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Description

Design Thinking: Explore User Needs, Prototype and Test Your Ideas

Start from the field and from real usage to design solutions tested with the people who will actually use them

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • All levels
  • Up to 6 participants

Projects often begin with a solution already chosen in a steering committee, then run into users who simply do not adopt it. The team discovers far too late that the wrong problem was framed, and that a costly development effort rests on assumptions never verified with the people who will use the service.

Two days to work through the full design thinking sequence on a real case: observing usage, reframing the problem, generating ideas, rapid mock-ups and testing with users. Short inputs alternate with team work. Each group leaves with a simple prototype and a written record of the tests carried out.

Learning objectives

  • Conduct interviews and field observations of actual usage
  • Reframe the problem from the user's point of view
  • Facilitate an idea generation session and shortlist a few options
  • Build a mock-up of a solution using simple materials
  • Set up a user test and draw a clear decision from it

What makes this programme different

Usage interviews are conducted in pairs and then reported back to the group
Prototyping is done in paper and cardboard with no digital tools
Each team has its mock-up tested by another group before the session ends

Programme

1Understanding Real Usage

Gathering material directly from the user

  • Preparing an open-ended interview guide
  • Observing a usage situation without interpreting it
  • Capturing friction points and workarounds
  • Mapping the user journey

2Framing the Problem

Moving from raw material to the right statement

  • Sorting and clustering observations
  • Building a persona grounded in field evidence
  • Identifying tensions and unmet needs
  • Formulating the problem statement to be solved

3Generating and Selecting Ideas

Open up widely, then decide

  • Facilitating an idea generation session
  • Using constraints to re-energise the group
  • Clustering and enriching proposals
  • Selecting options against explicit criteria

4Prototyping and Testing

Learning fast and at low cost

  • Choosing the useful level of finish
  • Building paper mock-ups or acted-out scenarios
  • Writing a simple test protocol
  • Deciding whether to continue
  • adjust or stop

Who is it for

Project managers · marketing managers · designers and anyone involved in shaping a product · a service or a user journey.

Prerequisites

No prior knowledge required

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.