Design Thinking for Business Innovation
A two-day workshop on a structured method for problems that have not been defined properly yet. Design thinking gets misused as a branding exercise with sticky notes. Used properly it is a discipline for resisting the first solution, which in most organisations is also the one already decided before the meeting started.
Participants run a genuine challenge from their own organisation through the full cycle over the two days: empathy research with real users, reframing the problem, structured ideation, a rough prototype, and a test that produces evidence. What they leave with is a tested concept and a method they can run again without a facilitator.
HRD Corp SBL-Khas Claimable
Programme Agenda
Day 1, 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Welcome and Programme Overview
Introduction to the session, objectives, and housekeeping.
Day 1, 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
What is Design Thinking and Why It Works
The origins and principles of design thinking. How it differs from traditional problem-solving and why it produces solutions that are more likely to succeed with real users.
Day 1, 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Break
Day 1, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Stage 1: Empathise (Understanding Your User)
User research methods: interviews, observation, and empathy mapping. How to uncover the real needs, frustrations, and motivations of your customers or stakeholders.
Day 1, 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Stage 2: Define (Framing the Right Problem)
Synthesising research into insights. Writing a clear problem statement (How Might We) that focuses the team on solving the right thing, not just any thing.
Day 1, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Lunch
Day 1, 1:30 PM - 3:15 PM
Stage 3: Ideate (Generating Creative Solutions)
Structured brainstorming techniques: brainwriting, SCAMPER, Crazy Eights, and worst possible idea. How to generate a high volume of ideas before narrowing down.
Day 1, 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Break
Day 1, 3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Stage 4: Prototype (Making Ideas Tangible)
Building low-fidelity prototypes quickly and cheaply. Paper prototypes, sketches, and basic wireframes that are good enough to test without investing in full development.
Day 1, 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Day 1 Close
Recap and what to review before day two.
Day 2, 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Day 1 Review
Recap of day one and the questions it left open.
Day 2, 9:15 AM - 10:15 AM
Stage 5: Test (Learning from Real Feedback)
Running user tests with prototypes, collecting feedback without bias, and using what you learn to refine or pivot. The importance of failing fast and iterating.
Day 2, 10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Break
Day 2, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Applying Design Thinking to Business Challenges
How to use the process for improving internal processes, customer experience, new product development, and service design in Malaysian business contexts.
Day 2, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Lunch
Day 2, 1:30 PM - 3:15 PM
Building a Design Thinking Culture
How to bring design thinking into your team or organisation. Facilitation basics for running design thinking workshops with colleagues and stakeholders.
Day 2, 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Break
Day 2, 3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Full Design Sprint. Working in small groups, participants run through all five stages of the design thinking process on a real or simulated business challenge, from user interview to prototype and feedback. Key Outcomes:
Apply all five stages of the design thinking process to any business problemConduct user interviews and build empathy maps to understand customer needsWrite effective problem statements that focus teams on the right challengeFacilitate structured brainstorming sessions that produce actionable ideasBuild and test low-fidelity prototypes quickly and cheaplyChampion design thinking within your team or organisation
Day 2, 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Wrap-Up and Q&A
Key takeaways, next steps, and close.
Key Outcomes
- Explain where design thinking helps and where a simpler method is more honest
- Run empathy research that surfaces what users do rather than what they say
- Reframe a problem statement so it does not contain its own solution
- Facilitate ideation that produces range instead of converging in five minutes
- Build a prototype rough enough to be criticised freely
- Design and run a test that produces evidence rather than encouragement
- Take a validated concept into an implementation decision
Training Mode Physical / Online / Hybrid / e-learning
HRD Corp SBL-Khas Claimable
Level Intermediate. Suitable for product, service, operations and process teams, innovation and transformation staff, and managers leading improvement work. Best delivered to an intact team with a real challenge.
Duration 2 Days (16 Hours) | 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM daily
Venue In-house at the client's premises, or delivered via the client's preferred platform (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or equivalent)
Assessment A tested prototype and evidence pack for a real organisational challenge, presented at the close of day two
Certificate Certificate of Completion issued to all participants upon full attendance