Design Thinking & Innovation in Practice Masterclass 2024

Next course starts 15 May 2025

Fees

Early bird fee: £1080
Until 16 February 2025
Regular fee: £1200
from 17 February 2025

Location

In person at RCA Battersea campus over 2 days
15 & 16 May 2025
10am - 5:30pm BST each day

Clara & Adrian Westaway, Special Projects

Watch this introductory video

This transformative course offers a unique blend of cutting-edge ideas and practical tools, guiding participants through the discovery of innovation methodologies and design thinking principles.

Designed for individuals and organisations eager to uncover new strategic approaches and create meaningful user experiences, the masterclass provides an immersive journey into the heart of innovation.

Participants will explore the art of combining rigorous research with creative design, learning how to unearth hidden opportunities and transform them into revolutionary products and services.

The course delves deep into each critical stage of the innovation process: from uncovering user needs and framing challenges in new ways, to generating and developing novel solutions, and finally bringing ideas to life. Throughout this journey, you'll discover how to strike the delicate balance between creative inspiration and strategic thinking, infusing complex challenges with a profoundly human touch while skillfully navigating real-world constraints.

At the core of this 2-day intensive course is the opportunity to apply design thinking principles to a real-world project brief for a charitable organisation, working collaboratively in creative teams. This hands-on approach ensures participants gain practical experience in using design thinking to drive innovation, regardless of their business sector or level of design expertise while at the same time contributing to a great cause.

Our approach to Design Thinking with Special Projects

The Royal College of Art views Design Thinking as a form of human-centred innovation and offers a different approach to problem solving. By reframing challenges from the user’s perspective, we incorporate empathy and real-world engagement with people’s lived experience.

Special Projects brings a unique perspective to this masterclass, drawing from their extensive experience in creating innovative solutions for global leaders such as Google, Lego, Sonos, P&G, and Samsung. As a registered B Corp, Special Projects aims to design for both people and planet, reinforcing their commitment to positive social and environmental impact. Their practice of blending rigorous research with playful optimism has consistently delivered exceptional results in real-life innovation projects, making them ideally positioned to guide participants through the intricacies of strategic design thinking.

IN SESSION

Watch the IN SESSION talk: Designing for Delight with Special Projects and Adam Cheyer, the mind behind Siri about bringing magic to technology interactions.

Watch here

About the course

Course structure

This Design Thinking and Innovation masterclass guides participants through a creative process inspired by the Double Diamond - a systematic approach to design that helps teams navigate complex problems and create innovative solutions. Participants will learn the process used by Special Projects on global innovation projects.

The three key phases are: Discover, Imagine, and Materialise.

Each phase is designed to equip you with essential skills and methodologies for driving innovation:

Discover

Creative Brief Development: Learn to craft compelling creative briefs and formulate effective research plans.
Research Techniques: Master the art of involving people in your research to uncover deep insights and latent needs.
Cross-Industry Inspiration: Explore parallel industries for fresh perspectives and learn to synthesise research effectively.
Communicating Research: Develop skills to effectively share research findings, bringing your entire organisation along on the innovation journey.

Imagine

Ideation Methods: Explore creative techniques to transform research insights into tangible opportunities.
Team Collaboration: Enhance your ability to work effectively in teams and communicate ideas with clarity and impact.
Identifying Good Ideas: Develop a keen eye for spotting and nurturing promising ideas that align with strategic goals.

Materialise

Engaging Stakeholders: Learn to communicate ideas in ways that excite and inspire key stakeholders.
Storytelling: Harness the power of narrative to bring your concepts to life and create emotional connections.
Materialising Ideas: Acquire the skills to develop a detailed vision of an inspiring product or service, ready to delight the world.

This unique structure ensures participants gain a comprehensive understanding of the entire innovation process, from initial concept to final execution, equipping them with the tools to drive meaningful change in their organisations.

Personal and organisational benefits

The benefits to you and your organisation include:

A comprehensive understanding of Design Thinking applied to various business challenges
A new model for reframing innovation projects through a design lens
Experience in collaborative problem-solving and innovation
Access to global best practices in design thinking
Enhanced critical, creative, and insightful thinking skills
Improved ideation and visualisation skills for realising design innovations
Deeper empathic understanding of users and their needs
Valuable networking opportunities with peers from diverse backgrounds
A certificate of attendance from the Royal College of Art
A custom toolkit to help communicate your learnings with you organisation

What will you learn?

You will learn:

Fundamental principles and practical applications of Design Thinking
Real-world case studies demonstrating successful design thinking outcomes
Strategies for improving decision-making by reframing challenges from a user-centred perspective
Effective techniques for co-creation and driving innovation within teams
Global best practices in design thinking across various industries and sectors
Methods to balance creativity with strategic thinking in the innovation process

How will you learn?

Learning takes place over 2 days in person where participants get taught as a group and work in smaller teams.  

The sessions include a mix of:  

lectures 
a series of practical exercises 
team creative workshops 
a final critique of project presentations by a panel of experts.

Course outcomes

Participants will come away from this course with:  

A comprehensive understanding of the main stages of the design thinking process. 
Tools and frameworks to bridge the gap between practical constraints and imaginative solutions.
Enhanced skills in creative brief development, research techniques, ideation, prototyping and storytelling. 
The ability to effectively communicate and implement innovative ideas that deeply resonate with users 
A reinvigorated sense of what can be achieved through a people-centred approach.

Who should attend?

Anyone interested in transforming their organisation and professional development through the application of design thinking for innovation, including:  

Innovation and development leads, in-house R&D, public sector and third-sector business innovation teams
Ιnnovation directors and managers, senior business managers, strategic planners and consultants
Design, marketing and sales professionals, customer experience and user experience experts
Policymakers
Entrepreneurs

About Special Projects

Special Projects is an independent design and innovation studio founded in London in 2014 by Clara Gaggero Westaway and Adrian Westaway.

Their clients include global leaders such as Google, Lego, Sonos, Samsung, BBC, King's College London, Toyota, P&G, and Braun, working across consumer products, healthcare, wellbeing, automotive and technology sectors.

At the heart of their approach is a unique blend of magic, humanity, and technology, which they use to craft strategic design visions for the future and reinvent user experiences.

Driven by a passion to humanise technology and make interactions feel special, Special Projects combines rigorous research with an optimistic outlook. This approach brings a touch of magic, delight, and a profoundly human quality to even the most challenging technical problems.

The studio's solutions are characterised by their delightful simplicity and exceptional functionality. By transforming ordinary interactions into extraordinary experiences, Special Projects has established itself as a leader in creating innovative, user-centered designs that resonate deeply with people while solving complex business challenges.

On campus delivery

This course will be delivered face-to-face at our flagship building in Battersea.

Covid-19

Our planning incorporates the latest Government guidance as well as consideration of how best to ensure a safe and inclusive learning space for participants and staff team.

Our participants health, wellbeing and quality of experience while attending our on-campus courses is paramount to us.

Full details of the Covid safe guidelines in place for the course will be provided to you in advance of your start date with your welcome information.

Disclaimer: Change to online delivery

It may be necessary due to Covid-19 restrictions to change the mode of delivery to live online. We will endeavour to notify all participants in advance of any changes, no later than two weeks before the course start date.

Terms & conditions apply.

“The Design Thinking course at the RCA was truly inspiring. While much of it reinforced concepts I was already familiar with, it provided a fresh perspective and renewed my enthusiasm for the design process. The interactive sessions and expert guidance encouraged me to approach challenges with even greater curiosity and empathy. It’s reminded me of the importance of staying grounded in human-centred principles, which will help refine how I collaborate and innovate in my work.”
Katie Paige Senior Interaction Design at GOV UK Hydrographic Office, 2024 participant
“While it is only two days, the course provided an intense, hands-on approach that helped me quickly reframe challenges and enhance my presentation skills. RCA’s ability to bring people from different fields and backgrounds was invaluable, as I could learn many things not only from the speakers but also from the participants.”
Denny Priyatna Product Designer from Indonesia, 2024 participant
“The Design Thinking & Innovation in Practice course at the Royal College of Art was a diverse and transformative experience. It offered a well-rounded approach, blending theory with real-world applications. The course was truly inspiring, pushing me to think creatively and explore innovative solutions. I left with practical insights and tools that I can apply directly to my work, making it an invaluable experience.”
Othman Khunji Artist and Lecturer and Assistant Director of Recruitment & Admissions at Virginia Commonwealth University, 2024 participant
“Special Projects is made up of truly good humans with the ability to create a secure and inspiring environment that enabled our team to learn, grow, and seamlessly experience a new and innovative process throughout our collaboration. They not only met but far exceeded our expectations with their extraordinary creativity and unwavering dedication to uncovering our audience's deepest needs and desires. Their team's global perspective introduced a fresh, innovative approach to the project, while their meticulous attention to detail breathed life into new visions, raising the bar for broadcasting innovation.”
Anonymous Managing Director, Leading International Broadcasting Company
“Working with Special Projects was a joy. They constantly surprised and delighted us with beautiful prototypes, insightful research and challenging ideas. The sheer amount of work they did to understand the space we were trying to explore was incredible. Along the way they took risks and navigated ambiguity with a panache all-too-rare amongst larger design firms.”
Matt Jones, Principal Designer, Google AI
“Having worked closely with the Special Projects team on a number of projects over the years I can attest to their creativity, thoughtfulness and importantly, their ability to translate user insights into actionable and meaningful design opportunities. The insights, design tools, and recommendations they provided were creative, impactful and perfectly aligned to the project objectives.”
Scott Reeve, Director, CX Strategy & UX Design at Sun Life
“This is a fast-paced, masterfully imparted course about the principles of Design Thinking and its application to real life challenges for all kinds of businesses, including private companies, public service and non-profits.”
Giovanni Salinas Senior Product Development Engineer at Supplyframe, 2023 participant
“Working through the triple diamond framework with a group of people from different walks of lives is an extreme experience. Diving into problems, working between abstract and real worlds, and pushing to materialise ideas are all not only inspiring but also enjoyable process to unleash our imagination but at the same time keep our feet on the ground.”
Helen Yu Founder of MadLab ,2023 participant
“The RCA Design Thinking & Masterclass was a fully immersive deep dive into the design thinking process giving me the tools and confidence to bring change to my organization. The context of starting the course in an institution like The Design Museum helped me to deeply appreciate design in all its forms and left me with a greater understanding and affinity for the impact and potential design can unlock to improve our lives.”
Michelle Mormont Innovator Communities Lead at World Economic Forum, 2023 participant
“By examining tried and tested design theory, the workshop gave us the confidence to trust the creative process and apply it in our future work projects. The expertise shared in the short course was awe inspiring, such brilliant speakers who graciously shared their creative process and their work. A huge learning curve in less than two days!”
Stephanie Horan Senior Lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth, 2023 participant
“Insightful, practical and fun. This course provided me with the basis to take design thinking into my everyday practices and bring new ideas to my clients. From the course leader to the other attendees everyone brought ideas to the table and worked together to build some amazing outputs.”
Jake Krais Manager at PwC, 2023 participant
“Learning directly from the RCA, a world-leading college in Art and Innovation was fantastic. In two days we used Design Thinking methodologies to discuss world peace, farming, hospital ICU experiences through a very hands-on approach. I experienced the incredible value Design Thinking brings to structuring ideation and innovation to create value for my company.”
Laura Rosich Director, Digital Service Innovation & Hybrid Tech at McKinsey & Company, 2022 participant
“I enjoyed meeting and collaborating with professionals from other industries, and being able to learn from their varying skills and experiences.”
Mirjam Martinović, Marketing Executive at Colart, 2022 participant

Short Course Co-Leader, Co-founder & Creative Director, Special Projects

Clara is an award-winning designer and inventor renowned for her human-centred approach to innovation. With a portfolio that includes collaborations with BBC, Google, and Samsung, her work has been exhibited at MoMA and the Design Museum London. As a Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Royal College of Art and a faculty member at Oxford University Said Business School, Clara is dedicated to creating hopeful, sustainable design solutions that enhance well-being and foster a healthy relationship with technology.

View full profile

Short Course Co-Leader, Co-founder & Director of Technology and Magic, Special Projects

Adrian is a visionary designer and inventor, uniquely blending technology and magic to create extraordinary experiences. His innovative contributions span high-profile projects with Sonos, BBC, Nokia, and Google AI. An influential thought leader, Adrian lectures at the Royal College of Art and the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. His commitment to sustainable design and creative innovation has earned him prestigious accolades, including a Fellowship at the Royal Commission of 1851 and membership in the Magic Circle.