Design thinking refers to the cognitive, strategic, and practical processes by which design concepts are developed. The process is different when compared with UX design and graphic design.
Design thinking has become popular in many industries. Apple, Samsung, and Google have been utilizing design thinking in their products.
Why is this field so popular? What does it involve? Is it only for designers? How does design thinking solve problems?
This article takes a look at the answers to these questions. We will also share tips on how to learn the design thinking process and list the best design thinking courses and training for you.
What Is Design Thinking?
The concept of design thinking revolves around understanding the user’s thought process when developing products. It involves brainstorming and experimentation of concepts and ideas.
Design thinkers question the problems, assumptions, and implications, and find answers. They tackle problems by keeping in mind the human point of view and thought process. In a way, design thinkers create prototypes that relate to their users.
What Is Design Thinking Used For?
Design thinking is generally used to keep users’ needs in mind. The questions, thought processes, and assumptions revolving around users are key factors in defining how these processes will be used to create products.
- Empathizing. Gain an understanding of the users’ needs, wants, and problems. This is done by observing user behaviors and by interacting with users.
- Defining problems. Define the problem at hand. Combine information from the emphatic phase to define the problem in a human-centered design fashion.
- Ideation. You can now generate ideas to create new solutions after understanding the problem and the user’s needs.
- Prototype creation. Convert ideas into prototypes that can be shared and tested for studying and improvements.
- Testing. Use the knowledge and observations from prototyping and create a product that is ready for the market.
- Launch. Introduce the product to the market and your target audience once all tests are clear.
Type of Design Thinking Careers
The field of design thinking can open paths to various career opportunities. Let us take a look at some types of careers in this field.
Design Entrepreneur
All startup companies hire designers to brainstorm ideas and create product prototypes. Companies excel when their products have user-friendly interfaces. A career as a design entrepreneur will do wonders for you if you have a flair for entrepreneurship as well as design.
Design Thinking Specialist
A design thinking specialist shows curiosity in user needs and creates user-oriented prototypes. A specialist leads a team and provides training to team members. They also advocate the importance of end-user research and support the UX (user experience) research team in the designing, planning, and execution of the project.
Design Operations Lead
A design operations lead aims to optimize the efficiency of product design and research. They identify and predict problems, risks, and obstacles, and seek solutions to eliminate them. Their role includes developing, implementing, and managing strategic initiatives and defining actionable plans.
Instructional Designer
Instructional designers collaborate with their team to identify learning and performance objectives. They propose innovative solutions to solve problems and identify organizational needs. They also develop qualitative and quantitative assessments for learning programs.
Director of Product Design
A director of product design translates business goals into creative, engaging, and innovative product experiences. A director leads a diverse team of product designers that apply various processes to create high-quality experiences.
Learning Design Thinking
Problem-solving skills and innovative solutions are critical in learning design thinking. This field can be a great career path for you as it helps organizations become more effective in reaching product-related goals.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Design Thinking?
You can learn more about this field by enrolling in design thinking certification programs, degree programs, or short courses. Many colleges and universities in the United States offer courses and degrees in this field. Design thinking can take up to four years for you to obtain certification.
How to Learn Design Thinking: Step-by-Step
Follow this step-by-step guide to begin your journey to master design thinking.
- Develop empathy. Having an understanding of your users and target audiences is an essential skill in learning design thinking. You must observe how users interact with certain products and what compels them to try out new products.
- Learn problem-solving. You, as a designer, must observe behavior and empathize with users. You must also identify user problems and take steps to solve them. The problem-solving process involves observing the issue at hand and thinking of solutions. It also involves converting failures into successes through proactive problem-solving approaches.
- Gain communication skills. No matter what design role you are in, you need to have exceptional communication skills. Designers are expected to present ideas in front of your team and others.
- Take a design thinking course. You will find a lot of online courses and materials related to the field when you are first starting. You can also enroll in university programs offered online or in-person.
- Apply the process. Follow certain steps or phases of design to reach the final stage of creating a useful product service prototype. Make sure you are familiar with those stages and apply them in your work.
The Best Design Thinking Courses and Training
Enrolling in a design thinking course or training is a great way to begin your career in the field. Below are some of the best design thinking courses and training that you can use to advance your knowledge in the field.
Best In-person Design Thinking Classes
Most in-person classes have moved online due to COVID-19. However, there are still some courses that are being offered in-person with some social distancing measures in place.
General Assembly
- Course: Design Thinking Bootcamp
- Where: San Francisco
- Time: 1 day
- Price: $195
This workshop is offered all over the US, but this particular one-day bootcamp is offered in San Francisco at this time. It provides a hands-on learning experience and problem-solving challenges that companies all around the world face.
Cprime
- Course: Design Thinking Bootcamp
- Where: San Francisco, NYC, Seattle
- Time: 2 days
- Price: $1,995
This workshop provides a fast-paced, hands-on learning experience through the design thinking process. The bootcamp offers collaborative problem-solving skills and techniques. You will apply design thinking philosophies and learn ways to overcome engineering obstacles in the process.
Global Knowledge
- Course: Design Thinking Bootcamp
- Where: San Francisco, NYC, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas
- Time: 2 days
- Price: $1,995
This two-day workshop will teach students how to generate ideas, test them, and find solutions to problems. You will learn the process of design thinking and its practices for use in bringing innovation to your own organizational environment.
Best Online Design Thinking Courses
Below are a few online design thinking courses that you can enroll in from the comfort of your home.
The Design Gym
- Course: Design Thinking Foundations
- Where: Online
- Time: 2 days
- Price: Varies depending on add-ons
This workshop teaches you various tools for innovation, ideation, and customer-centricity. The two-day workshop equips you with a deep understanding of the design thinking process through the use of case studies and real-world examples.
IDEO U
- Course: Hello Design Thinking
- Where: Online
- Time: Self-paced or cohort
- Price: Varies from course to course
There are two ways to take this course: self-paced or cohort. In self-paced learning, you can enroll anytime and cover the curriculum at your own pace. The cohort course can be completed in five weeks and follows a schedule throughout the year.
This IDEO U course equips you with tools to facilitate the problem-solving process. You will learn “leadership mindsets” so you can work efficiently and innovatively in the design thinking process.
Best Free Design Thinking Courses
Let’s take a look at some of the best free design thinking courses offered by some of the best universities around the world.
Edx
- Course: Design Thinking and Creativity for Innovation
- Where: Online
- Time: 10 weeks
- Price: Free
This course is offered by the University of Queensland Australia. You will learn how design thinking helps businesses solve complex problems in this course. You will also learn useful tools and processes required to generate creative and impactful ideas.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
Alison
- Course: Design Thinking – Generating Ideas, Stories and Prototypes
- Where: Online
- Time: 1.5 – 3hrs
- Price: Free
This course teaches you how ideas are created and how products are generated from those ideas. Students will learn how to create storyboards and professional prototypes for their designs.
Class Central
- Course: Design Thinking
- Where: Online
- Time: 6 weeks
- Price: Free
You will learn about ideation, implementation, and data collection in this course. It also provides you with the tools and knowledge to create innovative thinking processes for firms of any size and sector. You will also practice divergent and convergent thinking processes to create useful results.
Best Design Thinking Books
Books are a great way to advance your knowledge in a particular field. Here are a few books you can read to increase your knowledge of design thinking.
‘Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation’, Tim Brown
This transformative book sheds light on the collaborative thinking process between a designer and a user. The book provides a human-centered approach to solving complex problems and creating innovative and creative solutions.
‘The Design Thinking Playbook’, Michael Lewrick
This book provides useful tools and frameworks required in the design thinking and innovation process. The book lists actionable guides and processes needed to lead industries through transformation and evolution.
‘The Sciences of the Artificial’, Herbert A. Simon
This is one of the most influential texts written in the 50-year history of the development of design theory. Herbert A. Simon explores the organization of complexity and the science of design. He also identifies the complexities in behaviors and the processes that are desirable from a human point of view.
‘The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage’, Roger L. Martin
This book is a compelling discourse about analytical thinking. Roger Martin provides insights on the workings of leading companies, such as Procter & Gamble, in their use of design thinking processes to create breakthrough innovations.
Best Online Design Thinking Resources
Equip yourself with these online design thinking resources to solidify your knowledge of the process.
Designkit.org
This is one of the best resources for your design thinking needs. You will learn case studies that utilize the power of the human-centric approach in the field. You will also learn about different tools and techniques applied in various phases such as brainstorming, ideation.
Collectivecampus.io
Stop Talking, Start Making: A Guide To Design Thinking covers the five stages of design thinking. You will learn about various approaches to applying the stages and phases at your organization.
designthinking.ideo.com/resources
Ideo offers many design thinking-related resources such as books, courses, tools, articles, and videos. These resources will provide you a plethora of information on the subject along with some hands-on learning tools.
Should You Study Design Thinking?
Design thinking gives you opportunities to create innovative and effective products for corporations. With your problem-solving skills, you can find solutions to create user-centric products.
According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a design thinking specialist is $58,013 in the United States. The low salary range is $39,000 and the high is at $84,000.
You will work with a diverse group of people from creative backgrounds. There will be a lot of learning and growth opportunities in this field.
You will also develop leadership skills and creative confidence in making the right decisions. With quick iteration, you can transform failures into successes.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
