Design Thinking Workshop for Software Developers

• Experience with designing and/or developing software solutions for customers

Audience

• Developers
• Project managers

Design Thinking is a solutions-based methodology for tackling complex problems that are ill-defined or unknown. The approach has been adapted by both business and engineering teams to resolve challenges ranging from internal team conflict resolution to product development. Some of the methods used in Design Thinking include understanding human needs, re-framing problems in a human-centric way, brainstorming new ideas, and adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing.

In this instructor-led, live workshop training (online or onsite), participants will learn how to apply the five stages of Design Thinking to better understand the problems experienced by end-users of a product or service, then develop the best approach for resolving them.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• Use creative strategies to match customers' needs with technologically feasible solutions.
• Formulate a strategy to increase customer value and enhance product and service offerings.

Format of the Course

• Interactive lecture and discussion.
• Lots of exercises and practice.
• Hands-on implementation in a live-lab environment.

Course Customization Options

• To request a customized training for this course, please contact us to arrange.

Day 01

Introduction

• Customer-centric vs tech-driven innovation

Overview of Solution-based Thinking

• Structured thinking and the Design Thinking methodology

Tools for Design Thinkers

• Mind maps, idea generators, innovation matrix, what-if cards, etc.

Design Thinking for Product Development

• Identifying the real user of your product

Case study

• "Spying" on the customer

Gaining an Empathic Understanding of the Customer's Problem

• Drawing pictures of the customer's natural behavior
• Mapping the customer's actions on a timeline

Defining the Problem with the Current Solution

• Identifying the key problems experienced by the user of your product
• Categorizing, visualizing, and estimating the value of solving key problems

Exercise

• Customer journey: Creating a timeline with pictures, emails, quotes and actions.
• Analyzing the key problems
• Deciding which problems to solve
• Presenting your findings

Day 02

Generating Ideas

• Using visualization, mapping, and storytelling to create solutions

Prototyping a Solution

• Tools and methods for validating concepts rapidly

Testing and Iterating

• Real-time testing
• Validating, communicating, and releasing your innovation

Case study

• Fail often, fail fast

Using Design Thinking for Resolving Internal Issues within the Development Team

• Seeing conflict as a positive force for invention
• Managing conflict through debate and discussion
• Empathy as a key ingredient

Exercise

• Building ideas as a team
• Mocking up the prototypes
• Communicating your innovation
• Presenting your findings

Summary and Next Steps