Are you working on the right solutions for your problems? Is there a way to approach innovation that’s more flexible and agile than the way you do it now?

Preparing a business case for a new project is a long and detailed process – and it might be obsolete by the time you finish. Design Thinking is a method that connects and empathises with your customers to validate your assumptions before you develop a new product, process or service.

Learning goals

By participating in this course you will understand the principles of design thinking. 

  • Make innovation happen in your organisation using design thinking.  
  • Connect and empathise with your customers’ unmet needs and desires.  
  • Continuously challenge assumptions using design thinking tools and techniques.  
  • Enhance your ability to define, interpret and reframe a problem.  
  • Generate and choose solutions using a range of techniques.  
  • Test concepts for rapid feedback and iterate your ideas.  
  • Facilitate the design thinking process in your team or organisation.  

Maximize your online learning

What you need to do to earn your certificate

Maybe you’ve done online learning before, or perhaps it is new to you. Whichever type of learner you are, to maximise your experience, and to earn your certification there are three important things that we want to emphasise: attendance, collaboration, and academic honesty.

  • Within three days of the programme’s start date, you must introduce yourself virtually to your facilitator, to your coach, and to your fellow participants 
  • You should expect to spend four to six hours per week on your learning and your programme
  • Log in regularly, because you must keep up with the schedule for each module.

  • Make sure you complete all the required activities in your programme in good time
  • We strongly encourage you to be a collaborative and pro-active learner by:
    • responding promptly to comments and questions from your facilitator and from your fellow participants
    • providing constructive peer-to-peer feedback, in the spirit of sharing knowledge and experience
    • posting your own answer and comment on your peers’ for each learning activity (forum, wiki, glossaries, etc.) 
    • using appropriate language and being polite.

  • If you use resources (text, images, audio, video) or ideas from other people – perhaps from colleagues or other sources – please acknowledge that fact, even if you have paraphrased or summarised the information.

Please note, you may not be awarded your certificate if you have not fulfilled the above requirements. If you are unsure whether or not you are meeting the requirements at any time, please contact your programme manager or faculty member.

For whom

Explore if this course is for you

Your roles

  • Product manager
  • Product developer
  • Innovation manager
  • Proposition manager
  • Product owner

Your responsibilities

  • Drive organisational change
  • Apply design thinking methodologies
  • Facilitate collaborative innovation

Your challenges

  • Frustration with your organisation’s sluggish  innovation process
  • Overcoming resistance to change
  • Aligning innovation goals with business objectives
  • Driving innovation and growth over the long term

Read what previous participants say about this programme

Elizabeth Pixopoulou

Asset portfolio lead at Deloitte Nederland

Initially I had doubts about the online nature of the programme: would it be as interactive and as much of a learning journey as an in-person course? I can now confirm "Yes!". The course was highly interactive, using virtual discussion boards and two live sessions in which we exchanged opinions and connected in person with the course participants. I acquired a totally different view of the definitions of success and failure, as well as the learning that comes with it.

Krista Albers

Merchant for men’s lifestyle apparel at Nike

The Design Thinking course allowed me to look at a problem in a different way; it introduced multifaceted tools to determine the root cause and subsequently ideate solutions using various techniques. I learned ways to gather consumer-centric insights which stretches beyond the data-driven insights that organisations tend to use. The course has really fortified my knowledge of how I can take an idea further; taking what is just a thought and making it tangible by applying design thinking tools.

Interested in a programme for your entire team?

Discover our options for customised and in-company programmes tailor-made for your organisation.

Your expert faculty

During the Design Thinking Programme you will learn from Dr Dirk Deichmann. Occasionally we may substitute other faculty members according to the content of the programme and their availability. 

Dr Dirk Deichmann

Dirk Deichmann is associate professor of innovation management at RSM. His research into the management of ideas addresses how managers can support the continuous and sustained generation of new ideas. Dirk identifies criteria for evaluating and selecting ideas, and tells firms about conditions that facilitate the use of high quality ideas. His research has been published in highly-rated scientific journals such as Strategic Management Journal and Organization Science as well as in the widely read Harvard Business Review. Dirk teaches creativity, design thinking, and innovation management. 

 

More information

Programme dates

April 2024

Session 1 - 3 April 2024

Session 2 - 24 April 2024

Session 3 - 22 May 2024

 

October 2024

Session 1 - 16 October 2024

Session 2 - 6 November 2024

Session 3 - 27 November 2024

Programme fee

€ 1,300 (excl. 21% VAT) including course materials, lunches, and snacks. This fee does not include hotel accommodation.

 

25% discount for alumni from Erasmus University Rotterdam and RSM.

A programme for your entire team

All of our short courses can also be delivered as personalised in-company training to groups of employees from the same organisation. This enables us to develop a comprehensive programme that focuses on your organisation’s own unique situation and issues. 

Frequently asked questions

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) offers a dynamic learning environment for professionals looking for new skills and knowledge in business and management education. 

  • RSM is consistently ranked among Europe’s top business schools.
  • World-class professors and a globally oriented faculty deliver business leaders with an innovative mindset.
  • A prestigious Triple Crown accreditation puts RSM among the top 1% of business schools worldwide.
  • With our no-nonsense approach, RSM's goal is to give you the tools to put your new skills and knowledge directly into practice, for real impact.
  • It’s about you: during your programme you can discuss your specific business challenges and receive personal coaching.
  • You will meet a new network of peers in an RSM programme: extend your network, share experiences and become inspired by your fellow participants.

This programme takes place in Bayle building on the Woudestein Campus of Erasmus University Rotterdam, just 15 minutes by public transport from Rotterdam city centre. Our modern and lively campus has innovative study facilities, sustainable design, and calming green spaces.

Most programmes start at 09:00. Finishing times are different for each programme. There’s also an approximate schedule in each programme’s brochure and on its webpages. When you register for a programme you will be given access to Canvas, our online learning system, and the full schedule is in Canvas. Your programme manager will hand out a detailed schedule on the first day of your programme.

Class sizes are usually between 12 to 24 people, but it does depend on the programme. We aim for a balance between allowing capacity to guarantee individual attention, and achieving a good group dynamic and networking opportunities.

Yes. Alumni from RSM and Erasmus University Rotterdam receive a 25 per cent discount. RSM alumni are those who have completed either a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, PhD or at least one executive education programme of more than 40 hours duration. Participants of open programmes of less than 40 hours do not receive a discount. Companies sponsoring several participants may also be offered a special price.

These programmes are excluded from this alumni discount:

  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Excellence Programme
  • Leadership Challenges with Data Analytics
  • Urban Digital Innovation Executive Leadership for a Green Deal
  • Executive Master in Customs and Supply Chain Compliance
  • Business Valuation
  • Port Executive Leadership Circle
  • Corporate Communication programmes
  • Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship programmes
  • RSM Customised Programmes
  • Programmes offered outside RSM Executive Education

Programme fees include tuition, programme materials, plus lunch and refreshments throughout the programme. Hotel accommodation is not included, unless mentioned otherwise in the programme information.

If you require hotel accommodation, we recommend the Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark Hotel and the Bilderberg Park Hotel. Both hotels are located in Rotterdam, accessible to the university, and participants can benefit from special rates.

Please note that due to high demand, we advise you to book your hotel stay for any program as early as possible with a flexible rate.

Our general terms and conditions apply when you register for an open programme. Please review them to learn more about our policies for cancellation, deferral and substitution.

If you have more general questions, we recommend you explore our more in-depth FAQs page. If you are looking for personal advice, then please contact one of our advisors using the contact form below.

Erika Kataveli

Programme advisor

It's my priority to help you identify how you can meet your professional objectives, so reach out and let's make a plan for your personal development.