COURSE NUMBER: MBA294.4

COURSE TITLE: Innovation Lab: A Hands-On Exploration Into Design Thinking Methods

UNITS OF CREDIT: 1

INSTRUCTOR OF RECORD: Whitney Hischier

STUDENT ORGANIZER: David Liang & Julie Davis

E-MAIL ADDRESS: david_liang@mba.berkeley.edu & julie_davis@mba.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Thursdays 6:00 – 8:00 PM during Spring B

(3/16, 3/30, 4/6, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/4)

PREREQUISITE(S): None

CLASS FORMAT:  Workshop-based

REQUIRED READINGS: n/a

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:  Attendance-based.  Students cannot miss more than 2 classes.

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

This highly praised by students course will be a deep dive into design thinking methods. Guided by practicing industry professionals from Gravity Tank SF (recently acquired by Salesforce), you will explore a range of approaches for each phase of the design thinking process. As mentioned in the title, this class will be a lab - we will experiment with different methods and explore when they are appropriate. The guest lecturers will share examples of the tools used in practice, however, the focus will be on hands-on experience keeping lecture time to a minimum.

Each class will focus on methods that can be used during a given phase of the design thinking process. We will put the methods through their paces with actual challenges and reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, and situations where they would be useful. By the end of the 6 weeks you will have the beginnings of a design thinking toolkit that you can apply to many problems.

Guest Lecturers Include:  Dave Sonders, Elizabeth Glenewinkel, Justin Rheinfrank, and more.