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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Design Thinking for Innovation by University of Virginia

4.7
stars
8,927 ratings

About the Course

Today innovation is everyone's business. Whether you are a manager in a global corporation, an entrepreneur starting up, in a government role, or a teacher in an elementary school, everyone is expected to get lean – to do better with less. And that is why we all need design thinking. At every level in every kind of organization, design thinking provides the tools you need to become an innovative thinker and uncover creative opportunities that are there – you're just not seeing them yet. In this course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and taught by top-ranked faculty, we provide an overview of design thinking and work with a model containing four key questions and several tools to help you understand design thinking as a problem solving approach. We also look at several stories from different organizations that used design thinking to uncover compelling solutions....

Top reviews

ET

Jan 29, 2023

I learned a new approach by this course. I strongly recommend it to any business person who wants to find innovative solutions for his challenges in daily business life as well as long term solutions.

SS

Aug 30, 2018

This is very good course for every body whatever your background, your education & your job role position. I highly recommend to get this training to change, gain & create your mindset for innovation.

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2126 - 2150 of 2,716 Reviews for Design Thinking for Innovation

By nirupama

•

May 16, 2021

Very satisfied with the course and the range of topics it covers. Professor Jeanne Leidtka presented the modules with such clarity and skill. Special mention to Professor Ed Hess whose cheerful attitude and thoroughness with the subject put a smile on my face throughout his session. The inclusion of videos from experts across fields of study ranging from design and art to business provided very meaningful insights. As a student from the Advertising domain, I found most of the content applicable to my field of work as well.

Although I found the course material extremely valuable as a student, the assignment and thinking exercises seemed more relevant to working professionals who are already in organizational positions at work and have problems to apply the theories to. For students like me who are still in University and haven't yet started working, application assignments are harder to test out in real-life scenarios within the time-frame of the course.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this course to fellow learners.

By Kevin H

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Jun 12, 2021

This course is a good overview of Design Thinking and how it can help solve ambiguous problems. I'm one who tries to use historical data to support hypotheses and this opened up my eyes that there are times I shouldn't even go down that path at all. Rather, I should develop experiments to get rapid feedback from the actual customer. I took away one star because how this course is graded. I put in effort to the assignment and peer reviews, but it seems like many people do not. The 3 essays I reviewed clearly didn't follow the instructions and were largely copy/paste hack jobs. To me, these are people who are certificate chasing and that worries me because it devalues the market view of this course and certificate. It's also concerning if that type of effort is applied to providing you feedback on your essay, which it is. All three people who reviewed my essay provided one word feedback "good" in all sections or less, like a period.

By Jaime S

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Oct 10, 2020

This course aims to introduce design thinking for a general audience. One might as well just read a book or two, however, as the course provides incomplete handouts, gives learners no opportunities for interaction with the instructor, and only has one assessment, which is graded by peers. At minimum, quizzes should be included at the end of each module to help reinforce the lessons.

It is not that you will learn nothing from the course—I learned a lot. But it is best thought of as a hastily sketched map rather than a sufficiently detailed overview of the field of design thinking. I do appreciate that Prof. Liedtka makes a point of saying that design thinking is not a one-size-fits-all solution or a silver bullet; there are too many charlatans out there who flog design thinking as if we could design our way out of all of the world's problems.

By Michele

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Sep 14, 2016

Interesting course with well-organized lectures and graphics. I enjoyed the diversity of case studies, and especially hearing about countries other than the US and organizations other than large corporations with big budgets. The practice grading of the final project was well done and illuminating. It was effective in helping me understand the grading criteria better.

It would be helpful if the printouts were 1 slide per page, as on the page the type is small and difficult to read. Small, weekly assignments such as posting a reflection question in the forum could be helpful. One guest presenter spoke too quickly, so I was thankful for the transcript.

It would be nice if those auditing the course could also participate in the final assignment w/ peer feedback.

By Kamlesh N

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Aug 11, 2016

I am two weeks into the course and really like it. The ideas and concepts mentioned are quite profound. And hope to apply them soon enough in both my personal and professional life.

One additional thing which would really like seeing in the course is use of questions just to ascertain our mastery over concepts. Something like the other course which I am taking concurrently -- Think again: How to understand arguments. Where intermediate quizzes ensures that learners are understanding what the intention is followed by 'Share your thoughts' questions to express your views and discuss specific course material with other learners. I feel this mix of quizzes and sharing really helps in learning the course.

By Askar A

•

Oct 11, 2018

The information and skills this course teaches are very useful and valuable. What I like the most, that the course shows how different companies and managers actually used these skills with careful and precise explanation.

I wish there were exercises where you can also try to use skills and knowledge you have gained throughout the course.

Also I find it very distracting that Jeanne Liedtka makes those creepy sounds with her lips and tongue between her lines. To be honest, it was quite a challenge to finish the course for me, because it made very uncomfortable. Of course maybe it's just me.

Thank you, team Coursera and team Darden for bringing this here!

By mahshid z

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Sep 19, 2019

Almost anyone is sure to benefit from adopting a design thinking mindset and this course illustrates the discipline and how it works beautifully. I'd say if the concept sounds new to you, definitely enroll. However, take into consideration that it is mostly theoretical and there's only one assignment at the end of the course, which is also pear-reviewed. This means you're going to have little chance of practicing what you've learned and receiving enough and legit feedback. Having said that, the assignment and reviewing others' works was a challenging thought experiment and learning opportunity.

By Federico B

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Jul 29, 2020

A very complete introduction, even if a little brief, of what design thinking is and what can help to solve. The english is very clear and both videos and slides help the student to better understand the topics. I really appreciated the contributions of different professionals, not only in the design field, that provided their explanations and the case studies that were presented. Just one negative point: in certain moments, it seems like the professor doesn't want to explain the tools, but wants the students to buy her book. Finally, I can say great job University of Virginia! Well done!

By Rob K

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Jul 1, 2019

It was a nice overview to Design Thinking, with 3 or 4 practical and diverse examples of application. The course used a consistent framework for reference throughout. I also enjoyed the different options for learning - from video lectures, different lecturers, reading materials and final assignment. To improve, the course could have been more challenging by asking more specific questions (in the assignment) that require deeper research and critical thinking (i'm not sure I deserve a certificate at the end, but will take it!). Overall positive experience.

By FRANCISCO J C B

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May 1, 2020

Es bueno. Tiene información y experiencias de profesionales que realmente son valiosas.

Ofrece un acercamiento al Design Thinking un tanto diferente al conocido actualmente, pero no es malo, al contrario, te da otra perspectiva para reflexionar y verlo de otra manera.

El único inconveniente que podría mencionar es la cantidad de información, es decir, es buena, pero a la vez poca, quizá podría ofrecer un poco mas o ahondar a detalle en las herramientas enseñadas, o actividades para consolidar estos conocimientos.

By Alireza S H

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Jul 27, 2022

From the point of view of a graduate of Strategic Management who had become familiar with Design Thinking Concept at university, I should confess that the course could have been updated as it dates back to some years ago and the designers of the course could take advantage of this period of time to add some reports on the successful projects and introduce more resources. All in all, the course was very useful for me and helped me with some tools I was not aware of to solve problems in large scale.

By Bianca M

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Feb 26, 2018

I really liked the course, I just think it could dive deeper into other design tools that are used during the Design Thinking Process, instead of making use of a lot of videos explaining why Design Thinking is important. If you're watching the course is because you already consider this relevant. Show us how to work better with the whole process - a role play video would be awesome. Also, sometimes seemed that Jeanne was repeating herself too much. Other than that, great course for beginners. :)

By Ritika S

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Feb 13, 2019

I think it's a good theoretical course. What would help is if one review of our work can be done by Professor herself instead of peers. I would like to get an expert feedback on my work and I am sure many think that way too. Also, that brings more credibility to course. I have taken multiple Coursera courses and this is one big flaw I found. The feedback loop between student and instructor is not being closed. I do believe this course has lot of potential and was really helpful.

Thank You!

By Robert D

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Oct 25, 2017

I value the teachings in this course, not just for the introduction of some tools (e.g. visualization, mind-mapping, story telling, learning launch) but the contrast outlined between challenges that are puzzles and those that are mysteries. The differences between the approaches of George and Geoff for a mystery-type problem were illuminating, especially for a Six Sigma Black Belt. I appreciated the lesson reinforcement done in the way you structured the final quiz and its assessment.

By Caroline

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Feb 22, 2016

Great course! It gave me some great new viewpoints from which to problem solve. The case studies were relevant and interesting, and the guest speakers were good as well. I wish discussions had been a little more structured - it was kind of a free-for-all which led to a lot of off-topic nonsense to weed through. After the second week, I really stopped checking in because it was too time consuming and that's a little sad. But that would be my only suggestion for improvement.

By Rafic H

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Dec 8, 2020

Very well-paced introduction to the core components that constitute Design Thinking. I look forward to delving into more details after having completed this course. Professor Jeanne Liedtka strongly engages you to listen and learn and tickles your interest for more!

The peer-grade assignment is an interesting approach to pass this course. I would have liked for additional quizzes to be incorporated at the end of each module to test our knowledge even further.

By Alamgir K

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Aug 23, 2017

It would be great if participants who had completed their course content would at least get a certificate of participation or completions, as one cannot present the proof of him having gone through all the course content, and hence cannot claim having learned this amazing course.

Course was brilliant, but should focus on hands on experience, as while giving a lecture on HCD, i started to realize the intricate details which i wasn't aware of during the course.

By Thomas S J W

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Sep 16, 2017

Wonderful videos and explanations from the guest field experts/consultants and examples of real life case studies, I really enjoyed the reflection assignment as it made me have to organise the creative process that I used to overcome a specific challenge on a project and get into the motions of the 4 W's in a way that I hadn't realised is natural. In a way, the information in this course is a cheat sheet into the creative process and how people do things.

By Seyedeh S B

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Jun 24, 2020

I very much liked this course. It was well structured and provided fundamentals pretty well. However, there were no quizzes which I think are pretty useful for practicing and remembering the material. Also, even though it is good and practical to have a final assignment that is based on applying the material but it is difficult for those people who do not have the circumstances to do so. Something to consider. otherwise, a great course! :)

By Daniel S

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Jun 5, 2020

A good course to complete to open your mind up to different ways of thinking. Spread over five weeks gives you time to follow along weekly and learn different tools to help with design thinking. The peer grading system is a good way to have your assignment graded quickly and receive honest feedback.

I would highly recommend the course to anyone thinking of enrolling or who is stuck with design and innovation problems in the workplace.

By Juancho M

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Jun 1, 2017

Excellent material as a started. Would be great to be able to count more on suggested articles and readings. As of the multimedia content itself, the videos could be a little bit more interactive. At various points it would be the instructor talking over a static slide, did not find it very pedagogic. Other than that, thumbs up for putting up one of the few courses available on Design Thinking out there on this platform. Cheers!

By Nikkita K

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Jul 31, 2016

I love the way the course was structured and how Professor Liedtka taught the class. She has a lot of knowledge to pass which is so invaluable to today's organizations. This class provided a great intro to design thinking and how we need creativity and a more human centered approach in today's organizations. The only thing I wish we had was supplemental material to download to help enhance the learning experience.

By Maria L M

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Apr 23, 2021

Buenos conceptos, metodologías y herramientas para aplicar de forma ágil y práctica los procesos de análisis y resolución de problemas o necesidades en una organización. La información brindada es un buen comienzo para seguir profundizando y practicando en el área de Design Thinking. Lo mas valioso es conocer algunos casos aplicados que ilustran de una manera práctica cómo aplicar éstos conceptos.

By Adam W

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Feb 23, 2017

This course was incredibly interesting and opened my mind to thinking about life and problems differently! But the lectures were very conceptual and I felt myself waiting for the professor to go deeper into detail on the tools themselves and applying them to real world applications. A class that I can point to as a great example of this is the "Agile Meets Design Thinking" course from Darden.

By Eric R M

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Mar 3, 2021

This course is presented in a very accessible way with lots of good, actionable content. It stresses case studies as opposed to comprehensive scientific studies. I would have appreciated a more systematic approach or at least a more thorough set of resources. The design tools seem to be the real driver of this discipline, so it might make sense to include definitive guides on each.