COURSE NUMBER: MBA294.2

COURSE TITLE: Design Applications in Business Speaker Series

UNITS OF CREDIT: 1

INSTRUCTOR: Sara Beckman

STUDENT ORGANIZERS: Raj Sodha and Megha Narayan

E-MAIL ADDRESSES: raj_sodha@mba.berkeley.edu; megha_narayan@mba.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Wednesdays 6:00 – 8:00PM

PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT: Speaker series

REQUIRED READINGS: There is no textbook or reader for this class, although we will distribute any reading required by each speaker prior to each class. Students will be informed of supplemental readings if they wish for further exploration of topics covered.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: The course is conducted in as interactive a manner as possible so students will be expected to regularly attend and participate in the workshops as well as contribute actively in the class discussions. No more than 2 absences will be permitted.

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

The course aims to show how the design thinking process (insights-ideation-innovation) fits into the larger business context, and how multidisciplinary tools and skills can be applied to increasingly complex decisions and how these processes can lead to innovation in corporate environments. Highly experiential and hands-on in nature, the course caters to students of all backgrounds and career ambitions, and will take the form of both discussion-based sessions/panels as well as interactive workshops. Every event will be focused on reinforcing fundamental design thinking tools and concepts that can in turn be applied to any industry, community, and/or career. The goal of the class is to arm students with a new set of skills to approach problem solving. Each class will be taught by industry professionals from a variety of fields, ranging from design/innovation strategy to technology, digital media, telecom, and healthcare.

Topics covered include, but are not limited to:

• Ethnography & Observations (workshop)

• Prototyping (workshop)

• Innovation & the Organization (panel)

• Media & Design

• The Economics of Design Thinking