What this course is about

Design Thinking Essentials introduces you to the human-centered principles that are reshaping how people and technology interact.

You’ll learn what makes design truly human-centered — focusing on empathy, creativity, and experimentation — and why design thinking is a powerful approach for solving complex problems in modern digital environments. You’ll also see how design thinking and agile practices complement each other to support innovation, collaboration, and better user experiences.

As you complete the course, you’ll earn certificates and digital credentials that you can add to your resume, LinkedIn profile, and Credly account to highlight your design thinking skills.

You’ll learn how to

• Apply human-centered thinking to solve problems creatively
• Collaborate effectively in team-based innovation activities
• Use design thinking tools to improve products, services, and workflows
• Understand how design thinking supports digital work and agile practices

What you will learn

By the end of this course, you will be able to

• Understand the foundations of design thinking
• Explain what makes design “human-centered”
• Recognize why design thinking is valuable in digital and innovation-oriented workplaces
• Collaborate and solve problems creatively
• Improve teamwork, communication, and adaptability
• Use collaborative methods to generate ideas and improve how work gets done
• Understand how design thinking contributes to delightful user experiences
• Explore design thinking in practice
• Understand the structure and flow of design thinking workshops

Learn the activities used in each stage of the design process (empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test)

Use common tools and methods such as brainstorming, journey mapping, prototyping, and user feedback

• Build core design thinking skills
• Conduct design research and gather meaningful insights
• Synthesize findings to define user needs and opportunities
• Create prototypes to test ideas early
• Use storytelling to communicate ideas and align teams

Showcase your learning

• Earn relevant certificates and digital credentials

Add them to your resume, LinkedIn, and Credly profile to demonstrate your design thinking capabilities