Design Thinking: Customer Focused Front End of Innovation

Gain customer insight with a lean design thinking approach

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Incorporating customer input into innovation doesn’t have to be painful – in fact, it can be incredibly rewarding. Customer knowledge and empathy are the essence of the design thinking and lean startup models. Join us to find out about practical tools and activities you can use WITH your customers when getting started with innovation to make sure that you’re developing products that meet real needs.

Customer insights are more than just a great basis for innovation. Those same insights can help you communicate and get support for your new product ideas. This session will help you prepare for validated idea generation for innovation with a solid system and plan that will increase your likelihood of success.

What you will learn:

In this online course you will learn a s
tep-by-step design thinking approach to innovating with your customer. This will include:

  • Ways to use customer insights to identify opportunities for innovation and new product development
  • Online tools and techniques useful for important steps in the innovation process, including your efforts to clarify your direction and get support for your recommendations
  • Examples of how this approach works that you can experience and draw from for your own new product development process

Who should participate:

This course will be relevant to individuals who are charged with ideating and developing new products, particularly those in smaller teams with fewer resources. This will also be relevant to their immediate team members, including those in marketing research/insights functions.


Program Curriculum


  Module 1: Design Thinking Innovation: Mining existing customer data and colleague knowledge
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  Module 2: Interviewing your Current or Potential Customers to Clarify the Innovation Direction
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  Modeule 3: Using Customer Insight & Quotes to Communicate & Advance your Concept
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  Module 4: Putting your Innovation Skills into Action to Gather Customer Insight and Innovate with it
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  Innovation Step-by-Step Book
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  What is Design Thinking?
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Your Instructor


Darin Eich, Ph.D.
Darin Eich, Ph.D.

Darin Eich, Ph.D. is an innovation training workshop designer, design thinking training facilitator, keynote speaker & the founder of InnovationLearning.org. His speciality is designing and facilitating high-impact innovative leadership programs. He is also the author of Innovation Step-by-Step: How to Create & Develop Ideas for your Challenge and Root Down & Branch Out: Best Practices for Leadership Development Programs.

Darin's passion involves helping people to become themselves, find and live their strengths, and become more creative, innovative and successful leaders. Darin is a conference keynote speaker and helps institutions develop leadership programs & retreats. He also facilitates professional brainstorming, facilitation training, and innovation sessions for large organizations.



A variety of organizations listed below have utilized Darin's innovative facilitation, consulting, keynotes & workshops, and leadership development programs for training and innovation. Our programs and expertise have also been featured in various media publications.




Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
Can I get a certificate of completion when I finish the online workshop?
Yes, there is a digital certificate of completion that gets issued when you complete all of the workshop modules. You can download or share this certificate to verify you completed the online workshop course.

Get started now!