In today’s globalized and technology-driven markets, organizations face increasingly complex challenges. Customers are more engaged, markets are dynamic, and innovation requires balancing business strategy with organizational capabilities. Design Thinking for Service and Business Innovation equips professionals with the methods, tools, and mindset to develop customer-centric, viable, feasible, and desirable solutions.
Why this course: This course combines academic foundations with practical application. Participants learn the designerly way of thinking, analyze complex organizational challenges, and execute innovation projects that address real-world business and societal problems. The programme prepares participants to design solutions that are both impactful and implementable. Throughout the course, participants develop a broad set of creative thinking and framing techniques, giving them a well-stocked toolkit to work independently on complex challenges afterward.
Upon completion of this course, participants can:
- Explain key design thinking concepts and their relevance for business innovation.
- Execute design thinking workshops in professional contexts.
- Organize and integrate diverse insights to support the design process.
- Collect and analyze feedback from prototypes and interventions.
- Apply design thinking to business, innovation, and organizational challenges.
- Defend proposed solutions considering desirability, feasibility, and financial viability.
- Reflect on their own process and the outcomes of colleagues’ projects.
This course introduces design thinking from its academic origins—the study of designerly ways of thinking and complex problem-solving—to contemporary managerial applications focused on organizational innovation. Participants learn to apply design thinking to real-world challenges while collaborating in transdisciplinary teams of business, design, and technology professionals.
The course is structured around a combination of lectures, workshops, and supervised project work. Participants work on either provided industry cases or, for professionals, their own work-related projects. Cases have previously included challenges from banking, eldercare, and childcare sectors. The learning approach ensures participants can transform knowledge into skills through hands-on application, prototype development, and reflection. Intensive guidance is provided, including supervision for projects and support for reflection on personal learning. Real-world cases ensure that participants gain applied experience relevant to professional practice.
For whom: This course is open to professionals and students from business, design, or technology backgrounds who want to enhance their innovation and problem-solving capabilities. Professionals may participate with their own projects or collaborate with peers on provided real-world challenges. Participants from business, design, technology, or related fields are welcome; a BSc-level background is sufficient.
Practical information: The course is coordinated by Eveline van Zeeland. Sessions include lectures, workshops, tutorials, and supervised project work. Industry experts contribute through practical cases, ensuring applied relevance. The course takes place at the University of Twente in Enschede, NL. It is offered in Quarter 3, typically starting at the end of January or beginning of February. Weekly sessions consist of three hours combining lectures and workshops, complemented by independent project work. The course carries 5 ECTS, which corresponds to approximately 140 hours of study, including scheduled sessions, project work, and self-study. Assessment consists of a group project and a personal essay, which are mandatory to receive ECTS credit. Professionals may choose to participate in lectures and workshops only, and not participate in the project (but do a personal essay), in which case they will receive a participation certificate.
Literature: Recommended preparatory reading is Getting Started with Design Thinking by Van Zeeland. Additional course materials, including academic papers and curated web articles, will be provided digitally throughout the course.
Location: University of Twente, Enschede, NL
Duration: The course is scheduled annually from February till April. It requires 140 hours of study load.
Costs: € 2067,15
More information: See our online course catalogue Osiris : link to osiris course information.
Registration: Registration form | Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET)
