Design Thinking for Technical Work – On-Line Course
You will have 180 days to access this course.
Design Thinking for Technical Work
Speaker: James L. Poage, President/Owner JLP Performance Consulting
Course Description:
This course covers the principles of Design Thinking; the steps commonly used; how it enhances the likelihood of success in a wide variety of applications; and, in particular, how to apply it to technical work. Examples of its application to technical work are presented along with the successes that followed.
Design Thinking has garnered much attention in recent years mainly as a way to design consumer products that engage users, such as Apple’s iPhone. But its use is spreading to situations ranging from how to provide medical care to planning one’s career. This course explains what Design Thinking is about, but, most important, explains how an individual can apply Design Thinking to their own technical work. Care has been taken to focus the course content on using Design Thinking as a structured, practical process for the daily work of technical professionals. A specific technical example is carried through the teaching of the five stages of Design Thinking. The course covers applying Design Thinking to the range of tasks performed during a technical project, including design of: technical functions; user interactions (if applicable); factors for business success; solutions to problems that arise; and project presentations and reports to influence adoption of project outcomes, funding approval, and hiring for consulting. The content applies to employees of large to small companies, start-ups, consultants and contact work, and government organizations. The course is focused on an individual worker employing Design Thinking.
Course Objectives:
Provide an understanding of Design Thinking and how an individual can apply it to their technical work:
• Understand the steps of Design Thinking (Understand, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test)
• Learn how to apply Design Thinking in technical work
• Understand where Design Thinking can be applied in project activities.
Who Would Benefit from this Course:
Anyone who works on solutions to problems or designs hardware, software, products, services, and processes. This includes technical professionals, project managers, and organizational managers. Also, anyone who wants to learn what Design Thinking is about in a practical sense.
Course Modules:
• Module 1 – How Design Thinking Can Help Technical Work (60 minutes)
• Module 2 – Understand: Explore the Problem (44 minutes)
• Module 3 – Define: Synthesize What Is Needed (23 minutes)
• Module 4 – Ideate: Generate Solutions (26 minutes)
• Module 5 – Prototype: Build Versions to Test (23 minutes)
• Module 6 – Test: Examine and Learn (28 minutes)
• Module 7 – Design Thinking for Presenting and Writing (23 minutes)
• Module 8 – Getting Started with Design Thinking (30 minutes)
Speaker biography:
Dr. James L. Poage has been designing future concepts for Air Traffic Control for 25 years, first with the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center and then for the past dozen years as an independent consultant (JLP Performance Consulting). He has taught short courses on Benefit-Cost analysis to the FAA and NASA, as well as spoken at conferences and published in professional journals. Over the past 15 years, Dr. Poage has been applying Design Thinking to his project work; to marketing his consulting services; and to planning briefings, reports, and courses. His clients have included FAA, NASA, BAE Systems, Engility, Georgia Tech University, San Jose State University, and Saab Sensis. Dr. Poage has co-authored the book, Flair: Design Your Daily Work, Products, and Services to Energize Customers, Colleagues, and Audiences (Maven House Press, 2016), with his daughter, Jennifer Poage who works in fashion design. Dr. Poage has a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a M.S. and B.S. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
Note: Course participants will receive a copy of the book, Flair.
Course Fee Schedule: Registration is On-Going
Cost: $160.00
Refund Policy: No refunds for online courses once the course is accessed by the attendee