The Service Design Thinking program is much more than a normal course. Through this program, we provide the knowledge and skills that true innovators need. In this context, we train our participants in the human-centric innovation approach “Design Thinking”. In addition, participants work in small international and interdisciplinary teams on real innovation challenges from practice.

The teams are made up of students from KIT and another university from the global SUGAR network. These include, for example, the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam, Trinity College in Dublin and the University of Science and Technology of China. The program includes visits to international events of the SUGAR Network, which are usually held in places known for their high level of innovation. At these events, our participants present their (interim) results to a large audience consisting of employees from the partner companies and the universities involved.

What students will learn:

• A comprehensive understanding of the globally recognized innovation approach “Design Thinking” as introduced and promoted by the Stanford University
• Development of new, creative solutions through extensive need finding, in particular with regard to the relevant service users
• to develop prototypes of the collected ideas early and independently, to test them and improve them iteratively, thereby solving the issue defined by the partner company
• to communicate, present and network in an interdisciplinary and international environment
• to apply the learned approach in the context of a real innovation project provided by a practical partner.

Course phases (roughly 4 weeks each):

• Kick off:
  Learning the basic method elements by solving an exercise challenge. Participation in the Global Kick-Off of the SUGAR Network consisting of method workshops, working on team challenges, networking with other universities and forming project teams for the challenges of the practical partners.
• Design Space Exploration:
  Exploring the problem space by questioning the given innovation challenge from practice. Familiarization with the topic area of the respective challenge. Gathering first impressions of the requirements and needs of people related to the problem.
• Critical Function Prototype:
  Building an intensive understanding of the needs of the target group of the respective challenge. Deriving critical functions from the customer's perspective that could help solve the overall problem. Building prototypes for the critical functions and testing them in real customer situations.
• Dark Horse Prototype:
  Reversal of assumptions and experiences made so far. The goal is to develop radically new and unconventional ideas. Implementation of the ideas into simple prototypes and subsequent testing.
• Funky Prototype:
  Integration of the individual successfully tested functions from the critical function and dark horse phase into solution concepts. These are also tested and further developed.
• Functional Prototype:
  Selection of successful funky prototypes and development of these towards high-resolution prototypes. The final solution approach for the project is written down in detail and feedback is obtained.
• Final Prototype:
  Implementing the final prototype and presenting it to the practical partner as well as the SUGAR Network.

• Design Thinking: Das Handbuch; Falk Uebernickel, Walter Brenner, Therese Naef, Britta Pukall, Bernhard Schindlholzer
• The Design Thinking Playbook: Mindful Digital Transformation of Teams, Products, Services, Businesses and Ecosystems; Michael Lewrick, Patrick Link, Larry Leifer
• The Design Thinking Toolbox: A Guide to Mastering the Most Popular and Valuable Innovation Methods; Michael Lewrick, Patrick Link, Larry Leifer
• Frame Innovation: Create New Thinking by Design (Design Thinking, Design Theory); Kees Dorst