Creative Design, Prototyping, and Testing

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Creative Design, Prototyping, and Testing

This course is part of Product Ideation, Design, and Management Specialization

Instructors: Cait von Schnetlage

11,059 already enrolled

Included with Learn more

10 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

101 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

10 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

101 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

1 week to complete

at 10 hours a week

What you'll learn

Translate product ideas into tangible assets
Create wireframes, 3D renderings, and prototypes
Develop the minimum viable product (MVP)
Test assumptions and validate customer interests

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

8 assignments

Taught in English

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Product Ideation, Design, and Management Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 10 modules in this course

Designing the customer and user experience is essential to creating great products today. Gone is the old paradigm of “form follows function” model of design. The process must be iterative and follow the best product design and development processes. While designing a great user experience can be a lengthy and expensive process, there are approaches to doing it faster and smarter, without compromising results.

This essential product management course explains key design thinking principles around personas, story mapping, and prototyping. Product managers need to know and appreciate product designer tools and processes. By combining these principles with good scrum processes, you’ll learn to create great products that don’t sacrifice design for functionality or feasibility. This course enables students to transition from ideas to prototyping and concept testing of their products and services. Students learn how best to effectively translate ideas into marketable offerings so that the best product and service ideas are harnessed and create real value for customers and the organization. Emphasis is placed on an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to engineering design, concurrent engineering, design for manufacturing, industrial design, and the business of new product development. Topics include design methods, modeling and simulation, material and manufacturing process selection, platform and modular design, mass customization, planning and scheduling.

Every successful product begins as an idea, but ideas alone aren't enough. In this module, you'll learn how this course fits into the product development process, what you'll accomplish, and how design, prototyping, and testing help product managers reduce risk before investing in development. You'll also discover how this course builds on previous concepts while preparing you to create products customers can experience and evaluate.

What's included

1 video5 readings

Successful products don't happen by chance. They are created through structured development processes that help product teams understand customer needs, collaborate effectively, and reduce risk. In this module, you'll explore how product managers guide products from concept toward development using proven frameworks, customer insights, and modern product development practices.

What's included

8 videos4 readings1 assignment

8 videosTotal 72 minutes

Introduction to Product Design and Development6 minutes
Product Development Processes and Organizations7 minutes
How Products Move from Idea to Market9 minutes
Understanding Customer Needs: Part 18 minutes
Understanding Customer Needs: Part 29 minutes
Applying Lean UX to Product Development13 minutes
Evaluating Emerging Technologies for Your Product9 minutes
Choosing the Right Design Tool10 minutes

4 readingsTotal 7 minutes

The Product Development Journey2 minutes
AI in Practice: Using AI to Support Product Discovery and Early Design3 minutes
Ideas to Action Project (Optional)0 minutes
Summary2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Development Processes and Organizations10 minutes

Successful products begin with great ideas, but successful product managers know that not every idea should become a product. In this module, you'll learn how to generate innovative concepts, evaluate competing solutions, and establish product specifications that guide development. These skills help product teams make informed decisions and build products that better meet customer needs.

What's included

6 videos4 readings1 assignment

6 videosTotal 64 minutes

Generating Innovative Product Concepts9 minutes
A Five-Step Process for Concept Generation9 minutes
Evaluating and Selecting Product Concepts12 minutes
Defining Product Specifications10 minutes
Developing Target Product Specifications8 minutes
Finalizing Product Specifications17 minutes

4 readingsTotal 7 minutes

Introduction to Concept Generation and Selection2 minutes
AI in Practice: Using AI to Generate and Evaluate Product Concepts3 minutes
Ideas to Action Project (Optional)0 minutes
Summary2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Quiz: Concept Generation and Selection10 minutes

Great product design balances customer needs, technical feasibility, sustainability, and manufacturability. In this module, you'll learn how product managers make design decisions that improve the customer experience while supporting efficient production and long-term business success.

What's included

10 videos4 readings1 assignment

10 videosTotal 120 minutes

Industrial Design12 minutes
Industrial Design Process10 minutes
Industrial Design Needs Considerations13 minutes
Design for the Environment8 minutes
Design for the Environment Process13 minutes
Design for Manufacturing: Part One11 minutes
Design for Manufacturing: Part Two12 minutes
Design for Manufacturing Process: Part One14 minutes
Design for Manufacturing Process: Part Two15 minutes
Design for Manufacturing Process: Part Three13 minutes

4 readingsTotal 7 minutes

Introduction2 minutes
AI in Practice: Using AI to Improve Product Design and Architecture3 minutes
Ideas to Action Project (Optional)0 minutes
Summary2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Product Design and Architecture10 minutes

Prototypes help product teams test ideas, gather customer feedback, and improve products before investing in development. In this module, you'll learn how product managers use prototyping and user experience principles to validate assumptions, refine designs, and create products that better meet customer needs.

What's included

4 videos4 readings1 assignment

4 videosTotal 38 minutes

Planning for Prototyping7 minutes
Service Design10 minutes
Mapping the User Experience11 minutes
Anatomy of an Experience Map9 minutes

4 readingsTotal 7 minutes

Introduction2 minutes
AI in Practice: Using AI to Improve Prototyping and User Experience3 minutes
Ideas to Action Project (Optional)0 minutes
Summary2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Principles of Prototyping and User Experience10 minutes

Wireframes and prototypes help product teams communicate ideas, gather customer feedback, and refine designs before development begins. In this module, you'll learn how product managers select the right prototyping approaches and tools to evaluate product concepts, improve collaboration, and reduce development risk.

What's included

3 videos4 readings1 assignment

3 videosTotal 24 minutes

Understanding Product Architecture4 minutes
Selecting the Right Wireframing and Prototyping Tools8 minutes
Open Source Tools for Product Design and Prototyping12 minutes

4 readingsTotal 7 minutes

Introduction to Wireframing and Prototyping2 minutes
AI in Practice: Using AI to Accelerate Wireframing and Prototyping3 minutes
Ideas to Action Project (Optional)0 minutes
Summary2 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Quiz: Principles of Prototyping and User Experience10 minutes

What's included

5 videos1 reading1 assignment

What's included

2 videos1 reading1 assignment

What's included

4 videos1 reading1 assignment

What's included

2 readings

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructors

Instructor ratings

(33 ratings)

Cait von Schnetlage

University of Maryland, College Park

1 Course11,057 learners

Dr. James V. Green

University of Maryland, College Park

13 Courses205,421 learners

Offered by

University of Maryland, College Park

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Reviewed on Dec 18, 2024

Very insightful, the Instructor Cait is really admirable and funny during the lectures. I took notes and applied it to my personal goals, thanks Coursera.

Reviewed on Dec 30, 2024

It is a comprehensive training module to build a new product and services

Reviewed on Sep 5, 2022

I learn a lot about prototyping process and design timeline

View more reviews

Frequently asked questions

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When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.