About this Course

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This course is for entrepreneurial managers who are looking for tools and techniques to introduce exciting, innovative products or services to market quickly and informed by high-quality customer insights. It is applicable to a range of organizations from small-medium sized enterprises through to corporates, and across a range of industrial segments.
The problem this course helps address is the constant pressure managers face to be innovative and introduce novel products and services for their customers. However, many creative ideas get ‘stuck’ in the boardroom or are subject to intra-organizational tensions or group think. This course provides methodologies to break through these challenges. 
 
We build on the widely known concept of design thinking but update it and apply it to advance business strategy and entrepreneurship. Over five weeks you will learn what ‘design strategy’ is, how it differs from traditional design thinking and business strategy, and how it can be used to improve existing products or services in your business, or introduce breakthrough ideas. 
 
We will also provide an exclusive, deep-dive into the practical application and impact of these strategies in one of Australia’s newest, most innovative financial institutions, UBank, and the global re-insurance giant, Swiss Re. Through conversations with their Senior Executive Leadership Teams, including UBank’s CEO, we will explore how they have embedded innovation through design thinking. By the end of this course, you will have a set of tools to inform product design and development for your own start-up, or to extend the product roadmap of an established organization.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Intermediate Level

Approx. 19 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Intermediate Level

Approx. 19 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.65/5 (310 Ratings)

Eric Knight

Professor of Strategic Management

61,063 Learners

1 Course

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating96%(4,511 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

What is design-led strategy?

3 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 44 min), 4 readings, 2 quizzes

7 videos

Introduction to the course4mIntroduction to design thinking5mIntroduction to corporate strategy7mIntroduction to design strategy: corporate strategy meets design thinking8mThe Ubank & Swiss Re stories4mThe design strategy framework Part 19mThe design strategy framework Part 23m

4 readings

About this course10mDesign Strategy course case studies: UBank and SwissRe2mWorksheet 1: Your chosen organisation - instructions20mReading list - Module 11h

2 practice exercises

Module 1 practice10mWorksheet 1: Your chosen organisation - submission30m

Week2

Week 2

6 hours to complete

Primary market research and problem statement definition

6 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 36 min), 4 readings, 4 quizzes

4 videos

Understanding the problem - do you have a headache or a migraine?8mWho is your customer? Developing customer personas5mThe UBank/ Swiss Re experience - market research14mWhat is a problem definition statement?7m

4 readings

Worksheet 2: Problem Definition Statement - instructions30mWorksheet 3: Customer persona - instructions30mWorksheet 4: Point of View Statement - instructions30mReading list - Module 21h

4 practice exercises

Module 2 practice30mWorksheet 2: Problem definition statement - submission30mWorksheet 3: Customer Persona - submission30mWorksheet 4: Point of View Statement - submission30m

Week3

Week 3

5 hours to complete

Prototyping and product ideation

5 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 45 min), 3 readings, 3 quizzes

6 videos

What do we mean by prototype?8mDefining your minimum viable product5mHigh fidelity prototype vs low fidelity prototype5mTesting your prototype on end-users and soliciting their feedback7mIdeation5mThe UBank/ Swiss Re experience - prototyping12m

3 readings

Worksheet 5: Designing a minimum viable product - instructions30mWorksheet 6: Live testing of prototype - instructions30mReading list - Module 31h

3 practice exercises

Module 3 practice30mWorksheet 5: Designing a minimum viable product - submission30mWorksheet 6: Live testing of prototype - submission30m

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Design-led strategy in practice: Corporate case studies

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 21 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Reviews

4.6

252 reviews

5 stars
70.60%
4 stars
22.89%
3 stars
4.57%
2 stars
1.06%
1 star
0.85%

TOP REVIEWS FROM DESIGN-LED STRATEGY: DESIGN THINKING FOR BUSINESS STRATEGY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

by DHMay 15, 2019

Excellent structure, insights and case studies to give a solid foundation course into design strategy. Will be applying directly these tools and learnings in my consulting work.

by DJNov 7, 2021

Very practical approach to problem solving and integrating design thinking into business strategy. Tools and exercises provided were helpful and insightful. Thanks!

by KMSep 2, 2021

Well articulated material and easy to digest byte sized elements. Covers well the topic of design thinking and how it blends with corporte and product strategy to result in design strategic thinking.

by NLAug 17, 2020

This course is a very useful and excellent course I would say. Well comprehend and I love the part which brings in real life examples of how Swiss Re and Ubank used the design strategy.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
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.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Design-Led Strategy: Design thinking for business strategy and entrepreneurship

Design-Led Strategy: Design thinking for business strategy and entrepreneurship

About this Course