University of Virginia

Agile Meets Design Thinking

This course is part of multiple programs.

Alex Cowan

Instructor: Alex Cowan

170,219 already enrolled

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(3,435 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
Approx. 9 hours
Learn at your own pace
94%
Most learners liked this course
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(3,435 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
Approx. 9 hours
Learn at your own pace
94%
Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

  • How to evaluate and explain the relevance of concepts and practices from the agile development methodologies

  • How to create a strong shared perspective and drive to value using design methods like personas and problem scenarios

  • How to diagnose what software will be valuable to the user and how to test your ideas using agile user stories and prototypes

  • How to facilitate narrative collaboration with user stories and prototypes

Details to know

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Assessments

3 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 4 modules in this course

The agile practices that deliver excellent product are well understood, but they take focus, energy, and confidence to apply. This week, we’ll identify what’s hard about creating excellent products and how agile can help. We'll begin with a discussion of the Agile Manifesto- what motivated it and how it defines agile. Then we’ll get into the practical part- the problems agile solves, how to focus your time and energy, and how you’ll know if your practice of agile is working.

What's included

16 videos2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt

The best way to avoid building something nobody wants is to start with somebody in mind. In the design world, we talk about that "somebody" through a ‘persona’. Personas and problem scenarios (aka 'jobs-to-be-done') focus development on driving toward a valuable outcome for your user vs. just generating output. In this module, you’ll learn to focus your work by developing personas, problem scenarios, and alternatives using best practices from design thinking.

What's included

10 videos1 assignment1 discussion prompt

Now we’re going to transition from drafting personas and hypothesizing user needs to testing those assumptions and translating what you’ve learned into agile user stories. We’ll step through how you create an interview guide to ask your users the right questions and then we’ll dive into agile user stories. User stories are a standard feature of agile and serve as a day-to-day focal point for driving to value.

What's included

16 videos1 discussion prompt

The agile user story is your day-to-day focal point for making sure you’re building something valuable for your user. It’s how you discuss that within your team and how you anchor your subsequent testing. In this module, you’ll learn how to facilitate the creation and use of stories within your team.

What's included

12 videos1 assignment1 peer review

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.8 (704 ratings)
Alex Cowan
University of Virginia
25 Courses486,967 learners

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Recommended if you're interested in Design and Product

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4.7

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