Design Thinking & Creative Problem Solving

Overview

This focused one-day workshop introduces the essential principles of design thinking and shows participants how to apply them to real workplace challenges. Blending clear explanation with hands-on creative problem-solving, the session guides teams through the five core phases — Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test — in a way that feels both practical and energising.

Across the session, participants learn how to understand user needs more deeply, generate ideas quickly and turn rough concepts into simple prototypes that communicate solutions effectively. Through interactive exercises, collaborative ideation and rapid making, they gain a toolkit of methods they can take straight back into their everyday roles.

Whether you want to spark fresh thinking, improve problem-solving across departments or build confidence in creative decision-making, this workshop offers an accessible, high-impact introduction to design thinking that equips teams with skills they can use immediately.

What you'll learn...

• The five phases of design thinking - Understand the Empathise–Define–Ideate–Prototype–Test framework and how it applies to real workplace challenges.

• Creative problem-solving mindsets - Learn how to approach tasks with curiosity, openness and user-focused thinking to generate more meaningful solutions.

• Empathy-driven insights - Use simple tools like empathy mapping to uncover user needs and reframe problems more effectively.

• Practical workplace application - Discover how to translate these methods back into your day-to-day role to improve processes, spark innovation and solve problems more confidently.

Who is this for?

Participants: Gain confidence using design thinking methods, learn how to understand user needs more clearly and develop practical tools for generating, testing and refining ideas in a fast, structured way.

Employers: Benefit from staff who can approach challenges creatively, solve problems more efficiently and contribute to a culture of innovation — leading to smarter decisions, improved processes and more effective teamwork.

Why is this important?

Creative problem-solving is one of the most hireable and future-proof skills in today’s workplace. As AI automates routine tasks, the ability to think creatively, understand user needs and generate original ideas is what sets people apart.

Design thinking helps individuals tackle challenges with curiosity, clarity and confidence, turning problems into opportunities and ideas into simple, testable prototypes. In a rapidly changing world, these human-centred creative skills are what keep organisations innovative, adaptable and ahead of the curve.

About the Tutor

Lucy McGill is an expert in Design Thinking and the use of creative and participatory research methods. Based in the Medical School, University of Exeter, she is currently involved in research projects working with multi-disciplinary teams and applying her design expertise to investigate problems across health, technology and user needs.

Having previously worked at HCA, lecturing in creative subjects including BA (Hons) Graphic Design and BA (Hons) Illustration, and being involved in projects such as the development of HCA's creative strategy, Lucy is excited to be back to share her enthusiasm and expertise with local professionals.