My Training Experience: What Our Students Are Saying
We asked one of our very first participants to reflect on their experience with Overlap training. Here’s what they had to say:
“When I received the invitation to attend Overlap’s HCD: Launch – Introduction to Human-Centred Design training, my excitement was tinged with hesitancy. I wondered how an elementary school teacher like myself could contribute to the conversation, and whether the tools we learned would be applicable in my line of work.”
What We Did
The day was divided into two main sessions—the morning focusing on how to better produce and implement creative ideas, and the afternoon spent participating in a practical problem-solving exercise.
During the morning session, my pen filled page after page of relevant information, including a “crash course in ideation” and how to increase competency in research, insight, and collaboration. Though participants ranged across a variety of societal sectors, it didn’t escape my notice that every pen in the room was as busily employed as my own.
The afternoon session, however, was where the learning really made the leap from theoretical to practical. The group took part in solving a “real-world” problem using a human-centred design process to research, identify problems, brainstorm, and test ideas. This activity was both stretching and confidence-building, as it pushed us out of our comfort zone in certain areas, while still providing everyone with a chance to contribute in a meaningful way.
What I Learned
Walking away from this session, I felt equipped with a completely new approach to ideation. My old and tired methods of “brainstorming” often hit a wall with students, leaving us frustrated and limiting our ability to hear the voices of all participants. The afternoon activity made me realize that my teaching methods in the past have often been based on a “goal-centred” approach rather than a “human-centred” approach, undermining our ability to tackle messy problems. Discussion with other participants led me to conclude that this is an error not limited to the field of education, but across many sectors of society.
In a time filled with complex problems and unprecedented uncertainty, I am confident that the tools learned in this session will be invaluable in ideating and implementing creative and intuitive solutions.
Learn more about the benefits of Design Thinking Training Here
Design thinking training teaches the importance of adaptability, and it builds the skills you and your team need to become more adaptable, including how to accept and manage change, how to question your assumptions, and how to make effective decisions in real-time.
Begin Your Design Thinking Training Today
Design thinking resources are everywhere, which means you can begin your training and skill building today. If you’re new to design thinking, we recommend starting with the following articles, books, and tools.
Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers
Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation
Overlap’s Creative Problem Solving School was carefully crafted to bring design thinking training to anyone who is ready to learn. Through various levels of training, you and your team will learn how to work better together and improve how you navigate complex challenges. Our wide range of courses are transformational, practical, engaging, and they will prepare you and your team for whatever the future has in store.
Equip yourself and your team with:
New Tools & Methods for Collaboration
Enhanced Leadership Skills
Improved Team Dynamics
The Confidence to Tackle Problems
Join our community of creative problem solvers and unlock your potential for innovation. We offer live, virtual, in-person, and (soon!) self-serve formats for all of our courses. If you’re new to design thinking, we recommend starting with our Intro to Human-Centred Design and Exploring Complex Problems courses. Browse our full selection of design thinking courses, which range from beginner to intermediate to advanced.
The Creative Problem Solving School is developed and managed by Overlap, a design consultancy putting people at the centre of our work. Overlap works with organizations of all sizes on the problems that matter most to them. We’re passionate about sharing design thinking and human-centred design methods with the world because we believe in better workplaces, better teams, better communities, and better solutions.
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