Design Thinkers Bootcamp
Courses

Design Thinkers Bootcamp

Immerse yourself in the design & innovation cycle for five fast-paced days.
In-person
Design Thinking

Overview

Course information

Design thinking gives us the tools we need to bring innovation to life. During our Bootcamp you will learn all the skills needed to be a design thinker and gain hands-on experience applying them to a real-life challenge. Our experienced facilitators will inspire, support and stretch your thinking, and each day starts with a masterclass from a design thinking expert to introduce you to each stage of the design thinking innovation process, illustrated by their own practical experience.

What you’ll learn

  • How to understand and connect with your customers’ needs and put them at the heart of your business strategy.
  • A wide variety of design thinking tools and how to use them, such as Personas, User Journey Maps, Stakeholder Mapping, Service Blueprinting, Storyboarding & Business Proposition.
  • Ethnographic research techniques, so you can see beyond the surface, truly understand your customers and find the root of problems or opportunities to innovate.
  • The power of prototyping to iterate ideas within a co-creative environment and arrive at implementable solutions.
  • The ability to empower others in your organisation to co-create and use design thinking to change the way you work.

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From £2,950.00 incl. UK VAT
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Who’s it for?

Our Design Thinkers Bootcamp is for anyone who wants to learn new ways to innovate and enhance the way they approach their work. 

There’s no one type of person who attends our Bootcamps, and this is fundamental to the co-creative environment participants experience throughout the week. 

Each time we run a Bootcamp, we bring together a global mix of leaders and managers from corporates, start-ups, government and the third sector, and each time everyone experiences the value of co-creation among other people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. 

Day-by-day summary

Day 1:

Find
Evidence-based research techniques

You’ll be introduced to each other and the week ahead, then set a real-life challenge by a guest sponsor client. A world-leading research expert will lead a masterclass in ethnographic research techniques. Straight after that, we’ll send you out to conduct your own end-user research. You’ll return with new customer insights that you’ll reframe into innovation opportunities the following day. 

Topics covered 

  • Hypothesis Amnesty 
  • Ethnographic research methods, (including diary studies, interviews and field research) 
  • Data download  
  • Data synthesis into higher level themes 

Day 2:

Frame
Mapping out an approach

The second day starts with another masterclass from a proven design thinking expert on how to use design thinking to create a pivotal shift in thinking. You’ll be introduced to design thinking methods such as User Journey Mapping, Personas, and Opportunity Statements. The activities and insights from Day 1 will allow you and your team to reframe the challenge. By the end of the day, you’ll have distilled the brief afresh – as a starting point for innovation. 

Topics covered 

  • Insight uncovering & crafting 
  • Stakeholder mapping 
  • Creating user Personas 
  • User Journey Mapping 
  • Opportunity Statements 

Day 3:

Make
Creating & testing new ideas

Today the race is on to build a portfolio of concepts for testing and refining, which kicks off with another masterclass & the chance to ask any questions. It’s a high-octane class where there’s no time to worry about being wrong or failing: be brave, explore options, share your ideas. Test them with end-users so that you learn together from mistakes and move on to better iterations. 

Topics covered 

  • Collaborative ideation 
  • Idea prioritisation & selection 
  • Service advertisement 
  • Design critique 
  • Prototyping 
  • User testing 

Day 4:

Narrate
Delivering the perfect pitch

A masterclass will illustrate how to move focus from desirability, to feasibility and viability. It will also introduce you to Storytelling & pitching - how to bring others along in a change journey. With our coaches guidance, you’ll visualise how the concept would work and the future journey your customers would experience. Then, you’ll develop a business proposition. By the end of the day, you’ll have brought all the elements together into a powerful narrative and you’ll be ready to pitch to your sponsor client. We’ll host an informal networking session to allow you to share experiences with your team members before the final day. 

Topics covered 

  • Service blueprinting 
  • Business model proposition 
  • Pitching ideas 
  • Storytelling 

Day 5:

Apply
Solidifying your knowledge

The first four days are about learning by doing, whilst Day 5 is about processing, clarifying questions and conscious personal growth. Beginning with a masterclass from David Kester, founder of the Design Thinkers Academy London, you’ll work with the coaching team and your peers on next steps and plans, reflecting on what you’ve learnt and how you’ll apply this back to work. This is your chance to consider your own organisation and how you can start applying design thinking on the following Monday. The day ends with a small celebration. 

Topics covered 

  • Understanding your innovator’s profile, strengths and areas for growth 
  • Applying design thinking in your workplace and to your own challenge 
  • Translating ideas into action 

Our live teaching approach

Expert coaching Reveal more
Learning from experienced design thinkers & interactive workshops.
Collaborative innovation Reveal more
Co-creating with others & exploring how to drive innovation within a team.
Networking opportunities Reveal more
Connecting with people from around the world & expanding personal networks.

The coaching team

Becky Rowe

Ethnographer & Coach

Joe Ferry

Brand & Experience Architect

Arne van Oosterom

Associate Creative Director & Coach

Arnoud Koning

Design Thinking Facilitator

David Kester

Managing Director

Simon Gough

Associate Service Design Director

FAQs

Why design thinking?

Because now, more than ever, we need to face the world with a new mindset. It seems increasingly apparent that the traditional formulas that have served companies so steadily for generations might not be the right answer for the new reality that faces us all. 

We want to offer an opportunity for you to become proactive and to meet these challenges head on. This is about understanding the new user that the world faces and building the right solutions for them. Design Thinking offers the perfect opportunity to develop your skill set for the future and be in the best placed position to prepare your business to flourish going forward.

What's the real-life challenge in the course?

On Day 1, the delegates are presented with a real-life social challenge, with previous sponsors including the Ministry of Justice, HS2, NHS, Women in Sport and many more. Throughout the week, participants work together to tackle this real-world social issue. They conduct end-user interviews, develop personas, pitch ideas, and learn new ways to collaborate with one another on an issue in need of innovation.

Will I be able to access the tools after the course?

Yes, we share all our design thinking tools and methods openly, and these will be sent to you after your graduation, so you can use them in your work in the future. 

We share our tools because we believe that the true value is in the people and the learning experience, not the tools themselves. On this basis, we have published our tools under Creative Commons, so you are able to use and adapt our tools for free.

Are meals provided during the course?

Yes, we provide a vegetarian lunch every day, plus a variety of snacks to keep you going. We are able to cater to all dietary requirements, please let us know in advance if you are vegan or have other dietary needs.

Why do prices include UK VAT?

As per HMRC UK legislation, it is mandatory for us to charge UK VAT on all in-person courses held in the UK, regardless of where a customer is located. 

Is Design Thinkers Bootcamp a residential course?

No. If you’re based outside of London, you’ll need to book your own accommodation. Please contact us if you would like a list of recommended hotels in the local area.

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