Leadership and ManagementDesign Thinking and Creative Problem Solving
Organisations solve the problem they were handed rather than the one people actually have, and the resulting solution is implemented correctly and used by nobody. This course covers finding the real problem first. Delegates work through observation and interviewing to understand a user's experience rather than their stated preference, problem framing and the reframing that opens options a narrow definition closed off, and structured idea generation that separates producing options from judging them. Prototyping is covered at low fidelity, since the point is to be wrong cheaply. Testing with real users follows. The course closes on carrying an idea into implementation, which is where most creative work dies, and on the organisational conditions it needs.
Course objectives
- Observe and interview to understand experience rather than preference
- Frame and reframe a problem to open options
- Generate options separately from judging them
- Prototype at low fidelity to be wrong cheaply
- Test with real users and interpret what you see
- Carry an idea into implementation
- Recognise the organisational conditions creative work needs
Who should attend
- Product, service and process designers
- Innovation and improvement teams
- Managers facing problems that resist obvious solutions
- Customer experience and digital staff
- Anyone leading a cross functional problem solving effort
Course outline
- 01Solving the problem you were handed
- 02Observation and user interviewing
- 03Understanding experience against stated preference
- 04Problem framing and reframing
- 05Structured idea generation
- 06Low fidelity prototyping
- 07Testing with real users
- 08Implementation and organisational conditions
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 to 25 September 2026 | Online | Online | R6,500 per delegate | Register Now |
| 11 to 13 November 2026 | Durban, South Africa | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |
| 23 to 25 November 2026 | Kampala, Uganda | Classroom | USD 995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 10 to 12 February 2027 | Accra, Ghana | Classroom | USD 995 per delegate | Register Now |
| 24 to 26 March 2027 | Johannesburg, South Africa | Classroom | R14,950 per delegate | Register Now |