Overview | Outcomes | Content | Trainers | Certificate | Date & Fee | Track Record
Course Objective: Empower Social Workers, NGOs, and Social Entrepreneurs to Innovate for Impact
Part 1: Course Overview
Why This Course Matters
Addressing complex social challenges requires innovative, human-centered solutions. This Design Thinking for Social Innovation course equips participants with the skills to empathize with communities, identify root causes, and co-create impactful solutions. By mastering Design Thinking principles, participants can tackle pressing societal issues and drive meaningful social change.
Whether you’re a social worker, NGO professional, or social entrepreneur, this course will empower you to deliver creative solutions that improve community well-being and foster collaboration across diverse stakeholders.
Course Overview
What You’ll Gain From This Training
This 2-day interactive training empowers participants to:
■ Understand the core principles of Design Thinking and their application in social innovation.
■ Develop empathy and uncover deep insights through user research and stakeholder engagement.
■ Identify and address the root causes of complex social problems.
■ Generate innovative, actionable solutions using collaborative brainstorming techniques.
■ Create and test prototypes to refine ideas and ensure real-world impact.
■ Evaluate and iterate on solutions to maximize their effectiveness in the community.
Targeted Participants
This course is designed for professionals in the manufacturing industry, including:
■ Social Workers
■ Professionals in Social Services NGOs
■ Social Entrepreneurs
■ Community Organizers
■ Educators
■ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Professionals
If you’re passionate about driving positive change and improving lives, this course is for you.
Why Choose This Course?
■ Human-Centered Approach: Learn how to put communities at the heart of your solutions.
■ Real-World Application: Work on real-life case studies to apply the concepts you learn.
■ Collaborative Focus: Foster teamwork and creativity across disciplines.
■ Proven Methods: Leverage the globally recognized Double Diamond Framework to address social challenges.
■ Learning-by-Doing: Engage in hands-on activities that allow immediate application of techniques.
Part 2: Learning Outcomes
Key Learning Outcomes. By the end of this course, participants will:
- Master the Double Diamond Design Thinking Process to solve wicked social challenges with a systematic framework.
- Learn how to achieve human-centered innovation in social service projects.
- Gain tools to conduct empathetic research and identify the needs of stakeholders.
- Build cross-functional, collaborative teams that foster creativity and co-creation.
- Create prototypes and refine them based on stakeholder feedback to achieve impactful results.
Part 3: Course Content
Teaching methodologies
This interactive course is designed to equip you with the Design Thinking mindset, tools, and skills necessary to drive bold innovations. Engage in a dynamic learning journey that includes highly interactive sessions and culminates in collaborative group work focused on addressing a human-centered challenge. Our commitment to a “learning-by-doing” philosophy guarantees practical application and immediate implementation of the concepts taught.
This interactive course is designed to instill a Design Thinking mindset, equipping you with the tools and skills necessary for driving bold innovations throughout the manufacturing process. Engage in a dynamic learning experience featuring highly interactive sessions culminating in collaborative group work focused on addressing human-centered challenges. Our commitment to a “learning-by-doing” philosophy ensures practical application and immediate implementation of concepts taught. The course will allocate time as follows:
- Lecturing: 20%
- Case Studies: 20%
- Hands-On Practices: 50%
- Reflection: 10%
Participants will work on real-world challenges, collaborate in teams, and leave with practical prototypes and actionable insights.
Pre-Course Preparation
Participants will receive pre-course materials, including readings and videos, before the course begins. These resources will introduce the Double Diamond Design Thinking Process and highlight its application in social innovation.
Session 1: Discover Stage
(1) Understanding the Social Challenges: Use empathy-building techniques like stakeholder mapping and interviews to uncover deep insights into societal issues.
(2) Identifying Opportunities: Use insights gathered to uncover unique career guidance needs and opportunities.
Session 2: Define Stage
(1) Persona Development: Create realistic personas reflecting the needs, goals, and challenges of key stakeholder(s).
(2) Mapping Stakeholder Journeys: Visualize the experiences of stakeholders to identify opportunities for meaningful interventions.
Session 3: Develop Stage
(1) Ideation for Social Innovation: Use multi-level creative brainstorming techniques to generate a wide range of potential solutions.
(2) Prioritization: Apply the Idea Priority Map to focus on high-impact, feasible solutions.
Session 4: Deliver Stage
(1) Prototyping Social Solutions: Build prototypes to test ideas and gather feedback from stakeholders.
(2) Effective Communication: Learn techniques to pitch ideas and engage stakeholders eff actively.
(3) Refining Solutions: Gather further feedback and improve prototypes to ensure they meet the needs of stakeholders and create real impact.
Follow-Up Session
Participants can access post-course consulting sessions to address challenges in applying Design Thinking techniques to their specifi c projects. Details will be shared during the training.
Part 4: Course Trainers
Our coaches are seasoned and certified Design Thinking facilitators. They will share their extensive experience and effective strategies for implementing Design Thinking in innovation projects and organizational transformations. This practical approach enables you to integrate Design Thinking principles immediately into your daily work environment.
Part 5: Certificate
Upon completing the course and all related exercises, participants will receive a Digital Certificate of Design Thinking Fundamentals and a Design Thinking Practitioner Digital Badge from the DesignThinkers Academy. These credentials are securely issued through a blockchain-based global certification management system. Celebrate your new status as a Certified Design Thinker by sharing your achievement across various social media platforms.
Part 6: Date & Tuition Fee
Date: 13 & 14 June, 2025
Time: 0930 to 1730
Language: Cantonese (粵語) with English Materials
Mode: Physical Training (The venue will be confirmed one week before the class starts)
Fee: HK$7,000 | HK$6,500 (Early Bird | up to one month prior to the start of the course)
Part 7: Track Record
The previous 26 public classes of the DTA Design Thinking Fundamentals course are listed below:
2025 (26th Cohort): 22 Feb
2024 (22nd to 25th Cohort): 30 Nov | 3 Oct | 19 Jul | 17 May
2023 (19th to 21st Cohort): 21 Oct | 22 Jul | 14 Apr
2022 (15th to 18th Cohort): 20 Oct | 7 Jul | 26 Apr | 17 Mar
2021 (10th to 14th Cohort): 2 Dec | 12 Oct | 19 Aug | 11 Mar | 16 Jan
2020 (5th to 9th Cohort): 19 Nov | 19 Aug | 3 Jul | 13 May | 16 Jan
2019 (1st to 4th Cohort): 2 Nov | 28 Sep | 26 Sep | 15 Aug
