Design Thinking: Discovery Tools (Coursera)

Design Thinking: Discovery Tools (Coursera)

Welcome Designers! In this course, you will learn to use the most important tools from the field of human-centered design to generate ideas: stakeholder mapping, journey mapping, personas, value-chain analysis, the job-to-be-done, ethnographic interviews, and more. Learn to connect with your customers on a human level, to get beyond what they say and observe what they do.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, the courses sees a team of design experts join Jeanne Liedtka to explore some of these critical tools that will spark your creativity and help you discover more about your potential clients.
Course 3 of 4 in the Design Thinking Specialization.

What You Will Learn

  • How to use a variety of important design thinking tools to generate ideas
  • How to connect with customers on a human level
  • How to think creatively in order to discover more about potential clients

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Stakeholder Map
This week, we'll examine the stakeholder mapping tool. This tool is especially critical as we tackle more complex problems using a design thinking methodology.

WEEK 2
Job to be Done and Ethnographic Interviews
This week, you'll learn about two important and related-tools: Job to Be Done and Ethnographic Interview Guides.

WEEK 3
Journey Map
This week, you'll learn about journey mapping, an important discovery tool. We'll show you what it is and why and how to do it.

WEEK 4
Personas
This week, we'll look at how we can use personas to find important differences that can help us surface specific sets of needs and wants.

WEEK 5
Value Chain Analysis
This week, we'll walk through the Value Chain Analysis process so that you can evaluate your value chain.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Project Execution: Running the Project (Coursera) Coursera
Google

Project Execution: Running the Project (Coursera)

This is the fourth course in the Google Project Management Certificate program. This course will delve into the execution and closing phases of the project life cycle. You will learn what aspects of a project to track and how to track them. You will also learn how to effectively manage and communicate changes, dependencies, and risks. As you explore quality management, you will learn how to measure customer satisfaction and implement continuous improvement and process improvement techniques. Next, you will examine how to prioritize data, how to use data to inform your decision-making, and how to effectively present that data.

Jun 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Groundwork for Success in Sales Development (Coursera) Coursera
Salesforce,SV Academy

Groundwork for Success in Sales Development (Coursera)

This is Course 1 in the Salesforce Sales Development Representative Professional Certificate. In order to successfully complete later courses, please ensure you have completed this course before moving on. This course is here to introduce you to the key role of a Sales Development Representative at a tech company. We want you to develop a winning professional mindset powered by emotional literacy, strategic thinking, time management, and task prioritization.

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
Atrévete a innovar tu enseñanza con pensamiento de diseño (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Atrévete a innovar tu enseñanza con pensamiento de diseño (Coursera)

¿Quieres conocer nuevas formas de enseñar y no sabes por dónde empezar? La mayoría de nosotros estamos conscientes de que innovar en educación es necesario e importante para que las instituciones educativas respondan a una sociedad en constante cambio. Sin embargo, no existe un consenso sobre qué cambios se requieren ni sobre cómo llevarlos a cabo.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Innovation & Entrepreneurship - From Basics to Open Innovation (Coursera) Coursera
EIT Digital

Innovation & Entrepreneurship - From Basics to Open Innovation (Coursera)

This Innovation and Entrepreneurship course focuses on the interconnection between entrepreneurial thinking and innovation. Specifically, we look at models used in Silicon Valley to grow both start-up companies as well as innovation inside large organizations. Bringing together top Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley faculty, this course addresses critical areas for successful growth, including design thinking, open innovation, business models, product-market fit, and financing. This course will teach you how to think like an entrepreneur and provides the models, tools and frameworks to further develop your business or idea. An emphasis will be placed on the IT space.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Curiosity: A Necessary Ingredient for Successful Innovation (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Curiosity: A Necessary Ingredient for Successful Innovation (Coursera)

Curiosity guides the work that an innovator does. This curiosity is evidenced through action- through discussion with others, investigation within the marketplace, and understanding of consumers. You will conduct marketplace conversations and learn the value of customer archetypes and personas to enhance your ideas.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Foundations of Project Management (Coursera) Coursera
Google

Foundations of Project Management (Coursera)

This course is the first in a series of six to equip you with the skills you need to apply to introductory-level roles in project management. Project managers play a key role in leading, planning and implementing critical projects to help their organizations succeed. In this course, you’ll discover foundational project management terminology and gain a deeper understanding of the role and responsibilities of a project manager. We’ll also introduce you to the kinds of jobs you might pursue after completing this program. Throughout the program, you’ll learn from current Google project managers, who can provide you with a multi-dimensional educational experience that will help you build your skills for on-the-job application.

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
Design Thinking: Ideas to Action (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Design Thinking: Ideas to Action (Coursera)

Welcome, designers! In this course, developed at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, you will carry on the design thinking process begun in our Insights to Inspiration course, beginning with the eighth step in our 14-Step process, bringing the ideas you developed in our Insights to Inspiration course to action. We start this course by asking, “What if?” We’ll use brainstorming in a new and creative way to generate solutions to your challenge, and then learn to take those raw ideas and synthesize them into important concepts. By asking, “What wows?” and “What works?” you will learn to move from ideation to experimentation.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Leveraging Design Methods to Identify Business Opportunities (Coursera) Coursera
Parsons School of Design, The New School

Leveraging Design Methods to Identify Business Opportunities (Coursera)

This exciting online course helps you understand design methods and how to use them to identify business opportunities. It starts by focusing on the importance of design in a changing world by examining VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) and the 4Cs (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity). It then delves into the ways opportunities for design are growing in emerging markets and the need for designers to practice their craft as artisans. This includes exploration of the Empathy and Excellence framework. After covering these foundational concepts, the course examines the Double Diamond methodology in detail. It concludes by exploring ways to validate an opportunity by assessing risk versus value and testing your thinking with a canvas.

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
Customer Insights: New Product Development Orientation (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Customer Insights: New Product Development Orientation (Coursera)

This course is the first in the Customer Insights and New Product Development (CIPD) specialization. It will introduce learners to the tools and process of gathering customer insights for identifying and developing new product opportunities. Through an integrated set of five modules and hands-on project experiences, learners will acquire the knowledge and skills to turn their ideas gained from understanding customer needs into innovative new products.

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
Grow Your Business with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women (Coursera) Coursera
Goldman Sachs

Grow Your Business with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women (Coursera)

In this course you will gain the skills that will help you to plan how to best grow your business in future. You will learn how to identify business opportunities, and select the one which is the most progressive and forward-looking, assessing its feasibility. You will also be introduced to the Business Growth Plan (BGP), a strategic tool that will help you identify your business objectives and guide your business’s growth. If you choose to take all 10 free online courses, the BGP will be your key takeaway from Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women.

Jun 8th 2026
1 Week