The d–school of the Hasso-Plattner-Institute (HPI) is a world-leading university education provider and a pioneer in design thinking and digital leadership training. At the interface between people and technology, we qualify students and professionals for the challenges of tomorrow.
Crafting Tomorrow – Imagine, Innovate, Impact
In the d-school Academic Program, we teach the basics of design thinking in our 16-week programs for students and young professionals. The additional course of study is certified and officially recognized. Our Design Thinking Studios build on this basic knowledge of design thinking and deepen the methodological tools for design thinking in the context of broader topic areas such as sustainability, open innovation in education, digital health, and others. This means our graduates can make an important contribution to shaping our future.
A unique learning atmosphere on the HPI university campus in Potsdam
You will develop human-centered solutions to complex problems as part of a small multidisciplinary team. Trained design thinking coaches accompany the teams on their way to finding sophisticated solutions.
You learn:
- Design thinking as a basis for managing complex ideation and innovation processes.
- Collaboration in multidisciplinary teams and international networks.
- Communication and cooperation with project partners from industry, non-profit organizations, administration, and politics.
- Combining design thinking tools with advanced approaches such as open innovation and future scenarios.
Our offers for students and young professionals are largely in English.
Find out more about studying and further training.
Project partner for the transfer between theory and practice
The d-school learning method is based on practice. Project partners from companies, non-profit institutions, politics, or the public sector can submit a problem statement in most program elements. A mutual win-win situation: Participants apply the knowledge they have learned immediately. Project partners benefit from insights from interviews with potential users, brainstorming, and concrete digital or analog prototypes for possible solution variants. The close exchange between students and project partners is part of the mutual learning process.
Find out more about the opportunity for project partners.
Research and study in the global network of renowned design thinking institutions
Every year, participants from numerous nations, from different universities, and many disciplines come to the d-school of the Hasso Plattner Institute or take part remotely in design thinking programs.
More than half of the DAX30 companies have already attended the HPI d-school. Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Falk Uebernickel and Dr. Claudia Nicolai, the HPI d-school successfully teaches, practices, and develops design thinking at the Hasso Plattner Institute. As the initiator of the Global Design Thinking Alliance (GDTA), the HPI d-school promotes exchanges between design thinking schools, among others, in Egypt, Malaysia, and South Africa.
Find out more about the activities of the d-school and the global design thinking community, and sign up for our newsletter.
