
Global Design Thinking Workshops (GDTW) are a novel concept that goes beyond the mere introduction to Design Thinking as a process. It has been initiated and developed by Dr. Claudia Nicolai and the HPI D-School team. We have been creating this format as deep dives into the strategic questions of Design Thinking as a mindset and we are offering this course to HPI students and external participants.

Our program is open to students who are up to 35 years old, from all disciplines. Student must either be in the final phase of the university degree program for a Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD or “Diplom” degree or the degree must have been completed within a year of application (cutoff date: October 1). Bachelor’s students need to have studied at least four semesters in order to have the subject-oriented background required by the program.

In the Basic Track, you will learn about Design Thinking as a holistic approach in the interplay of the iterative process, the work in multidisciplinary teams and our innovative learning environment. The hybrid program starts with a one-week project that introduces the method and mindset of Design Thinking. In the following three-, and eight-week projects you investigate users, apply different brainstorming techniques, and create functional prototypes.
Since 2007 the HPI School of Design Thinking – HPI D-School for short – has offered supplementary programs in Design Thinking that are unique in Europe. Participants learn human-centered innovation processes and gain experience implementing them in actual projects. You can find the most important information at a glance in our flyer.