Design thinking is a powerful approach to new product development that begins with understanding unmet customer needs. It’s a human-centered design process that approaches problem-solving with understanding the user needs. Design thinking encompasses concept development, applied creativity, prototyping, and experimentation. When design thinking approaches are applied to business, the success rate for innovation has been seen to improve substantially.
Design-driven companies such as Apple, Coca-Cola, IBM, Nike, Procter & Gamble, and Whirlpool have outperformed the S&P 500 over the past 10 years by an accumulated 211% in what's called the Design Value Index—a portfolio of 16 publicly traded companies that integrate design thinking into corporate strategy. According to a 2016 report from the Design Management Institute, this marks the third consecutive year the index has shown an excess of 200% over the S&P 500.
The Mastering Design Thinking program will lead participants through a step by step, design thinking process. To be considered successful, innovations have to solve the three key dimensions of Desirability, Feasibility, and Viability.
Desirability: Is this product or service addressing a real customer need?
Feasibility: Can we develop a solution that is technically feasible and better than competitors?
Viability: Is there a viable business model around this product or service?
Welcome to your Online Campus
Design Thinking Skills
Identifying Customer Needs
Product Specifications
Applied Creativity
Prototyping
Design for Services
Product Architecture
Financial Analysis
Design for Environment
Product Development Processes
Upon successful completion of your course, you will earn a certificate of completion from the MIT Sloan School of Management. This course may also count toward
MIT Sloan Executive Certificate requirements
.
Upon completion of this program, you will be able to:
Understand the design thinking process.
Identify and assess opportunities through customer needs analysis.
Create clear product specifications based on customer needs that are desirable, feasible, and viable.
Generate and evaluate new product and service concepts through applied creativity.
Implement a proven 4-step method for planning and executing a prototype.
Design services for enriched customer experiences.
Create and establish a robust product architecture.
Evaluate the economics of product development.
Design products and services with sustainability in mind.
Plan and manage innovation projects effectively.
This program is for individuals and teams who want to adopt the powerful practice of design thinking in their organization. Whether entrepreneur or intrapreneur, anyone responsible for driving innovation and growth should attend, including functional and cross-functional teams.
This course is delivered in our Self-Paced Online format which enables you to participate at your own pace within weekly modules. This course runs over 10 weeks with an estimated 6-8 hours per week of study time
Earn a certificate of course completion from the MIT Sloan School of Management
You will learn through a variety of formats including interactive videos, practice quizzes, presentations, assignments, and discussion forums
You will have access to a Success Adviser who will help you manage your time, and support you with any administrative or technical queries you might have
"I leveraged the RWW framework to design and implement the companys new product development process in my capacity as Group Manager of Product Technology Innovation. This approach strengthened alignment with the executive team by enabling clear, structured, and effective communication on complex innovation topics."
Valeria R
"This course gave me both theoretical and practical insights on the design thinking process in a way I believe only MIT can teach. The real-world cases discussed by experts in the field as well as the course project gave a taste of how design thinking can be applied to come up with solutions to a wide variety of problems we encounter not just at work, but also in our day-to-day lives. It was a rigorous course but truly worth taking!"
Donna Marie T
"A fun hands on learning experience of Design Thinking process and application. Light on theory and content, yet i think that's the purpose, to apply the process immediately and learn by doing. The team project is challenging yet rewarding when complete!"
Matthew C
"As an MITx alumna (CTL), I was very excited to take on another program and have another credential from MIT. My expectations were very high, but one could say they matched the price tag, commercial brochure, and reputation of the program. I was very disappointed to find a combination of a very low quality learning platform that was not at all intuitive or conducive to get any work or collaboration done, some very outdated videos and slides (the materials were from 2018), lack of feedback on individual assignments, and a lack of access to the professor. The concepts were briefly introduced, they lacked depth and details. Granted, we did have a great TA who was clearly working with what he had. The course also exposed us to interesting ideas and networking opportunities, so you can still take some value from it. The value of the program and delivery methodology (i.e. individual assignments group assignment) are not inherently bad ones. However, I would certainly not call it mastering, and the price tag and promotion could tone it down a notch to reflect the foundational nature of the content. It would also benefit from a refresh of the materials and an alignment between individual and group assignment timings and topics. Would I take on another program or credential there? Absolutely yes, and I quite probably will. My trust and opinion of the institution remains high. I'll just make sure to do some more research before signing up."
Luciana L
"This course was both engaging and insightful. I found the emphasis on documentation particularly effective. Physical units and subjective levels bridged communication gaps and avoided misunderstandings. The RWW framework provided a valuable structure for balancing creative opportunities with design challenges, from initial concept alignment to prototyping for final implementation. I continue to enjoy exploring the rich resources provided in the course. The more I read, the deeper my understanding of the teachings becomes."
charles L
"Well organized and fruitful course."
Rajai S
"Keeping your customer as the central focus of your product design really helps build great products. Through this course, I really understood how to achieve that."
Ahmad M
"Mastering Design Thinking is an invaluable program for professionals seeking to harness the power of design thinking to innovate and solve complex problems effectively. It equips participants with the skills and knowledge to drive meaningful change and create value within their organizations."
Tamer A
"Simply an outstanding and engaging course. It was a challenging topic yet very rewarding and gives a complete new perspective into products development and most importantly a way to relate to management and projects analysis and decision making. Simply an amazing course."
Talal S
"Well-organized learning material, thoughtful instruction, relevant assignments, and the most valuable: practice in the master design-thinking playbook directly from some of the leading innovators of our time. Worth the investment."
Cait G
Same topic, Similar duration - Broader exploration across all institutes
Speak with an Advisor
Prashansa Uttam
Programme Advisor
Executive Education Office
Fill out the form below and our team will get back to you within 24 hours.
