› 12 weeks

› Part-time

Design Thinking
for Innovation:
Elevate
Academy Xi: What is Design
Our story Thinking?
Hello and welcome to Academy Xi! Our Design Thinking is three things: a mindset of
mission is to transform the world through ‘thinking outside of the box’, a process to
education by empowering a community of follow, and a toolkit of hands-on methods
changemakers with the knowledge and skills used to achieve your design goals. It is
to create their own positive waves of change. innovative problem-solving which starts by
putting yourself in the user’s shoes to identify
Academy Xi is our answer to the insatiable hidden needs, reframe problems and use
demand for design and technology experimentation to find original solutions.
capabilities across all industries. We run
short, practical and industry relevant courses Many of the world’s leading organisations,
in Human-Centred Design, Business & including IBM, Nike and The Red Cross, as well
Marketing, and Tech & Data. as entrepreneurs and startups, use Design
Thinking to increase productivity, maximise
Designed and taught by passionate industry business performance, and deliver value. A
experts, our courses empower people with focus on customer needs and motivations
the skills and confidence to stay ahead of the helps remove personal biases and ingrained
industry curve, build a future-ready career ways of thinking. Adopting these collaborative
and transform their lives. techniques and a growth mindset can
revolutionise business structures, models,
and day-to-day operations, bringing about
lasting cultural change.

Design Thinking is the foundation of all

Human-Centred Design disciplines. Think of
it as an optimal way to approach problem-
solving and creating in these areas. User
Experience (UX) focuses on designing a single
touchpoint, often digital, such as an app or
website. Customer Experience (CX) covers
all of a brand’s touchpoints and channels,
for all products and services. Service Design
examines and seeks to improve a service
from all angles, including both customer and
organisational viewpoints.

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Why choose this
course?

Design Thinking is not exclusive to designers CO U RS E S N A PS H OT:

or those in creative fields. It is increasingly
being used across the board to strategically
improve processes, simplify complex problems M E T H O D O F ST U DY
and foster a culture of innovation to drive 100% online
business value. In fact, while it produces
Independent study
game-changing solutions, this structured
process actually reduces the risks associated Fortnightly mentor-led live
with launching new ideas. sessions

Companies that integrate design thinking

into their corporate strategy outperform their T I M E CO M M I T M E N T
peers by as much as 228% annually (source: 60-80 hours over 12 weeks
Design Value Index).

“Simple can be harder than complex: CO U RS E CO N T E N T

you have to work hard to get your 10 modules including
thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s research, synthesis,
experiments, global
worth it in the end because once you solutions, and more
get there, you can move mountains.”
– Steve Jobs, Apple Co-Founder
CO U RS E O U TCO M E S
In today’s competitive workforce, • Creative and strategic
understanding and implementing Design
thinking to drive
innovative business
Thinking practices can boost your career. outcomes
Over 50% of design-led companies learned
Design Thinking from specialist academic • A Design Thinking toolkit
institutions, coaches or agencies (source: to use on-the-job
Parsons School of Design). • Immediately applicable
practical skills
In this course, you’ll learn:
• Professional group and
• The theory and mindset behind Design individual projects for
Thinking
your portfolio

• How to apply Design Thinking tools and

hands-on methods within a business L E V E L O F ST U DY
context No prerequisites
• Practical strategies as a leader to build a
culture of innovation in your organisation

Page 3
Why study with us

INDUSTRY-ALIGNED L E A R N F RO M I N D U ST RY
CONTENT E X P E RTS
Our courses are created exclusively Our course is designed and
in-house by experienced learning supported by leading industry
designers, with inputs from experts with extensive experience.
industry experts, recruiters and Being a seasoned Design Thinking
students, and follow international practitioner doesn’t qualify you
skills frameworks. We regularly
to teach, nurture students or
update our content so what you’ll
lead projects effectively. So we
learn is always relevant, industry
applicable and lets you stay ahead hand-pick our course mentors
of the curve. to guarantee their extensive
experience, both in the field and in
LEARN BY DOING the online classroom.

Set yourself apart from the

ALUM NI BENEFITS
competition with hands-on skills,
putting theory into practice with Get access to our alumni-exclusive
activities based on each topic events and Slack channel with
throughout the course. job offers, career guidance and
networking opportunities. Receive
P R OJ E C T- B AS E D L E A R N I N G discounts on your future Academy
Xi courses and a credit when you
Practice real-world application of refer a friend.
your learning with two individual
challenges and one group project.
M ENTOR ON-D EM AND
Work on a challenge that’s
meaningful to you by bringing your Book up to two 1:1 sessions with
own real-world problem to solve your course mentor to seek clarity
in your final individual project. Find and receive personalised feedback
solutions for a variety of business about your work throughout the
scenarios – from specific design course.
problems to more complex, global
problems.
F O RT N I G H T LY L I V E S E SS I O N S
W I T H Q& A
D E S I G N T H I N K I N G TO O L K I T
Access exclusive live content not
Get access to a comprehensive
found anywhere else, discuss
toolkit containing all the templates
and tools needed to practice projects, unpick challenges with
Design Thinking activities your mentor and classmates, or
throughout your course. You can listen to live presentations from
take this toolkit away with you after guest industry speakers. Scheduled
you graduate, to use on the job. live video sessions will help you
stay on track, while allowing some
flexibility in pacing your study too.

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I N D U ST RY- R E CO G N IS E D CO H O RT- B AS E D
C E RT I F I C AT E Never feel like you’re studying
Receive a Certificate of Completion alone as you start the course
as an official recognition of your and go through the topics at the
competencies and practical skills in same pace as all other students.
design thinking. As our courses are Regularly interact with your
trusted by industry leaders, leading mentor and classmates to discuss
organisations and recruiters all current topics and work together
around Australia, adding this on activities, replicating the
credential to your CV or LinkedIn collaborative approach required in
profile can boost your employability real-life.
and offer tangible evidence of your
expertise.

S O C I A L- F I RST L E A R N I N G
P L AT F O R M
Absorb course content on our slick
and easy, custom learning platform
powered by NovoEd. Think of it as
your online campus, with gamified
content encouraging classmate
interaction and rewarding your
efforts. There’s also an app to
make learning on-the-go super
convenient and accessible, 24/7.

Page 5
What you’ll learn
This course will empower you to learn and practice end-to-end Design Thinking skills.
Learning in this course covers 10 modules, delivered via a variety of mediums, including:
• Readings
• In-house video content
• Multiple choice quizzes
• Design Thinking toolkit
• Multiple individual and group project assessments
• Fortnightly live sessions with your mentor and classmates
• Collaborative and engaging discussions with your peers
• Links to additional resources
Your learning will be supported by activities throughout the course, so you can put
theory into practice right away.

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THINKING LIKE A DESIGNER
Learn the fundamentals of Design Thinking, where it sits within the wider field of Human-Centred
Design, and how you can apply it to drive innovation and solve business problems.

TOPICS
» Why Human-Centred Design?
› History of HCD
› Generating game-changing solutions
› Empathy for business outcomes
› Embracing ambiguity in data and process

» The Rise Of Design Thinking

› How it can benefit organisations
› Examples of Design Thinking in business

» Design Thinking For Innovation

› Using design to drive innovation
› Examples of innovation within organisations

» Design Doing
› A way of working, not just a mindset
› How to collect, analyse and present data to solve a problem
› Facilitating groups and workshops

» The Double Diamond

› Using the Double Diamond framework for innovation

» Design Thinking Tools

› Introduction to toolkit of techniques and processes

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Analyse real-world business case studies using Design Thinking
» Get familiar with the Design Thinking Toolkit you’ll be using throughout
this course

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RESEARCH
A more detailed look into using Design Thinking to research a complex problem, determine the
scope of a project, plus a review of best practices for research.

TOPICS
» Beginner’s Mind
› Preparing your mindset for Design Thinking

» Human-Centred Design Research

› A people-first approach to solving problems
› What are we researching and why?
› Determining the scope of a project

» Introducing Design Challenge #1

» Defining Problems
› Design briefs and best practice
› Defining a complex problem in a simpler way
› Problem-solving roadmap

» Quantitative and Qualitative Research

› Desktop research
› Market analysis
› Trends and best practice

» Interviewing
› What are you trying to get out of an interview?
› Your foolproof interview guide
› The 5 “why’s” you need to ask

» Research Ethics
› Why permission matters
› Anonymity
› Video/content and collection of data

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Put Design Thinking into practice with your first hands-on individual
challenge
» Conduct desktop research, market analysis and interviews for your first
Design Challenge

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SY N T H E S IS E
Explore how to use data to reframe complex problems and simplify them. Using various
collection, mapping and analysis techniques, learn how to make sense of data in a business
context.

TOPICS
» From Information to Insight
› Mind mapping and Stakeholder mapping

» Capturing Data
› Note-taking and Empathy mapping

» Mapping Data
› Affinity mapping and analysis
› Clustering insights

» Visualising Data
› Using personas
› Journey mapping
› Digitisation of data

» Prioritising: matrix and visualising the vote

» Reframing The Problem

› Jobs To Be Done protocol
› Needs = verb, Solution = noun
› Defining the problem statement

» Working Within Business Constraints

› Value proposition design
› Pains & Gains framework
› Aligning with business needs

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Perform mapping exercises to organise and visualise data
» Reframe complex problems using the ‘Jobs to be done’ approach
» Use the Pains-and-Gains framework to work within business
constraints

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MAKE
A deep dive into creative brainstorming, including best practices for prioritising ideas and how
to visually present them. Discover how to focus and refine ideas into a strong and cohesive value
proposition.

TOPICS
» Creative Problem Solving
› New perspectives on existing problems
› Creative confidence

» Ideation
› Brainstorming
› Creative sessions
› Crazy 8’s

» Developing a Hypothesis
› Making ideas tangible
› Concept cards
› Prioritisation

» Prototyping
› Visualisation
› (Rapid) Prototyping
› Role playing

» Communicating
› Narratives
› Storyboarding
› Concept poster template

» Value Proposition
› Re-checking your value proposition
› RWW (Real-Win-Worth) framework
› DFV (Desirability-Feasibility–Viability) framework
› Emotional resonance of value proposition

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Brainstorm and practice creative ideation with a Crazy8’s exercise
» Learn engaging visual ways to present your findings
» Design a compelling value proposition

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T E ST
Understand why testing is so important, and the different methodologies used. Learn how to
communicate this value to the wider business and strategise the way forward. Bring home your
conclusions with a retrospective summary of the project.

TOPICS
» Testing With People (Users)
› Why do we need to test?

» Testing Methodologies
› Usability testing
› Concept testing

» Testing Your Hypotheses

› Validating concepts
› Testing against DFV (Desirability-Feasibility–Viability) framework
› Metrics

» Communicating the Business Value

› Business Model Canvas strategy template
› Concept posters template
› Return On Experience

» Future Roadmap
› Route to market
› Scaling

» Learnings
› Retrospective debrief
› Reflection, critique and feedback

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Perform usability and concept testing
» Create a Business Model Canvas to demonstrate value
» Run a project retrospective debrief

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D E S I G N I N G I N T E A MS
In this group project over two weeks, learn how to build a Design Thinking team and run effective
workshops. Explore the importance of psychological behavioural research and how to integrate
it with economic concerns.

TOPICS
» Design Challenge #2
› Reframing the challenge
› Choosing the right tools

» Teams and Team Formation

› Choosing the right mix of people

» How To Run A Design Thinking Workshop

› Running a remote workshop
› Design Thinking in action

» Designer As Anthropologist
› Ethnography
› Immersive design research
› Guerilla research

» Behavioural Economics
› Combining psychological and economic elements

» Developing Concepts
› Concept posters template

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Challenge yourself by reframing problems using different tools
» Build a Design Thinking team with the right mix of people
» Integrate people-centred research with business concerns

Page 12
T E L L I N G T H E STO RY
The group project continues with an examination of test-and-learn methodologies for
innovation. Learn how to present compelling business rationales using engaging narratives.

TOPICS
» Designing For Extreme Users
› 70/20/10 rule for innovation
› Early adopters and the hype curve
› Bell curve theory

» Testing a Pilot
› Trialling methods

» Business Rationale
› Validating economic viability

» Storytelling
› The Hero’s Journey

» Delivering Amazing Presentations

› Presentation framework – best practices

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Experiment with different approaches to testing
» Present a strong business rationale using engaging storytelling

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T H E N AT U R E O F P R O B L E MS
Practice your skills with an individual project solving a larger scale design and service problem.
Review different thinking styles and decision-making tools to reframe complex problems.

TOPICS
» Design Challenge #3: Global/Societal Design Problems
› Individual project
› Focus on a problem space of your choice to work on

» Wicked Problems
› Cynefin decision-making tool
› Understanding complexity and wicked problems
› Why it’s hard to even get started
› Solving wicked problems

» Thinking About Thinking

› Introduction to thinking styles
› Going deep and broad to maximise creativity
› Thinking styles for empathy and collaboration

» Radical Reframing
› Asking the right questions to frame the problem
› Iterating your problem frame
› What generic problem are we solving?
› Reframe problems logically using TRIZ methodology

» Applying Design Thinking To Services

› Introduction to service design
› Beyond service design

» Zooming Out To A Global Perspective

› Case study: Fast food in Japan
› Case study: Children’s Health Service of Texas
› Case study: Stopping AIDS in South Africa

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Focus on a business of your choice for a solo design challenge
» Frame, reframe and iterate complex problems
» Use the Cynefin model to understand wicked problems

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D E S I G N T H I N K I N G I N O R GA N ISAT I O NS
Explore how to introduce and integrate Design Thinking day-to-day within companies, using
growth mindset techniques, and developing a speak-up culture. Dissect what a design-led
organisation looks like and the importance of customer ecosystems.

TOPICS
» Sharing Design Thinking Within Organisations
› Is your company ready?
› Design Thinking in daily practice
› Starting a movement

» Growth Mindset & Psychological Safety

› Revisiting growth mindset
› The power of “not yet”
› Techniques to nurture a growth mindset
› How to develop team psychological safety & a speak-up culture
› How psychological safety underpins success

» Design Thinking and Organisational Culture

› “But we’ve always done it this way…”
› Examination of design-centric cultures

» Designing in Ecosystems
› Customers don’t follow journeys, they live in ecosystems
› Mapping ecosystems
› The benefits of systems thinking

» Integrating Design Thinking With Other Ways Of Working

› Effectiveness vs. efficiency
› Lead with design, but know when to step back

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Map customer ecosystems

Page 15
B E CO M I N G A D E S I G N T H I N K I N G L E A D E R
Discover how Design Thinking can lead the conversation and influence outcomes within
business, and how you can become the driver of that change. Harness the power of targeted
metrics to drive innovation and help future-proof your organisation.

TOPICS
» The Rise Of The Chief Design Officer
› The trend of leading organisations embracing design
› How moving towards design-centricity is an evolution

» Creating Momentum and Making It Real

› Working Out Loud (WOL) Circles: develop a prototyping mindset
› Why rigour matters in the design process
› Applying Design Thinking to real world problems

» Design Thinking Metrics

› Key Performance Indicators
› Measuring the intangible impact of Design Thinking
› How to spin statistics
› Metrics – the more the merrier

» The Future of Design Thinking

› Customer expectation and design
› The changing nature of work
› What’s next for Design Thinking – one step at a time

LEARNING ACTIVITIES
» Explore design-led organisations and how to drive innovation yourself
» Practice the Working Out Loud method
» Use metrics to demonstrate impact to stakeholders

Page 16
Learning outcomes

In this course you’ll get a solid understanding • Strategic professionals such as marketing
of Design Thinking principles and put them into managers, product managers, growth
practice through project work and a variety of leaders, innovation experts, etc. who are
activities. On completion of this course, you’ll be seeking creative solutions to business
able to: problems
• C-suite executives, founders and
• Simplify and solve complex real-world
entrepreneurs who want to use innovation to
problems using a human-centred design
grow their business
mindset
• Creative leaders like art directors, senior
• Research, process and analyse qualitative
design leads, experience designers, etc. who
and quantitative data to identify and frame
manage or work with designers
problems
• Come up with original ideas and prototype
potential solutions using Design Thinking
methods and tools
Assessment
• Use testing and experimentation to validate
solutions in terms of desirability, viability and Our graduates are recognised by the industry to
feasibility possess the essential skills expected of a Design
Thinking professional. To ensure you achieve
• Present to and influence high-level the specified outcomes, this course includes
stakeholders using persuasive storytelling multiple assessment projects.
• Set-up and lead Design Thinking workshops
within an organisation to generate ideas, Working in teams and individually, you’ll apply
conduct research, and implement Design the entire design thinking process to 3 different
Thinking practices day-to-day with view to projects, ensuring you’re well versed with the
enhancing business performance practical application of what you have learned.
• Develop and drive a culture of innovation
At different stages of the course, you’ll need
and creativity within an organisation, while
to submit your assessments to your mentor for
considering financial and business factors
marking. At the end of the course, you’ll submit
your final presentation via a video recording.
Who this course is for Your mentor will mark your work and provide
structured feedback of where you went well,
and ways you could improve in the future.
If you’re looking for practical Design Thinking
training with mentor support and classmate To prepare for the assessment, you should
collaboration, this course is for you. Our Design complete all the activities and tasks throughout
Thinking for Innovation: Elevate course has the course to ensure you are applying the
no prerequisites and is ideal for a variety of techniques appropriately.
professionals, including:
You can also improve your learning by
• Those looking to upskill and elevate their participating in peer review of task work and
career prospects with in-demand Design testing your knowledge through topic quizzes
Thinking skills

Page 17
Course timeframe Support and feedback
Your course takes approximately 60-80 hours Our Tribe will support you from enrolment to
over 12 weeks. This includes absorbing the graduation, helping you achieve your goals
learning materials, attending live sessions, every step of the way:
participating in 1:1 mentoring sessions,
• The Experience Team: Your go-to for
completing the course activities, working on
any day-to-day questions to ensure a
your assessment project, and communicating
seamless online experience.
with peers and your mentor.
• Your Mentor: Through regular live video
This course is to be completed in 12 weeks.
sessions, private mentor on-demand
However, you’ll continue to enjoy 6 months
sessions and the in-platform chat function,
access to the course content from the time of
your mentor will guide you throughout
enrolment.
the course and share their wealth of
experience.
• Your classmates: To brainstorm, bounce
ideas off and make lifelong friends.
Next steps You can reach your peers through the
discussion tool embedded in our online
learning portal.
GE T I N TOU CH
Speak to one of our Course Advisors to
clear up any questions:
admissions@academyxi.com
1300 683 923

Academy Xi © Page 18