Course Overview
The Inspire innovation course is a unique opportunity to learn how to identify and solve complex challenges through a human-centered approach. Whether you’re a community leader, aspiring changemaker, or simply curious about innovative problem-solving, this course will equip you with the skills and tools to create real impact in your community and beyond.
Join Inspire to develop essential skills, toolsets, and mindsets for innovative problem-solving and social impact. Sign up today to transform your approach to design and make a meaningful difference in your community!
Course Format
Inspire is offered in flexible formats to suit your learning style and schedule. Choose to complete the full course in one go, or break it down into two smaller, focused modules for a more paced approach.
Key Takeaways:
- Skill Development: Practice new skills to improve your problem solving and design skills.
- Try out new mindsets: Understand and apply new ways of thinking to help you see with fresh perspective.
- Apply Your Learnings: Use the assignments and reflection spaces to apply your learnings to a challenge in your work or community in real time.
- Print it Out: Download the Inspire textbook to follow along, take with you, or write in as you go.
- Celebrate Your Success: Unlock a certificate that acknowledges your skills and learning.
What You'll Gain
- Become a sought-after problem solver, boosting your value in the workplace.
- Unlock your creative potential and drive innovation within your role.
- Excel in collaborative environments and make a positive change in your community.
- Build stronger relationships with colleagues and clients, advancing your career.
- Demonstrate your initiative and ability to create meaningful impact.
Module 1:
- Develop Empathy: Understand the needs and perspectives of the people or groups you are working with.
- Understand Systems: Discover how to map systems, dig to the root of complex problems, and identify key opportunities for change.
- Become an Expert at Interviews: Explore best practices for hosting a safe and successful interview to understand the lived experience of the people facing a particular challenge.
- Practice Synthesis: Learn how to theme and draw insights from complex data to guide your solutioning.
- Reframe Ideas: Create compelling “How Might We” questions and point of view statements to guide your solutioning.
- Tell Your Story: Flex your creative muscles by learning how to effectively tell the story of your journey.
- Launch into Effective Problem-Solving: Identify the right challenge for you, your team, or your community to address, ensuring that the solutions you generate are useful and sustainable.
Module 2:
- Ideate: Learn engaging ideation techniques to generate new and novel solutions while avoiding groupthink.
- Select the Right Solution: Explore compelling ways to identify the best ideas and work as a group to select which one(s) to make into reality.
- Prototype: Practice creating visual or physical representations of your idea and developing thorough test plans to gather feedback from your users.
- Test: Understand how to test effectively and gather meaningful feedback about your product, service, or plan.
- Assess: Use the three lenses of design to assess the desirability, feasibility, and viability of your design(s).
- Iterate: Apply your learnings and new insight by improving upon your design and incorporating feedback to make it just right.
- Launch Your Ideas: Use tools like the Business Model Canvas to efficiently scope and scale your project.
Testimonials
Whether you’re a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, the Inspire course offers valuable insights and skills for everyone.
"I found this to be a very validating exercise (going through the entire course). Coming in, I wondered if I would learn anything new and while most of what was covered were skills and/or knowledge that I already had or was aware of, it was a nice feeling and gave me a good sense of confidence to see that how we’re practicing Human Centered Design is aligned with the [Inspire] course content."
"I am surprised by the areas that I found uncomfortable and how much more I needed to sit in this discomfort to feel confident in trying new things. It [Inspire] has reframed my approach to work that doesn’t feel as ‘tangible’ or like the finish line is clear, now I am more confident in my ability to determine the direction and develop something of value."
“I have a better sense of what human centered design is. It doesn’t feel like a consulting gimmick, and I feel like I’ve actually learned something practical. I think I feel better at the concept of brainstorming and facilitating group discussions to prevent groupthink.”
“I felt more things click together. I feel like I was able to draw connections between things I have learned previously and real-life issues I am dealing with at work. I feel more confident in my toolbox and the double diamond is a great resource to help evaluate problems and develop solutions.”
"I was amazed to learn about all the new collaborative tools to help in finding solutions and refining a path for a business plan."
"I think it [Inspire] highlights that there are some areas for improvement that I didn’t see previously, I am confident I will learn more with practice and find good use of these tools."
"I feel confident knowing that there is a step and process to design. I can now follow these simple principles to get to the prototyping stage."
“[I am] feeling more confident about the theory of design thinking/systems thinking, how to apply empathy to problem solving, etc.”
“This course really helped me understand human centred design and the process from identification of a problem to brainstorming solutions and prototyping. Fascinating!”
“You have this problem and is it really a problem? Actually digging into it and not just sitting in a room and coming up with all of these ideas, [Inspire] helped structure information and build curiosity.”
“This was a real mindset shift for me.”
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