Design Thinking, 7,5 credits

The aim of the course is to allow the student to gain insights and skills in how to create both technical and social innovations. The course deals with the design and development of new products (both goods and services) and new (technical and organizational) processes, with particular focus on methods, tools, and strategies for the early stages of the innovation process. The course is based on a Design Thinking process - a process for managing complex issues and contexts where the designer pair human needs with feasible solutions in a market-based offering - that includes lectures and exercises related to theories of design processes and methods within design and innovation. Students will actively search for and analyze users' needs to then develop ideas, concepts, and detail solutions to match those needs. Being able to combine profitability, feasibility, and desirability in a total offer is of crucial importance to PSS. Design Thinking is about giving the student insight and ability to match people's wishes and needs with what is technically feasible in a vigorous business offer for increased customer value and market opportunities. It is a method and approach that provides and develops tools to penetrate all innovation activities with a human-centered design philosophy.