Introduction

Design Thinking

The foundations of design practice — process, research, synthesis, and how design actually creates value.

88 Lessons / Coming soon

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Overview

Design Thinking is the foundation course of the School of Critical Design. It covers what design actually is, how the design process works, how to run research that tells you something you did not already know, and how to get from a pile of research to an insight you can act on.

Most design thinking training teaches a branded five-step process and leaves you to apply it by rote. This course teaches the decisions underneath the process — why you diverge, why you converge, what synthesis actually involves — so that you finish with a process you have mapped to your own work rather than one you are following because a diagram told you to.

It is the largest course we offer, at 88 lessons, and it is the one we most often recommend people start with. Design is how you make decisions in a world of infinite possibilities and no right answers. This is the course about making those decisions well.

Details

88 Lessons / Coming soon

AnytimeVirtual

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100% of our past participants would recommend this course to others. (Seriously, it's true!)

You will leave with

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A clear account of what design is, what good design is, and who counts as a designer

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A working design process you have mapped onto your own practice

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The ability to run design research that surfaces something genuinely new

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A method for synthesis — getting from raw material to insight without hand-waving

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Shared language for talking about design with people who are not designers

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Lifetime access to the material

What’s included

Seasonal cohort with peers from around the world
Live tutorials with the SOCD team
1:1 sessions with the founders (J. Paul Neeley + Gemma Jones)

Course Outline

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Basics _ What design is, what makes design good, how design creates value, human-centred design, service design, who counts as a designer, and the role of experienced intuition.

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Design Process _ Divergence and convergence, the double diamond, the bridge between analysis and synthesis, the Neeley Worldwide Triple Diamond, and mapping the process onto your own way of working.

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Research _ What design research is and is not, understanding users, understanding systems, what to look for, observation and interview technique, worked examples, and the tips that make fieldwork productive rather than merely time-consuming.

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Synthesis _ What synthesis actually is, working with abstractions, and mapping your way from research to insight.

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Case Studies & Application _ Design practice across sectors, and how to apply the process in organisational settings.

Course Format

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Self-paced and online. Enrol once and work through the material on your own schedule.

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Lifetime access to the course, including future updates.

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Short lessons designed to be taken one at a time, with exercises you apply to your own work.

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Community forum access alongside other students and the SOCD team.

This course is for

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Designers who have been practising without an explicit process

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Product managers, strategists, and researchers who work with design teams

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Business leaders who want to understand what design is actually for

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Anyone moving into design from an adjacent discipline

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No prior design training required

Your Teacher

J. Paul Neeley - Speculative Designer & Researcher

J. Paul studied Speculative Design with Dunne & Raby on the Design Interactions course at the Royal College of Art, and has spent the years since applying these methods with organisations from start-ups to multinationals to the United Nations. He founded the School of Critical Design with Gemma Jones in 2017.

For Companies

‍For team licences, multiple seats, or to discuss a bespoke workshop for your organisation, email hello@critical.design.

Want to see how we run this work end to end? Read The Speculative Design Methodology: A Practitioner’s Workflow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Design Thinking course?

Design Thinking is an 88-lesson self-paced online course from the School of Critical Design covering the foundations of design practice: what design is, the design process and the double diamond, design research methods, and synthesis. It is the largest course in the school.

Who is the Design Thinking course for?

It is built for designers, product managers, strategists, researchers, and business leaders. No prior design training is required — the course starts from what design is and builds to a working process you can apply.

How is this different from other design thinking courses?

Most design thinking courses teach a branded five-step process. This one teaches the underlying decisions — why you diverge, why you converge, what synthesis actually involves — and gives you a process you map to your own work rather than one you follow by rote. It is taught from fifteen years of client practice, not from a textbook.

Is the course self-paced or scheduled?

Fully self-paced. You enrol once and work through the 88 lessons on your own schedule, with lifetime access to the material.

Should I take Design Thinking or Speculative Design Basics first?

If you want a grounding in design process and research, start with Design Thinking. If you already have a design practice and want to extend it into futures and implications work, start with Speculative Design Basics. They complement each other and share a process spine.