Courses/Creative Problem-Solving/Design Thinking for Complex Systems
Advanced6 lessons • 6h 40m

Design Thinking for Complex Systems

Apply human-centered design to wicked problems where traditional analysis fails. Prototype, test, and iterate at organizational scale.

Wicked problems—climate change, healthcare access, urban poverty—resist analytical solutions because they're interconnected, contested, and evolving. Design thinking offers a different approach. This course teaches the Stanford d.school methodology applied to organizational and societal challenges. You'll conduct ethnographic research, synthesize insights into actionable "How Might We" questions, rapid-prototype solutions, and design rigorous experiments to test assumptions. The capstone involves a real engagement with a partner organization facing a wicked problem.
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Skills you'll master:
Ethnographic ResearchRapid PrototypingAssumption TestingStakeholder Synthesis
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⚠️ Prerequisites
  • Basic Design Principles
  • User Research Basics

Syllabus

0 of 6 lessons complete
1
Wicked Problems and the Limits of Analysis
📖Reading•45m
2
Ethnographic Research Methods
💻Interactive Lab•75m
3
Insight Synthesis and Reframing
📊Case Study•60m
4
Rapid Prototyping at Scale
💻Interactive Lab•90m
5
Designing Experiments for Learning
📖Reading•50m
6
Capstone: Wicked Problem Engagement
👥Peer Review•120m