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Enhance your creative thinking and problem-solving skills with our two-day Design Thinking course.

This hands-on course provides a structured approach to developing innovative solutions. Whether you’re tackling business challenges or improving customer experiences, you’ll learn to identify problems, understand user needs, generate impactful ideas and test and refine solutions for real-world success. Through interactive exercises and practical activities, you’ll gain practical tools and techniques to approach complex challenges with greater confidence and apply design thinking across different industries.

You’ll learn in a small group of up to fourteen participants, giving you plenty of opportunities for discussion, collaboration and guidance as you apply design thinking methodologies to real-world challenges.

A collaborative workshop setting with team members collaborating around sticky notes and whiteboards to design innovative solutions.

What Does the Course Cover?

Open

The fundamental principles of design thinking, including the five key stages and the methodologies used to develop innovative, user-focused solutions.
How design thinking methodologies can be applied across different industries to address challenges, improve experiences and support innovation.
Creative problem-solving techniques for tackling complex challenges and developing effective, practical solutions.
The principles of human-centred design, including how empathy, user research and customer insights can inform the problem-solving process.
How to define and frame problems effectively, ensuring a clear understanding of user needs, challenges and opportunities before developing potential solutions.
How to visualise, prototype, test and evaluate ideas, using critical analysis to refine solutions and ensure they are practical, scalable and impactful.

What Skills Will You Gain?

Open

A strong understanding of design thinking principles, methodologies and the five key stages involved in developing innovative solutions.
The ability to apply creative problem-solving techniques, helping you approach complex challenges systematically and develop more effective solutions.
Enhanced critical thinking, creativity, adaptability and innovation skills to help you approach challenges from different perspectives.
A deeper understanding of human-centred design, including how to use empathy, user research and customer insights to develop solutions that meet genuine user needs.
The ability to generate, prototype, test and refine ideas, helping you develop solutions that are practical, feasible and impactful.
A clear framework for evaluating solutions against user needs, business objectives and long-term goals, supporting more informed decision-making and innovation.

Who Is This Course For?

Open

This course suits professionals looking to build their problem-solving and creative problem-solving skills.

Professionals across industries seeking to develop structured and creative approaches to solve complex challenges more effectively.
• Managers and leaders looking to strengthen their strategic problem-solving skills and make more informed business decisions.
• Entrepreneurs and business owners who want to develop user-focused products, services and experiences that better meet customer needs.
• Designers, engineers and software developers looking to integrate design thinking and human-centred approaches into their work.
• Individuals looking to build practical skills in creative thinking, innovation, problem-solving and developing solutions for real-world challenges.

Please bring a laptop with you. All other materials and equipment required for the course are provided and included in the course fee.

Participants will also receive complimentary refreshments, including snacks, hot drinks and light breakfast pastries, along with a lunch voucher redeemable at the University Union refectory.

The University of Leeds is a globally recognised university with a strong reputation for research, innovation and industry engagement. Learn from experienced tutors in an academic environment that brings together different perspectives, ideas and approaches to problem-solving.

Learning on campus lets you put design thinking into practice through interactive exercises, group discussions and hands-on activities. You’ll work through real-world challenges alongside other participants, sharing ideas and receiving guidance in real time. This collaborative, in-person approach helps you build confidence in applying design thinking techniques to your own challenges.

Find Out More About Our Facilities

Dr. Pinar Yelmi

Lecturer in Digital and Interactive Design

Dr Pinar Yelmi specialises in design thinking, interaction design and visual communication, with expertise in human-centred and participatory approaches to digital and interactive design. Her work explores the intersection of technology, culture and design, focusing on interactive experiences, storytelling, data visualisation and sensory studies.

Drawing on more than a decade of international academic and industry collaboration, Dr Yelmi has collaborated with cultural institutions and taught across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Turkey and the UK. Her research explores cultural heritage, museums and soundscapes, bringing multidisciplinary perspectives to contemporary design practice. She applies digital and interactive design approaches through hands-on projects and workshops, supporting creativity, innovation and collaborative design practice.