Design Thinking & Innovation in Practice

Master the art of strategic innovation through design thinking in this executive masterclass led by clara gaggero westaway and adrian westaway, renowned innovators, educators and founders of special projects, with a keynote by professor emeritus jeremy myerson. 

This transformative course offers a unique blend of cutting-edge ideas and practical tools, guiding participants through the discovery of innovation methodologies and design thinking principles.

Designed for individuals and organisations eager to uncover new strategic approaches and create meaningful user experiences, the masterclass provides an immersive journey into the heart of innovation.

Participants will explore the art of combining rigorous research with creative design, learning how to unearth hidden opportunities and transform them into revolutionary products and services.

The course delves deep into each critical stage of the innovation process: from uncovering user needs and framing challenges in new ways, to generating and developing novel solutions, and finally bringing ideas to life. Throughout this journey, you'll discover how to strike the delicate balance between creative inspiration and strategic thinking, infusing complex challenges with a profoundly human touch while skillfully navigating real-world constraints.

At the core of this 2-day intensive course is the opportunity to apply design thinking principles to a real-world project brief for a charitable organisation, working collaboratively in creative teams. This hands-on approach ensures participants gain practical experience in using design thinking to drive innovation, regardless of their business sector or level of design expertise while at the same time contributing to a great cause.

Our approach to Design Thinking with Special Projects

• The Royal College of Art views Design Thinking as a form of human-centred innovation and offers a different approach to problem solving. By reframing challenges from the user’s perspective, we incorporate empathy and real-world engagement with people’s lived experience.
• Special Projects brings a unique perspective to this masterclass, drawing from their extensive experience in creating innovative solutions for global leaders such as Google, Lego, Sonos, P&G, and Samsung. As a registered B Corp, Special Projects aims to design for both people and planet, reinforcing their commitment to positive social and environmental impact. Their practice of blending rigorous research with playful optimism has consistently delivered exceptional results in real-life innovation projects, making them ideally positioned to guide participants through the intricacies of strategic design thinking.

In session

• Watch the IN SESSION talk: Designing for Delight with Special Projects and Adam Cheyer, the mind behind Siri about bringing magic to technology interactions.

Course structure

• This Design Thinking and Innovation masterclass guides participants through a creative process inspired by the Double Diamond - a systematic approach to design that helps teams navigate complex problems and create innovative solutions. Participants will learn the process used by Special Projects on global innovation projects.
• The three key phases are: Discover, Imagine, and Materialise.

Each phase is designed to equip you with essential skills and methodologies for driving innovation:

Discover

• Creative Brief Development: Learn to craft compelling creative briefs and formulate effective research plans.
• Research Techniques: Master the art of involving people in your research to uncover deep insights and latent needs.
• Cross-Industry Inspiration: Explore parallel industries for fresh perspectives and learn to synthesise research effectively.
• Communicating Research: Develop skills to effectively share research findings, bringing your entire organisation along on the innovation journey.

Imagine

• Ideation Methods: Explore creative techniques to transform research insights into tangible opportunities.
• Team Collaboration: Enhance your ability to work effectively in teams and communicate ideas with clarity and impact.
• Identifying Good Ideas: Develop a keen eye for spotting and nurturing promising ideas that align with strategic goals.

Materialise

• Engaging Stakeholders: Learn to communicate ideas in ways that excite and inspire key stakeholders.
• Storytelling: Harness the power of narrative to bring your concepts to life and create emotional connections.
• Materialising Ideas: Acquire the skills to develop a detailed vision of an inspiring product or service, ready to delight the world.
• This unique structure ensures participants gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire innovation process, from initial concept to final execution, equipping them with the tools to drive meaningful change in their organisations.

Personal and organisational benefits
The benefits to you and your organisation include:

• A comprehensive understanding of Design Thinking applied to various business challenges
• A new model for reframing innovation projects through a design lens
• Experience in collaborative problem-solving and innovation
• Access to global best practices in design thinking
• Enhanced critical, creative, and insightful thinking skills
• Improved ideation and visualisation skills for realising design innovations
• Deeper empathic understanding of users and their needs
• Valuable networking opportunities with peers from diverse backgrounds
• A certificate of attendance from the Royal College of Art
• A custom toolkit to help communicate your learnings with you organisation

You will learn:

• Fundamental principles and practical applications of Design Thinking
• Real-world case studies demonstrating successful design thinking outcomes
• Strategies for improving decision-making by reframing challenges from a user-centred perspective
• Effective techniques for co-creation and driving innovation within teams
• Global best practices in design thinking across various industries and sectors
• Methods to balance creativity with strategic thinking in the innovation process

How will you learn?

• Learning takes place over 2 days in person where participants get taught as a group and work in smaller teams.



The sessions include a mix of:



• Lectures

• A series of practical exercises

• Team creative workshops

• A final critique of project presentations by a panel of experts.

Participants will come away from this course with:



• A comprehensive understanding of the main stages of the design thinking process.

• Tools and frameworks to bridge the gap between practical constraints and imaginative solutions.
• Enhanced skills in creative brief development, research techniques, ideation, prototyping and storytelling.

• The ability to effectively communicate and implement innovative ideas that deeply resonate with users

• A reinvigorated sense of what can be achieved through a people-centred approach.

Who should attend?

Anyone interested in transforming their organisation and professional development through the application of design thinking for innovation, including:



• Innovation and development leads, in-house R&D, public sector and third-sector business innovation teams
• Ιnnovation directors and managers, senior business managers, strategic planners and consultants
• Design, marketing and sales professionals, customer experience and user experience experts
• Policymakers
• Entrepreneurs