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.
Part of Certificate Programs
Skills You’ll Gain
Collaboration Change Management Leadership
Format Online Cohort Course
Start Date
Quantity
Duration 5 Weeks
Time 4 Hours/Week
Price
$799
$799
Download Syllabus Download Syllabus
Download Syllabus

Go Deeper with Certificate Programs

Designing for Change is part of a certificate program:

View Certificate Programs

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
More From Bryan Yuji Walker
IDEO U Blog
How to Create Change in Your Organization
HBR
Changing Company Culture Requires a Movement, Not a Mandate

Bryan Yuji Walker

Partner and Managing Director at IDEO San Francisco

Bryan leads the Design for Change studio, helping leaders transform their organizations’ cultures and businesses in pursuit of innovation, adaptability, and impact.

Bryan is curious about the future of work and how design can affect and support change within complex human systems. Together with his clients, he’s exploring what corporate leaders can learn from entrepreneurs and venture capitalists; how technology, a new generation of employees, and a shifting marketplace is redefining the workplace experience; and how leaders can drive change by movement as opposed to mandates.

Bryan earned a master’s degree in social anthropology from Oxford University and a bachelor’s degree in design and environmental analysis from Cornell. Outside the office, he can be found chasing the perfect wave.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a typical course schedule and structure?

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.

Cohort courses also provide optional 1-hour video Community Conversations, held weekly by the teaching team. They occur during set times, which are released during the first week of the course, and set to accommodate as many time zones as possible.

Does my time zone matter?

All of our courses are fully online and self-paced, so you can take them from any time zone, anywhere in the world.

During 5-week cohort courses, your course teaching team will host scheduled virtual community conversations which are optional. Timing will be announced during the first week of the course and is set to accommodate as many time zones as possible. Don’t worry if you aren’t able to make it, as these are purely optional.

Can I enroll my team?

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

1. A Team Learning Guide, developed to provide your team with resources to facilitate offline discussion to 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.

How do I purchase my course?

You can purchase your course by clicking Enroll on this page. This will take you to our checkout process where we accept various credit cards, PayPal, or Shop Pay. 

We also offer installment plans which you can select at checkout if you use the Shop Pay method of payment. Available for U.S. learners at the moment.

Collaborate with a Global Community

Work with Expert Coaches

Our teaching team has extensive applied industry knowledge. They'll help deepen your understanding and application of the course content by facilitating written discussions, live video moments, and assignment feedback.

Expand Your Network

Join virtual live discussion groups for deeper conversation, reflection, and connection led by teaching team members and available multiple times a week across time zones.

Receive Feedback

Gain tips, techniques, and a downloadable feedback guide; and share and receive feedback on assignments from peers.

Learn more about the IDEO U Learning Experience

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
    $799
    $799
  • Part of Certificate Program
    Tap into diverse perspectives to foster creative thinking
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    $799
    $799
  • Starting Soon
    Learn to scale creative problem solving from Tim Brown, Chair of IDEO
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    $799
    $799

Enroll As a Team

The practice and application of design thinking, innovation, and creativity is highly collaborative and team based—which is why we believe that learning is better together. Take a course as a team and develop new skills and mindsets, have deeper discussion during course kickoff and debrief sessions, and build a shared understanding.

How to Enroll as a Team