Design Thinking - Applied Research - Winter 2025

MGMT8025
Open Closing on January 18, 2025
Conestoga College
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Educator
5
Timeline
  • February 24, 2025
    Experience start
  • February 24, 2025
    Project Student Group Allocation Finalized
  • March 4, 2025
    Student Login Activation Complete
  • March 9, 2025
    Employer Introduction Meeting and Q&A Complete
  • March 11, 2025
    Weekly - Status Reporting - START
  • April 6, 2025
    Weekly - Status Reporting - END
  • April 19, 2025
    Experience end
Experience
6 projects wanted
Dates set by experience
Preferred companies
Canada
Startup, Family-Owned, Small to medium enterprise, Social Enterprise
Any industries
Categories
Market research Competitive analysis Product or service launch
Skills
key performance indicators (kpis) design thinking research
Learner goals and capabilities

A group of students will review the business challenges faced by an industry partner or a company regarding their product/service/platform profitability and growth. Students will research to understand the business challenges in greater detail. They will put together a plan to revive the product/service/platform to profitability over 12-18-24 months. Students will use tools they learnt in the course, identify KPIs to measure success and develop a timeline for this execution that they will share with the industry partner or company for their review and use. The team that creates the most applicable solution may have an opportunity to support the execution as an intern for the company. Teams will be allowed to bounce off their initial thoughts and ideas and ask questions to better understand the business challenge at pre-determined intervals.

Learners
Post-graduate
Beginner, Intermediate levels
35 learners
Project
20 hours per learner
Educators assign learners to projects
Teams of 6
Expected outcomes and deliverables

The final project deliverables might include: 


10-15 minute presentation on key findings and recommendations


Project timeline
  • February 24, 2025
    Experience start
  • February 24, 2025
    Project Student Group Allocation Finalized
  • March 4, 2025
    Student Login Activation Complete
  • March 9, 2025
    Employer Introduction Meeting and Q&A Complete
  • March 11, 2025
    Weekly - Status Reporting - START
  • April 6, 2025
    Weekly - Status Reporting - END
  • April 19, 2025
    Experience end
Project Examples

Learners in groups of 4-6 will work with your company to identify your business needs and provide actionable recommendations, based on their in-depth research and analysis while using the course concepts they learnt from their Creative, Critical Design and System Thinking course.


Project activities that learners can complete may include, but are not limited to: 

  • Follow the Business Design Method taught in the course (Start-Find-Frame-Solve)
  • Conduct extensive research of the industry and the ecosystem
  • Identify and validate the need based on priorities of customers with empathy mapping
  • Frame the voice of customers using various techniques towards alternatives
  • Design/Develop prototypes to solve the business need
  • Identify Key Performance Indicators for measuring success
  • Recommend a plan and time line to the launch the chosen solution


Companies must answer the following questions to submit a match request to this experience:

Can you provide Internship opportunity for the team with the best solution?

Dedicated person of contact - weekly to answer student questions

Employers are required to attend/review final student presentations with a Q & A session and provide feedback within 3 days