Applying design thinking to real world projects

We are doing more than just planning d.school projects. Graduate students and faculty from across Stanford are already involved in d.school classes.

In the past few years, faculty from multiple disciplines including engineering and business have worked with interdisciplinary student teams to figure out what design thinking can do to help children with autism, and to develop inexpensive prototypes of LED-based lamps for developing markets whose operating cost is a fraction of fuel-based lighting such as kerosene.

During the next few years, the d.school will be teaching an array of project-based interdisciplinary classes, including a class that develops environmentally sustainable products, and ones that design everything from management consulting engagements to a first-grader's first week at school.

d.school classes typically last 10 or 20 weeks and often consist of 20-40 students, with 2-5 members on the teaching team, plus coaches and industry and non-profit partners. They are loosely organized into themes or initiatives (social entrepreneurship, business and design, etc.) and are forums where participants get to tackle real world projects in order to learn more about design thinking and practice innovating together. Students who have completed classes are confident in their personal innovation process and able to collaborate on multidisciplinary teams. Big ideas that impact the world may emerge from a class, but our primary focus is on shaping students who go out in the world and have an impact.

If you are at Stanford getting a masters degree and you're interested in being a part of the d.school, we have a few great offerings this year.

Upcoming Classes 2008-2009

This year (08'-09') we will be teaching a full complement of classes and supporting the activities of a growing handful of Labs. Some of them are stars you will recognize from previous years, and a few will be brand new offerings. As with all things d.school, the list below is seriously subject to change. Fully updated course descriptions with day/time/location/credits will be available closer to the start of the Autumn Quarter.

d.school Summer College, Adventures in Design Thinking: Summer 2008 CLASS FULL
Adventures in Design Thinking is a week-long d.school bootcamp workshop offered to all Stanford graduate students through the Stanford Graduate Institute.

Experiences in Innovation and Design Thinking: Autumn 2008
A d.school bootcamp class. Get a comprehensive introduction to design thinking and the d.school community.

Design for Agile Aging: Winter 2009
Develop innovative strategies and products to enhance mobility in seniors. Limited additional enrollments available in Spring.

Entrepreneurial Design For Extreme Affordability: Winter and Spring 2009
Two quarters of design thinking, engineering and business skills to deliver comprehensive solutions for clients in emerging economies all over the world.

Business Practice Innovation (BPI): Winter 2009
Treating Business Practices as Prototypes. In this small, team-based, multidisciplinary class, students will apply the design process to specific practices and treating the targeted practices as prototypes. The course will provide hands-on experience in collaboration and design, in the context of tackling real problems in real businesses.

Transformative Design: Winter 2009
This project-based course investigates how interactive technologies can be designed to expressly encourage behavioral transformation in domains like weight-loss, energy conservation or safe driving.

Cross Cultural Design: Winter and Spring 2009
New Class! Description Coming Soon!

From Play to Innovation: Spring 2009
Investigate the human "state of play," and use it to promote innovation in the corporate world.

Media + Design: Spring 2009
An advanced design thinking practicum unpacking user participation in new media.

Software Experience Design: Spring 2009
Exploring unique opportunities where software, business and design thinking meet. Apply user-centered methodologies to develop composite software systems that create new opportunities, such as a citizen-access portal to all of a city's information.

Creating Infectious Engagement: Spring 2009
The practice and theory of spreading ideas and motivating ongoing engagement within social networks and society.

Upcoming Lab Activities 2008-2009

K-12 Lab: Designing to Learn
Apply design thinking directly to K-12 education contexts.

Personal and Interpersonal Dynamics (PAID)
A weekly lab at the d.school to help you better interact with team members.

Environments Lab: Needfinding
For students enrolled in concurrent d.school classes; collect needfinding information for the Environments Lab and participate in redesigning our built environment.

Recent Classes

Creating Infectious Engagement: Spring 2008
The practice and theory of spreading ideas and motivating ongoing engagement within social networks and society.

Designing to Learn: Spring 2008
Apply design thinking directly to K-12 education contexts.

From Play to Innovation: Spring 2008
Investigate the human "state of play," and use it to promote innovation in the corporate world.

Media + Design: On Air: Spring 2008
An advanced design thinking practicum unpacking user participation in new media.

Personal and Interpersonal Dynamics (PAID): Spring 2008
A weekly lab at the d.school to help you better interact with team members.

Design for Agile Aging: Winter and Spring 2008
Develop innovative strategies and products to enhance mobility in seniors. Limited additional enrollments available in Spring.

Entrepreneurial Design For Extreme Affordability: Winter and Spring 2008
Two quarters of design thinking, engineering and business skills to deliver comprehensive solutions for clients in emerging economies all over the world.

Transformative Design: Winter 2008
This project-based course investigates how interactive technologies can be designed to expressly encourage behavioral transformation in domains like weight-loss, energy conservation or safe driving.

Innovation in Complex Organizations: Winter 2008
This course will offer students a chance to pause, discuss, and integrate design thinking and innovation in business in a small seminar, case-study format. Co-sponsored by the d.school and STVP (Stanford Technology Ventures Program).

Business Practice Innovation (BPI): Winter 2008
Treating Business Practices as Prototypes. In this small, team-based, multidisciplinary class, students will apply the design process to specific practices and treating the targeted practices as prototypes. The course will provide hands-on experience in collaboration and design, in the context of tackling real problems in real businesses.

Experiences in Innovation and Design Thinking: Autumn 2007
A d.school bootcamp class. Get a comprehensive introduction to design thinking.

Creating Infectious Action, Kindling Gregarious Behavior: Spring 2007
A series of team efforts to understand how to design things to "spread". An endeavor to understand what makes something "viral" or "buzzy". How does it feel to have your design hit a tipping point? The class focused on a project for Mozilla and a project for Global giving.

Software Design Experiences: Spring 2007
Exploring unique opportunities where software, business and design thinking meet. Apply user-centered methodologies to develop composite software systems that create new opportunities, such as a citizen-access portal to all of a city's information.

Clicks-n-Bricks: Creating Mass Market Experiences: Autumn 2006
Innovate online and off-line experiences for customers and employees. Improve the theme park experience and work with Wal-Mart on sustainability.

Tools for Experience Design: Spring 2006
"How do you support the innovation design process in a complex world with tangible, real world solutions?"

Experiences in Design Thinking: Winter 2006
A ten-week series of immersive experiences in innovation and design thinking.