Program

The 4 Modules of the dLab Global Program are based on the classic ‘Design Thinking’ methodology and allow the student to learn HOW to innovate, whilst at the same time developing an applied innovation project around a central theme.

Empathize: During this module, students receive an introduction to the dLab Global methodology and begin to learn about basic ethnographic principles, understanding how to empathize with different kinds of users. Design Thinking cannot begin without a deeper understanding of the people you are designing for. In order to gain insights, it is important for the student to empathize with the people they are designing for so that they can understand their needs, thoughts, emotions and motivations. The focus at this stage is to understand the problems that exist, without thinking about solutions.

Ideate: In the ideation stage, the students begin to spark off ideas, in the form of questions. The goal, at this stage, is to generate a large number of ideas — that potentially inspire newer, better ideas — that the team can then cut down into the best, most practical and innovative ones. Mentally this involves a process of “going wide” in terms of concepts and outcomes, followed by an eventual narrowing of ideas in order to arrive at an agreed, preliminary solution. Ideation provides both the fuel and also the source material for building prototypes and getting innovative solutions before users.

Prototype: A prototype is a scaled-down version of your final product or service; a simulation or sample version which enables the student to test ideas and designs before investing more time and money in full scale implementation. For example, if you are designing an app, you might create a digital wireframe prototype and test it on real users before handing it off to the developers. Prototypes come in all different shapes and sizes, ranging from simple paper models to fully functional, interactive digital prototypes. Prototyping is an extremely valuable step in the dLab Global methodology which allows students to test their designs on real users.

Implement: Implementing is when the product or service the students have been working starts to become more tangible. The dLab Global Program is a little different, in this sense, to the classic design thinking process, which normally ends when students test their prototypes and iterate in order to come up with a final advanced prototype. We ask students to create a sustainable business model around their solution and define basic entrepreneurial parameters such as who will they sell it to, for how much and which sales channels will they use. In this sense our dLab Global Program offers an overview of innovation methodology, together with an introduction to early stage entrepreneurship.

-Av. Plaza 680, San Carlos de Apoquindo, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile.
-Ainavillo 456, Concepción, Chile
[email protected] (+56-2) 23279110