Design Thinking for Entrepreneurs

Taking a design-centered approach to solving problems and developing technology-driven ideas in entrepreneurial settings, this course introduces core design thinking principles and their application to the creation and implementation of solutions. Tools are provided to navigate each stage of the design thinking process. Through project-based learning and real-world case studies, students gain practical insight into how the methodology fosters innovation and user-centric thinking.

This course introduces students to the principles and practice of design thinking with a focus on technology entrepreneurship. Students learn a human-centred approach to innovation by exploring empathy, problem framing, ideation, prototyping, and testing. Through structured frameworks, real-world case studies, and hands-on projects, they develop the ability to identify user needs, design technology-enabled solutions, and translate ideas into prototypes or minimum viable products (MVPs). The course also strengthens creativity, collaboration, communication, and iterative problem-solving skills essential for entrepreneurial ventures.

 By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand and apply the core principles of design thinking to identify, evaluate, and frame entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Use empathy-driven research and structured frameworks to uncover user behaviours, needs, and pain points.
• Ideate, prototype, and test technology-enabled products or services.
• Incorporate user feedback to refine solutions and strengthen entrepreneurial value propositions.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify real user problems and translate them into opportunities for technology-enabled innovation.
• Generate, evaluate, and prioritise solution concepts using design thinking and entrepreneurial frameworks.
• Create and test low-fidelity prototypes or simple MVPs to validate assumptions.
• Communicate design concepts effectively by demonstrating how user insights lead to actionable entrepreneurial solutions.

Change by Design – Tim Brown.

 Selected readings include:

• 70% Of Employers Say Creative Thinking Is Most In-Demand Skill In 2024 (Forbes)
• What is Design Thinking and Why Is It So Popular? (IxDF)
• The Power of Defining the Problem (Harvard Business Review)
• The Weird Rules of Creativity (Harvard Business Review)
• Divergent Thinking: The Mental Muscle Behind Consistent Creativity
• The Medici Effect: Finding Creative Inspiration in Unlikely Places
• Bring Your Breakthrough Ideas to Life (Harvard Business Review)
• What Is Disruptive Innovation? (Harvard Business Review)
• Design Thinking: A Beginner's Guide to the History, Terminologies and Methodologies
• Why Design Thinking Works (Harvard Business Review)
• Design Thinking for the Greater Good
• IDEO resources on Analogous Research
• Lessons from Tesla's Approach to Innovation
• Empathy on the Edge: Scaling and Sustaining a Human-Centred Approach to Innovation
• Mind the Gaps: The Challenges of Using Design to Scale Wicked Problems
• Designing Micro-interactions for a Social "Nudge"
• How to Create Powerful Personas
• IDEO resources.