IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Human-Centered THANKS TO OUR KEYSTONE

FUNDING PARTNER

Design 201:
Prototyping
ONLINE COURSE SYLLABUS
HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN 201:
PROTOTYPING

Learn from IDEO.org designers to make your ideas come to life

Course Description What You’ll Learn

Prototyping is the stage of the human- + Practice the mindsets and
centered design process where ideas come methods of human-centered
to life. Building prototypes is a low-cost and design to produce tangible results

+ACUMEN Business Models for Social Impact

risk-averse way to get your ideas into the quickly
hands of the people you’re trying to change.
+ Experiment with methods to
prototype products, services,
This is an intensive, hands-on learning
interactions, and environments
experience that will equip you to prototype
products, services, interactions, and + Gain valuable feedback from the
environments. You’ll learn methods that people you’re designing for and
IDEO.org designers use to quickly build incorporating that feedback into
prototypes, learn best practices for testing new iterations
those ideas in the field, and collecting real + Demonstrate how the cycle
user feedback to iterate efficiently. of prototyping, feedback, and
iteration leads to concept
Course Format refinement
This is an online course. You can view and
access all course materials at your own pace
during the period that the course is open.
There are no live sessions or specific times
you need to log in.

Statement of Accomplishment
Upon completion of this course, you will
earn a Statement of Accomplishment
signed by the Director of +Acumen and the
Executive Director of IDEO.org that you can
share with your professional networks.

2
 +ACUMEN Business Models for Social Impact
+ Warm-Up Exercise + Activity: Iterate

+ Activity: Start with an Idea + Discussion: Debrief

+ Activity: Prototype a Product

+ Discussion: Feedback from Your

Team

+ Activity: Plan Your Service + Activity: Iterate and Refine Your

Prototype Plan

+ Activity: Create a Journey Map + Discussion: Debrief

+ Activity: Role Play

+ Discussion: Feedback from Your

Friend

3
 +ACUMEN Business Models for Social Impact
+ Activity: Prototype a Space + Activity: Iterate and Refine Your
Plan
+ Activity: Plan Your Field Tests
+ Discussion: Debrief
+ Activity: Sketch It

+ Activity: Mock It Up

+ Discussion: Feedback from Your

Team

+ Activity: Prototype in Context + Discussion: Debrief

+ Activity: Feedback from Real Users + Reflections

+ Activity: Co-Creation + Discussion: Moving Forward

+ Activity: Iteration on the Fly

4
WHERE WILL
YOU GO NEXT?

+Acumen is a vibrant community of change social entrepreneurship. As you have just

leaders around the world. We believe that experienced, our hands-on courses offer
by working together to amplify the impact a practical and collaborative environment
of each other’s work, we’ll create a world to move your work forward. Check out our
beyond poverty. When this course wraps up, calendar of upcoming courses.

+ACUMEN Business Models for Social Impact

how will you continue to stay connected?
If you’re interested in learning more about
Amplify human-centered design, check out:
Consider taking on a new design challenge + Introduction to Human-Centered
or bring a prototype to your next meeting Design: Learn from IDEO.org to use
to move your work forward. You could also human-centered design for social
get a team together to submit ideas and innovation
prototypes to IDEO.org’s Amplify program to
+ Facilitator’s Guide to Human-
help solve some of the world’s most pressing
Centered Design: Lead others
problems.
through the human-centered
design process
Design Kit
Sign up on Design Kit to receive updates
on new content, download or get your own If you’re interested in learning more about

Field Guide to Human-Centered Design, next steps you could take to transform your
add your favorite Methods to your own protoype into a venture, check out:

personalized online toolkit, and share

stories of how you’ve used human-centered + Business Models for Social Impact:

design in your own work! Build a business model to launch

your social enterprise

Take Another +Acumen Course + Lean Startup Principles for the

With the largest offering of online education Social Sector: Apply the innovation
in the social impact space, we’ve got courses methods from Silicon Valley to
in personal development, leadership and social issues

CONNECT WITH +ACUMEN [email protected]

5
WHERE WILL
YOU GO NEXT?

Learn from the Best Become a Catalyst

At +Acumen, we’re fortunate and grateful Catalysts are current and former students
to work with some of the world’s most who care deeply about helping others
incredible thought-leaders. They are unlock their potential. They enrich the
masters of their craft who have generously course experience as guides -– answering

+ACUMEN Business Models for Social Impact

given their time to create courses based on questions, helping students get unstuck,
their work. +Acumen Master Classes include and encouraging them to go beyond their
instructors such as Chris Anderson (Head of limitations. Apply what you’ve learned in
TED), Angela Duckworth (an award-winning the course in a new way by coaching others
psychologist and MacArthur genius), Krista through the material, engage deeply in the
Tippett (an NPR Radio Host) and Seth Godin work of others and meet students from
(marketing guru). If you’re interested in around the world. Apply to be a catalyst.
learning more about impact and business,
check out: Join the +Acumen Corps
We launched the +Acumen Corps to bring
Dan Ariely on individuals together to collaborate and
Changing connect. We all know that driving social
Customer change is hard work and that in order to
Behavior: Harness create the change we seek in the world, we
the principles of need each other. Corps members are bonded
behavioral change by our shared goal of creating a world
to reach more beyond poverty and that it will take all of us
customers and to achieve it. To join the +Acumen Corps you
create impact. must participate and complete a +Acumen
Challenge. Check out the +Acumen Corps
Elizabeth Gilbert’s website to learn about and apply for
Creativity upcoming challenges.
Workshop:
Jumpstart your
creative journey
with coaching
from a bestselling
novelist