Introduction
We've always believed that design thinking is more than just a process—it's a mindset that can transform how we approach problems. When the Royal College of Art approached us about leading their Design Thinking course, we jumped at the chance to share the methods we've been refining for over a decade. Working with clients ranging from tech giants like Google to beloved brands like the BBC and Lego, we've honed our approach to solve complex problems and make new ideas feel simple, clear, human, and approachable.

As a studio, our teaching is deeply rooted in practice. We spend the majority of our time - about 80% - working on real-world innovation projects. This constant engagement with practical challenges shapes every aspect of our educational approach, ensuring that what we teach is both current and applicable.

The Royal College of Art
The RCA has been at the forefront of design education for decades, always pushing the boundaries of what design can be.
As proud RCA alumni ourselves - Clara, Adrian, and three-quarters of our team - we have a deep connection to the institution and its approach to design thinking. Professor Jeremy Myerson, a pioneer in the field, laid the groundwork for this course years ago. As co-founder of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Jeremy has championed inclusive design and innovation, shaping the landscape of design thinking at the RCA and beyond, and we are honoured that he will continue to be a part of the course.

Our own journey with design thinking began at the Helen Hamlyn Centre, where we truly discovered human-centered design. Surrounded by visionaries like Jeremy Myerson, Roger Coleman, and current director Rama Gheerawo, we were immersed in inclusive design principles that continue to guide our work today. We were fortunate to meet guests like Patricia Moore, a champion of universal design. Her groundbreaking research, where she disguised herself as an older adult to understand their experiences, highlighted the importance of empathy and immersive user research—principles that continue to guide our work.

The value of innovation and design thinking in companies worldwide cannot be overstated. According to a McKinsey study, design-led companies have 32% more revenue and 56% higher total returns to shareholders compared with other companies, highlighting the significant impact of design thinking on business success.

The Course
At the heart of our approach is our interpretation of the Double Diamond model, which has long been a cornerstone of design thinking. We've adapted this model based on our real-world experience, distilling the process into three key phases: Discover, Imagine, and Materialise.

The Discover phase is all about uncovering insights—it's where we dive deep into user research. The Imagine phase focuses on collaborative brainstorming, creatively generating new ideas and possible solutions. In the Materialise phase, ideas become real through prototyping and storytelling.

We've carefully structured the course to bring these phases to life over two intensive days.

Day one is dedicated to Discovery, where participants are asked to hold back from ideation and instead focus on unlocking insights and finding new perspectives on problems and opportunities. We encourage participants to engage with 'extreme users', pushing them to see challenges from radically different viewpoints.

Day two is about Imagining and Materialising. We'll tour some of the most innovative RCA start-ups and then dive into ideation. We'll be using post-it notes, as you might expect, but focussing on how to collaboratively create ideas, making space for different voices—some loud, some quiet—to all share and explore ideas together.

Then we’ll materialise the ideas to present them to our special guest panel. It doesn't matter how good an idea is if you can't communicate it effectively to others. We'll encourage people to make models, mock-ups, and really tell the story in a compelling and engaging way.

We've found that in short workshops, user research is often glossed over or simply not possible in such a limited time frame. That's why we've structured this course to include substantial time for real user research, giving participants a truly immersive experience. We believe this is the fountain that feeds insights, innovation, and new ideas.

Instead of working on a fictional brief, we'll be tackling a real challenge provided by our partner BookTrust, an incredible charity dedicated to getting children reading since 1921. This means that as participants experience the design process, they will also be contributing new perspectives on the challenges faced by BookTrust, some of which may be implemented.

We’ll also focus on the practical implementation of these design thinking methods in the workplace. It's great to have two fun days of learning, but our real goal is for participants to return to work and start applying these methods immediately.
The structure of the course is designed to be encouraging, it's not a competition between groups but a journey, and we want everyone to learn from each other's experiences. We hope participants come with an open and curious mind.

Alongside Jeremy Myerson we’re fortunate to have Katie Taylor as a guest speaker, with her extensive experience in UX research at Google, GOV.UK, HP and The Wellcome Trust, and Jess Mitchell, Head of Innovation, Design and Development at BookTrust. They'll provide invaluable insights into implementing design thinking methods in organisations and setting real-world design briefs.

Who should attend?
This course is for anyone curious about the design process, bringing together a diverse group of participants from leaders experiencing complex problems to seasoned designers and complete newcomers.

Our goal is to equip participants with practical methods they can immediately apply, instilling a sense of creative confidence and sparking a lifelong curiosity about human-centred design.

We're not expecting this course to transform participants into designers in 48 hours. Rather, it's a platform to cultivate a design thinking mindset. For some, it might mean gaining a newfound appreciation for design and designers, enabling them to work more effectively with design teams in their organisations.

In a world of increasing complexity, the ability to think creatively and solve problems innovatively is more valuable than ever. This course is just the beginning of a journey into design thinking—we hope it sparks a lifelong passion for human-centered design. We're excited to see how participants will apply these methods in their own unique contexts, and we can't wait to see what magic we can create together.

Reserve your place for the next course here.

"I'm so excited to be part of this RCA course, working with Clara and Adrian at Special Projects and to have a diverse group of participants applying the brilliant techniques and approaches they will have learned to some real life design problems we are wrestling with at BookTrust!"

Jess Mitchell,
Head of Innovation, Design and Development at BookTrust


"Design Thinking has often been described as people-centred innovation, so I’m delighted that Clara and Adrian from Special Projects have taken on the RCA programme I have led for many years. They bring a fresh lens to human-centred design, a touch of magic and delight, and I’m excited to see what will emerge from their direction.”

Jeremy Myerson
Professor Emeritus
Co-founder of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design