Designing for Change

Start small, start with people, start now
Preview Course

You have a vision for a better future and you need others on board. Talking about change is easy, making it real is harder. So, where do you get started?

Big changes start small and they start with people. Learn to create change collaboratively by involving others from the beginning and creating conditions for them to buy in and participate. Using actionable frameworks and experiments early on, you’ll generate tangible wins that will build the momentum you need to scale from small shifts to big transformations. No matter where you sit within your organization, you have the ability to make change happen.

Course Outcomes
  • Create an environment that encourages new mindsets and behaviors that will help change take hold and grow.
  • Frame the change in a way that invites participation and motivates buy-in.
  • Co-create change by involving the people it affects from the beginning.
  • Make change tangible by collaborating on small experiments that demonstrate the potential for your change.
  • Utilize the resistance of naysayers to build stronger solutions.
  • Attract others to your cause by sharing big stories about early, small changes.
Skills You’ll Gain
Collaboration Change Management Leadership
Format Online Cohort Course
Start Date
Quantity
Duration 5 Weeks*
Time 4 Hours/Week
Price
Regular price
$799
Sale price
$799
Unit price
per 
Download Syllabus
*Enroll in any November cohort course or certificate to get FREE access to our new AI x Design Thinking Workshop Series ($250 value). Add to your cart to redeem.

Go Deeper with Certificate Programs

Designing for Change is part of a certificate program:

What You'll Learn

Week 1: Introduction

Explore how design can bring people together to realize lasting change.
Watch a sneak peek
  • Designing for Change—sneak peek of the class
2 Video Lessons
  • Designing for Change—Dr. Reddy’s case study
  • Circle of Purpose—A look inside human systems
1 Assignment
  • Craft your Change Statement: Sketch and complete the sentence: "I want to change (present state) in order to (desired outcome)."

1 Discussion
  • When has change led to something beautiful in your life?

Week 2: Mobilizing People

Initiate the change by focusing on the people it affects and frame the effort in a way that invites participation.
3 Video Lessons
  • The Potential for Change—Start with people
  • Framing the Change—Why your change matters
  • Forming Your Coalition—Organize people for action
1 Assignment
  • Mobilizing People: Frame your change in order to build your coalition.

2 Discussions
  • Have you ever felt like you were swimming upstream trying to change something?

  • Share a frame that got you excited or, even better, inspired you toward action.

Week 3: Taking Action

Generate small, tangible wins called beacons that illuminate the potential for new outcomes.
2 Video Lessons
  • Beacons for Change—People support what they create
  • How to Build a Beacon—Start small, start now
1 Assignment
  • Taking Action: Let's get our hands dirty and start building a beacon.

1 Discussion
  • When have you seen a symbol of change that made you want to join in?

Week 4: Growing Change

Make change sustainable by establishing new conditions, utilizing frictions, and telling stories to attract others.
3 Video Lessons
  • Redesigning Conditions—Change can’t happen without friction
  • The Power of Storytelling—How to recruit more believers
  • The Snowball Effect—Institutionalizing change
1 Assignment
  • Growing Change: Write the story of your beacon for change prototype

2 Discussions
  • When was a time you experienced friction?

  • When was a time that a story really inspired you?

Week 5: Conclusion

Get tips for maintaining momentum and a positive mindset through your journey of change, and make a plan for your next steps.
1 Video Lesson
  • Final Remarks—Change is a journey
1 Assignment
  • Final Reflection: Reflect on where you are now and dream of where you want to go to help you set intention and direction.

1 Discussion
  • What will you take away from this course to design for change?

Meet Your Instructors

Bryan Yuji Walker

Partner and Managing Director at IDEO San Francisco

Bryan leads the Design for Change studio, helping leaders transform their organizations in pursuit of innovation, adaptability, and impact. His work has won design awards and recognitions, and he lectures at several universities. Bryan has degrees in anthropology and design from Oxford and Cornell.

More About Brian

Frequently Asked Questions

We offer three types of courses: self-paced courses, cohort courses, and certificate programs. Cohort courses run on a set calendar, with fixed start and end dates. Course learning is self-paced within those dates and requires approximately 4-5 hours per week over 5 weeks. Courses consist of videos, activities, assignments, access to course teaching teams, and feedback from a global community of learners. There are also optional 1-hour video Community Conversations, held weekly by the teaching team. 

All of our cohort courses are fully online, so you can take them from any time zone, anywhere in the world. With our cohort course experience, while you'll be learning alongside other learners, you'll still have the flexibility to work at the pace that fits your own schedule. There aren’t mandatory live components, so you don't have to worry about having to log in at a specific time. At the same time, you'll have access to a teaching team, which is composed of experts in the field who are there to provide you feedback, and there are also plenty of options to connect with your fellow learners.

Course instructors have a strong presence in the courses through the course videos, but they're not actively providing feedback or holding direct conversations with our learners. We have a teaching team to ensure that you have the feedback, guidance, and support you need to learn successfully in your course. Our teaching team members are design practitioners that have experience applying course methods and mindsets in a wide variety of contexts around the world.

Our teaching team consists of teaching leads and teaching assistants, who are experts in their fields. Many of them have been with IDEO U for many years, and we have selected those who have direct experience with applying the course methods and mindsets in all sorts of contexts around the world. They all go through multiple training sessions by our instructional designers on not only on the subject matter, but also on how to create safe and collaborative learning experiences and environments.

Community Conversations are one-hour live video conversations hosted by the teaching team on Zoom. These happen once per week, with each one having two to three time options to accommodate different time zones. Each week focuses on the lesson that you’ve just gone through, so the output and the content depend on the specific lessons. You'll have the opportunity if you work together with your peers on the tools and mindsets from the course, reflect on what you’ve learned, and also address any challenges that you might be going through.

All course materials, including videos, activities, and assignments will be available while you are enrolled in a course. During the 5 weeks of the course, you will have full access to our learning platform and can refer back to it any time. You will only have access to the course materials while you are enrolled. 

Assignments must be submitted during the 5-week course duration in order for you to receive a certificate of completion.

Absolutely! We have had many teams go through our courses together. For those taking our courses as a team, we provide a number of additional benefits:

1. A Team Learning Guide, developed to provide your team with resources to facilitate offline discussions that complement the in-course experience.

2. A Manage Learners function, which provides visibility into your team's progress within the course.

3. The ability to create a private Learning Circle, which is a closed space for discussion on the learning platform specifically for your team.

For more information, visit our Team Learning page.

We offer a discount when you enroll in multiple courses at the same time through some of our certificate programs, including Foundations in Design Thinking, Business Innovation, Human-Centered Strategy, and Communicating for Impact

You can also enter your email address at the bottom of this page in order to receive updates on future offers or possible discounts. 

After completing a cohort course, you will be able to add it to your “licenses and certifications” on LinkedIn.

We also have certificate programs that consist of multiple courses. After completing a certificate, you will receive a certificate of completion via email as a downloadable PDF within 1-2 weeks of completing the final required course. Certificates are configured for uploading and sharing on LinkedIn.

You can purchase a course on our website using a credit card, PayPal, or Shop Pay. For US customers, we also offer installment plans at checkout if you use the Shop Pay method of payment.

We typically are not able to accommodate bank transfer or invoicing. However, if your order includes 10 seats or more, please contact hello@ideou.com and our team will be happy to review your request. 

Collaborate with a Global Community

Loved by Learners Across the Globe

Laura V.
Laura Business Process Officer COFIDES Spain
Amy Bracewell
Amy National Park Manager
Abir Ghazali
Abir Internal Comms Supervisor ABC Sal
Ben C.
Ben Managing Director The Project Lab
Designing for Change
Cohort Course

“This course gives you a vision of the power to change things. With a little order, structure, and know-how to disseminate an idea well, you can change an entire organization. You can also implement these methods in your own life, with your own challenges.”

Laura Madrid, Spain
Designing for Change
Cohort Course

“Love the way IDEO sets up the course and encourages dialogue. I learn as much from my fellow participants as I do from the course content...double bonus!”

Amy New York, USA
Designing for Change
Cohort Course

“The learning experience has been delightful, the information is clear, the pace is just right, the material and resources are on point and guide you to conclusions effectively. I learned something new every week.”

Abir Lebanon
Designing for Change
Cohort Course

“I love the human-centered approach to problem solving that permeates throughout IDEO. The problem-solving techniques I've taken from this course fit perfectly with any technical or social problem I can imagine and any of my team or fellow problem solvers will benefit. Top quality course. Loved it!”

Ben Tasmania, Australia

Learners Also Purchased

  • Starting Soon
    Craft a narrative to motivate and inspire
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    Regular price
    $799
    Sale price
    $799
    Unit price
    per 
  • Starting Soon
    Tap into diverse perspectives to foster creative thinking
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    Regular price
    $799
    Sale price
    $799
    Unit price
    per 
  • Learn to scale creative problem solving from Tim Brown, Chair of IDEO
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    Regular price
    $799
    Sale price
    $799
    Unit price
    per 

Enroll As a Team

How to Enroll as a Team