-
-
- Transfer Credit
- Online Learning
- Events
-
-
-
- Academic Services
- Course and Program Information
- Student Aid
-
-
-
Berkeley Global
Design thinking (DT) and UX strategy (UXS) are both increasingly being adopted by organizations as essential tools for problem-solving and accelerating innovation. Although these two approaches—each part of the larger human-centered design (HCD) toolkit—are gaining in popularity, they are not always clearly understood or applied.
Review fundamental DT and UXS perspectives, concepts and techniques in this course. You learn to identify and solve real-world problems through Agile management and human-centered design. You also learn the importance of storytelling to distill design ideas through relevant readings and case studies, personal reflections, peer interactions and an overarching class project. Course curriculum helps you extract meaning and value, the whys of design, early usability testing, "diamonds" of the design process, and design iteration and design ideation beyond the readings and lectures.
Course Outline
Expand or collapse section
Course Objectives
- Articulate design thinking (DT) principles, approaches and techniques
- Name and describe specific DT tools associated with each stage, including empathy and mind mapping, assumption testing, brainstorming and reverse brainstorming, rapid prototyping learning launches and storytelling
- Be able to name and describe the basic phases/stages and concepts of DT (e.g., empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test)
- Describe how DT relates to UX design and other major elements of a human-centered design toolkit
- Develop, extend or refine a set of design-thinking skills such as simple sketching and prototyping techniques for idea generation, collaboration and communication
- Work on projects that integrate and apply the two design approaches with a focus on design thinking
- Produce a video that captures your learning and experience and that can be used for teaching, training and inspiring others
What You Learn
- Human-centered design
- Diamonds of the design process
- UX strategy fundamentals
- Customer segmentation
- Opportunities for value
- Understanding business goals
- Metrics of success and KPIs
- Persona development
- Mapping and storyboarding
- Key experiences
- Ideation and solution identification
- Sketching/whiteboarding
- Paper prototyping
- Early usability testing
- Validation
- Design iteration and ideation
- Agile management
- Whys of design
- Using storytelling to distill design ideas
- Technical reviews and estimation
- Future of design thinking
- Research methods: interviews, contextual inquiries, surveys and usability testing
How You'll Learn
We are online! All of the design classes are conducted online and include video classes, mentor-led learning and peer-to-peer support through our student online platform, Canvas.
- Lectures
- Reading assignments
- Quizzes at instructor’s discretion
- Small-group activities
- Homework assignments
- Capstone project
Is This Course Right for You?
This course is not just about design; it is a systematic approach to innovation and creative problem-solving that can be used in many disciplines. Design thinking and UX strategy apply the methodologies of design to challenges in business and society, which makes it central to innovation and creativity. Our experienced instructors provide practical information in design thinking and UX strategy skills and monitor your development along with peer-to-peer support on our student online platform.
Loading...
Sections
Spring 2025 enrollment opens on October 21!