The Search for Great Ideas: Harnessing creativity to empower innovation (Coursera)

The Search for Great Ideas: Harnessing creativity to empower innovation (Coursera)

Where do great business ideas come from? We all have compelling business concepts that we've been thinking about for years. In this course we will explore how to use observational tools and other techniques for idea generation and we will talk about how to evaluate the good ideas from the bad. The goal is to settle on a business idea that you are not only passionate about but also has real market application.

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

At the end of this course learners will be able to:
-build a resource inventory from which they can assess and create market opportunities;
-pursue market opportunities consistent with personal passions and capabilities; and
-triage potential ideas in terms of which have the greatest potential for commercial and personal success.
Course 2 of 6 in the How to Start Your Own Business Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Ideation: Tools for ideation.
How do entrepreneurs come up with great ideas? This is an age old question. Lets explore where great ideas and solutions come from and how to put yourself in a position to change the business world.

WEEK 2
Ideation: Intro to Design Thinking Methodology
In this module we will explore the lessons of Design Thinking Methodology and how it can be used as a powerful tool for developing new and innovative solutions.

WEEK 3
Ideation: Intro to Customer Discovery
More often than not the best solutions don't lie with you but rather they are with your customers. In this module we will talk about how to develop a customer discovery plan that can lead to powerful business innovation.

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

Related Courses

Tinkering Fundamentals: Motion and Mechanisms (Coursera) Coursera
Exploratorium

Tinkering Fundamentals: Motion and Mechanisms (Coursera)

The Tinkering Fundamentals course will offer educators and enthusiasts an opportunity to develop a practice of tinkering and making. We see tinkering as a serious endeavor—one that is generalizable across content and especially good at interweaving disciplines in a way that leads to complex projects and individualized learning opportunities.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Creative Problem Solving (Coursera) Coursera
University of Minnesota

Creative Problem Solving (Coursera)

This course deals directly with your ability for creativity which is a critical skill in any field. It focuses on divergent thinking, the ability to develop multiple ideas and concepts to solve problems. Through a series of creativity building exercises, short lectures, and readings, learners develop both an understanding of creativity and increase their own ability.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Managerial Accounting Fundamentals (Coursera) Coursera
University of Virginia

Managerial Accounting Fundamentals (Coursera)

This course will teach you the fundamentals of managerial accounting including how to navigate the financial and related information managers need to help them make decisions. You'll learn about cost behavior and cost allocation systems, how to conduct cost-volume-profit analysis, and how to determine if costs and benefits are relevant to your decisions.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Design Thinking and Global Startup (Coursera) Coursera
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - KAIST

Design Thinking and Global Startup (Coursera)

This course offers a systematic engineering design methodology: Stanford Design Thinking for preparing global startup. The course empathizes the whole Stanford design thinking process, "Empathy-Define-Ideation-Prototype-Test," for building a startup with a business model that has a “customer truly need” component.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
International Business I (Coursera) Coursera
University of New Mexico

International Business I (Coursera)

We live in a world of intensifying global relationships, one in which international business has become the key determinant of economic development and prosperity. This course, Global Business Environment, Part I, introduces students to a fundamental understanding of the socioeconomic political, cultural, and linguistic environment in which international businesses operate.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Investment Management in an Evolving and Volatile World by HEC Paris and AXA Investment Managers (Coursera) Coursera
HEC Paris

Investment Management in an Evolving and Volatile World by HEC Paris and AXA Investment Managers (Coursera)

Have you ever wanted to invest in financial markets, but were always afraid that you didn’t have the proper tools or knowledge to make informed decisions? Have you ever wondered how investment management companies operate and what fund managers do? AXA Investment Managers, in partnership with HEC Paris, will introduce you to the most important ideas and concepts in investment management, to help you better understand your financial future.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Population Health: Fundamentals of Population Health Management (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

Population Health: Fundamentals of Population Health Management (Coursera)

What are the principles of Population Health Management as a pro-active management approach to improve health and to tackle health disparities? In this course we will discuss the basic principles of Population Health Management that will help you as (future) health care professional or policymaker to analyse current healthcare challenges and to design possible solutions using the Population Health Management Approach.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
New Product Development - develop your own new product (Coursera) Coursera
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology

New Product Development - develop your own new product (Coursera)

New product development is essential for the survival of many companies in the Hi-Tec sector, as well as other sectors. The percentage of sales of successful business organizations tied to the successful Introduction of new products and services is high. However, the failure rate of new products development projects is also high and therefore there is a need for a methodology based on a well-designed process as well as tools and techniques to manage New Product Development (NPD) projects. Since most companies develop new products, it is important to you as a manager to be familiar and understand the basic concepts and terminology of NPD projects. This course will give you holistic view of the new product development arena and will help you gain specific knowledge in how to select, plan, monitor and control a new product development project, using the proper tools and techniques.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
How to Validate your Startup Idea (Coursera) Coursera
UNSW Sydney - University of New South Wales

How to Validate your Startup Idea (Coursera)

Starting a new business begins with an idea that needs to evolve through experimentation, iteration and interactions with people. This course is for existing and potential entrepreneurs who are looking for guidance and support to make their ‘great idea’ a reality. In addition to reviewing the basic principles of entrepreneurship, this course guides you through the process of actively validating your idea in the market.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
What Is Contemporary Art? (Coursera) Coursera
The Museum of Modern Art

What Is Contemporary Art? (Coursera)

What is contemporary art? In this course, you’ll consider this question through more than 70 works of art made between 1980 and the present, with a focus on art from the past decade. You’ll hear directly from artists, architects, and designers from around the globe about their creative processes, materials, and inspiration.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks