    “There were lots of real world examples particularly from the instructors' work.”

    See other reviews of the IDF

    How to advance your career with IDF courses

    1. Attend lessons at your own pace

      Each week throughout the course, you get access to a new lesson, but you can move through the lessons at your own pace. This means you can learn before you leave for work, or in between breaks — in as little as 15 minutes per day.

    2. Network online and offline

      Network with your fellow course-takers online, through discussion forums inside lessons. You can also connect with your peers offline via IDF’s Local Groups. Local Groups connect you with other designers around your city who share the same passion in UX design as you.

    3. Advance your career

      Get a verifiable and industry-trusted Course Certificate once you’ve scored at least 70% on a course. Highlight your Course Certificates on your résumé, your LinkedIn profile, or your website to showcase your newly mastered skills.

    Start advancing your career now

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    FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

    Courses

    Can I take more than one course at a time?

    Yes, you can take all the courses you would like. For example, if there are 30 active courses, you can enroll in all 30 courses at the same time and move from one to the other as you please.

    There are no further charges once you’ve paid for your membership.

    Please note: If you have a student membership, you can take a maximum of three courses at the same time. As a student, you can thus still take all the courses you would like – free of extra charges – just as long as you finish them (or drop them) so that you don’t have more than three ongoing courses at the same time.

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    I missed the enrollment date and now the course is closed. Will I have any opportunity to take the course in the future?

    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 to be able 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.

    We’ll re-schedule the course and make it available for sign-up on https://www.interaction-design.org/courses in only about a week (or perhaps a little bit longer). The actual start date of the course will be a few weeks after sign-ups begin too. We’ve found that this is the best way to maximize flexibility and convenience for everyone, especially you as you put your course program together.

    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" or "webinars" since our members are from all timezones around the world. We are a truly global community – with members in every single corner of the world.

    Thus, once you are enrolled, you can take all the time you want 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. Every time you complete a course, you get an industry-recognized Course Certificate. There is no limit to how many Course Certificates you can earn during your membership. You will also receive a 3-step guide on how to include your Course Certificate on LinkedIn and in your résumé/CV.

    You can see an example of a Course Certificate at the bottom of the Course Catalogue.

    How can I drop a course?

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    I have answered questions in a lesson; when will they be marked/graded?

    We do the marking/grading in so-called "sprints," where we sit down and do all the marking/grading in one go. Your answers will be graded approximately one week after you submit your work.

    We do this because it is much more efficient than doing one little step every day. It's part of our lean/agile work philosophy, and that approach to efficiency is one of the factors that keeps our membership prices so incredibly low.

    We are doing it to save you money and as part of our mission to lower the cost of high-quality design education.

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    We will be marking answers for as long as there are active members. Therefore, even if you are the only person taking a lesson at that particular time, your answers will still be marked.

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    English is not my first language so it takes me longer to learn through the course content, will I still be able to answer questions after the course completion date?

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    New lessons are starting before I have had the chance to complete all aspects of the previous lesson(s); am I going to be locked out of these unfinished lessons?

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    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). However, we anticipate that there will be a constant flow of participants working through different lessons and courses, so overall you are unlikely to miss out. We will also be running all courses again — so there really is no rush.

    Are course certificates awarded on a specific date?

    No; you can generate your certificate as soon as you attain 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.

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    1. Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
    2. On the right, in the Add profile section dropdown, choose Background and then select the + next to Licenses & Certifications.

    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 2019)
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    Below is a step-by-step guide on how to add your IDF membership certificate to your LinkedIn profile:

    1. Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
    2. On the right, in the Add profile section dropdown, choose Background and then select the + next to Licenses & Certifications.

    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)
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    We provide courses for all levels of mastery and accross the full spectrum. If you’re new to design, you can start from our beginner courses and progress all the way up to our advanced ones. If you’re an established designer, on the other hand, you will find some of our lower-level courses provide a good refresher—and the advanced ones, a bit of a challenge.

    How much time is needed to complete a course?

    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.