Design Leadership and Innovation

IDE Design Master Class for Professionals

Improving innovation performance through strategic design practices

Innovation is key for companies to prosper, but innovation is challenging. Companies need to cope with rapid technological evolution, complex innovation dynamics, and empowered customers. Research has shown that strategic design practices can play a leading role in overcoming these challenges, steering innovation towards successful outcomes.

Curriculum


This IDE Master Class is aimed at professionals who would like to take a more strategic role in the innovative efforts of companies, and who want to go beyond executing new product/service design briefs. By using a three-step approach for leading and managing strategic innovation projects, this course will teach professionals how to upgrade their existing design practices for strategic purposes, and transform them into powerful innovation drivers. Participants will learn how to use these practices to impact strategic decision-making, win stakeholders’ support, and identify relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPI).

Learning Objectives

During this master class you will learn:

  • a design driven approach for leading strategic design projects;
  • key strategic design practices and some related tools;
  • a way of thinking that combines design principles and business impact.

Content

  • A 3-step process for leading strategic design projects
  • Cases and examples of strategic design practices in use
  • Models of (economic) value generation through design and their use (KPIs)

Speaker

Programme

9:00Registration and welcome coffee
9:30Introduction and overview
Overview of the master class, aims and structure, expectations and background of the participants
10:00Lecture - Perspectives on the strategic value of design: designers vs managers?
Overview on the main perspectives on strategic value of design in theory and practice
11:00Break
11:30Case study - Positioning design and designers within the innovation strategy of a company
Discussion of a best practice case in positioning design and designers at the core of the innovation strategy. Application of the main insights to participants’ own practice
13:00Lunch
at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering
14:00Lecture and exercises - Design accountability: the economic value of design
Overview of main models for measuring the economic value of design and design impact on different key performance indicators. Exercises for practicing the application of the presented models.
15:30Break
16:00Case study by guest speaker
Benefits of measuring the economic value of designDiscussion of a best practice case in measuring the economic value of design
17:00Wrap-up and conclusive thoughts
17:30End of the first day
9:30Lecture - Designing business models
Overview of principles and guidelines for designing business models that generate economic and non-economic value for both companies, customers and users.
10:30Workshop with a guest company - Practicing with business model design
Group work aimed at the development of a business model for a real case, with an evaluation moment at the end.
13:00Lunch
at the Porceleyne Fles
14:00Self-assessment - Are you a good strategic designer?
A self-assessment tool for benchmarking with experienced strategic designers
14:30Lecture - A three step-model for running strategic design projects effectively
Introduction of a guiding framework for setting up and running strategic design projects. Interactive overview of key capabilities for using the framework by using the results of the self-assessment.
15:30Break
16:00Workshop - Setting up and running your own strategic design project
The participants will practice with the framework introduced in the previous lecture and apply it to a real strategic design project
17:00Wrap-up and conclusive thoughts
17:30Drinks and closing
till 19:00

Practical Information


How to prepare?
Preparation for this master class includes reading and reflecting on the case studies that will be discussed in class, and the selection of a relevant case from participants’ own practice to bring to the course. The preparation will require approximately four hours.

To read
The preparation material (including case studies, reflection questions, and relevant articles) will be sent as a PDF by email. Participants will receive the reader at the beginning of the course. Hand-outs of all lectures will be provided with space for personal notes. All materials provided are included in the course fee.

After the course
Two months after the course, a pre-set consultation timeslot will be offered to all participants to share experiences and ask questions to the IDE Master Class. The format and the timing will be discussed with the participants during the IDE Master Class.