Design Thinking Certification
Creative Problem-Solving Through Human-Centered Design
Learn to empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test — and build solutions that truly matter.
Discover the 5-in-1 bundle from
Design Thinking Level 1 – Live Training
- Learn from world-class trainers
- Interactive training – Remote or in-person
-
Get certified
One online course of your choice
Lifetime Access
Agile Academy
E-Learning
1 Year Membership
Henrik
AI Agile Coach
1 Year Unlimited Chats
Agile Academy Community
Lifetime Access
83 ratings (5,0)
Request this training
This training is available as a custom workshop designed specifically for your team. We'll work with you to create a personalized learning experience that fits your schedule, addresses your specific challenges, and aligns with your organizational goals.
Request this training
Philip Rogowski
Customer Success Manager
team@agile-academy.com +49 151 610 59 938 Mo-Fri.: 9am - 5pmAgenda: Understanding Design Thinking (Level 1)
Through guided exercises and a real-world design challenge, this training helps you understand and apply the full Design Thinking process. You'll build empathy for users, define better problem statements, ideate creative solutions, and test prototypes rapidly.
1. Introduction to Design Thinking
Explore the origins, evolution, and core principles of Design Thinking. Understand how it drives innovation by combining empathy, creativity, and iteration. You'll reflect on the mindset shift required and how agile values such as curiosity, collaboration, and experimentation play a central role.
2. The Design Thinking Process
Get a practical overview of the five key phases: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Learn how the process is non-linear and iterative, allowing for continuous improvement. We'll introduce the full design challenge that participants will work through across the three days.
3. Empathy & User Research
Learn how to build a deep understanding of user needs through observation, interviews, and surveys. Participate in a hands-on empathy mapping exercise to capture emotions, thoughts, and pain points. You'll also explore how to uncover key insights and identify patterns that matter — while avoiding common biases in user research.
4. Defining the Problem
Learn to transform user insights into clear, actionable problem statements. You'll practice reframing problems to discover hidden opportunities for innovation. Through interactive group work, you'll prioritize problems based on user value and feasibility, setting the stage for successful ideation.
5. Creative Ideation Techniques
Explore how to facilitate and participate in ideation sessions that promote psychological safety and creative confidence. In our Ideation Workshop, you'll try out techniques like SCAMPER, Brain Writing, Design Constraints, and Visual Rapid Prototyping to generate a wide variety of ideas — and learn how to identify those most worth prototyping.
6. Prototyping & Testing
Translate your ideas into tangible prototypes quickly and cost-effectively. You'll build low-fidelity prototypes using materials like paper, LEGO, cardboard, or simple digital tools. We'll simulate user testing sessions where you'll practice hypothesis-driven experimentation, gather real-time feedback, and iterate on your designs to improve them.
7. Full Design Challenge Simulation
Throughout the training, you'll work in teams on a real-world design challenge, moving through all phases of Design Thinking. This end-to-end simulation helps you apply the concepts in context and reflect on how to bring Design Thinking into your own work environment.
Bring Your Own Ideas & Questions
We encourage participants to bring their questions to the training. Any question and real-world example from your side will make everything you and others learn more tangible. It will also result in more energy throughout the training which is connected to better learning.
Your Certification
Design Thinking Level 1
(DT 1)
- Certified by Agile Academy
- Lifetime validity
No hidden costs - Live training with simulation exercises
- Human-centered, iterative, and collaborative
- Short quiz and participation certificate
Level 2 Training: Apply
This advanced Design Thinking course empowers participants to apply the process to real-world challenges. With a focus on iterative learning, deeper empathy, and impactful facilitation, this course prepares you to use Design Thinking confidently in product, service, and organizational settings.
Ideal for facilitators, product teams, innovation leads, and anyone ready to take their Design Thinking practice to the next level.
1. Applying Design Thinking in Context
Understand how to adapt Design Thinking across different use cases — from product development to service design and change initiatives.
Learn how to flex the process based on constraints and integrate it into existing team or project workflows.
2. Advanced Empathy Techniques
Practice deeper user research: shadowing, journey mapping, personas, and more.
Identify and manage bias in research, and use empathy to align and engage stakeholders.
3. Prototyping for Validation
Create and iterate higher-fidelity prototypes — from digital wireframes to business models and service blueprints.
Use prototypes to learn, test assumptions, and sell ideas internally or externally.
4. Facilitating Design Thinking Sessions
Learn how to plan and run Design Thinking workshops that encourage collaboration and creativity.
Handle tough dynamics, create safe environments, and build momentum across teams.
5. Measuring Impact
Define meaningful outcomes and track the impact of your Design Thinking initiatives.
Communicate value to stakeholders and embed a culture of continuous learning and experimentation.
Bring Your Own Ideas & Questions
We encourage participants to bring their questions to the training. Any question and real-world example from your side will make everything you and others learn more tangible. It will also result in more energy throughout the training which is connected to better learning.
Your Certification
Design Thinking Practitioner
(DT 2)
- Certified by Agile Academy
- Lifetime validity
No hidden costs - Via 3-day training or in-house workshop
- Hands-on, challenge-based, learner-led
- No formal exam – certification via participation and collaboration
Level 3 Training: Teach
Deepen your expertise and prepare to guide others. You'll explore advanced practices, leadership topics, and ways to foster learning in your team or organization. A detailed agenda will follow.
- Do you need a custom quote?
- You are wondering which course is right for you?
- Do you have questions about our courses and certifications?
Feel free to contact us with your concerns and we will find a solution.
What you'll get on top of your live training
Lifetime Access to the
One online course of your choice
- 24+ hours of video content, exercises, and exclusive materials
- Self-paced learning to revisit complex topics anytime
- Complements live training for a complete understanding of Scrum
1-Year Access to
All Agile Academy Online Courses
- Full library access to 9 courses
- Access the Agile Academy Community
- Learn advanced topics to broaden your skillset
Lifetime Access to the
Agile Academy Community
- Exchange ideas with other participants and trainers
- Receive help and support from experienced Agile professionals
- Expand your network and make new connections
1-Year Unlimited Access to
Henrik The AI Agile Coach
- Your personal Agile assistant, available 24/7
- Get tailored advice, instant answers, and additional resources
- Always have expert guidance at your fingertips
FAQ about Design Thinking Training
This course is ideal for anyone involved in product development, innovation, UX, service design, or business strategy — especially those looking for a more user-centered, creative approach to solving problems.
No prior experience is required. The training is designed for beginners and uses intuitive tools and exercises accessible to all participants.
It's a 3-day live training with expert facilitation, small-group collaboration, and hands-on simulations. Activities are interactive and designed to encourage learning by doing.
Yes. Upon completion, you'll receive the Design Thinking Level 1 certificate issued by Agile Academy. It's valid for life and recognized across industries.
No. Design Thinking is a flexible, tool-agnostic methodology. You'll use simple materials and digital boards, but the focus is on mindsets, methods, and collaboration — not software.
- If you value practical application and want flexibility between e-learning and live training, Certified by Agile Academy is ideal.
- If you want to focus purely on the Scrum framework, Scrum Alliance could be an option. However, be aware of the ongoing recertification costs.
- If you just want to take an exam and are willing to pay the exam fees, then Scrum.org is an alternative.
- Lifetime Validity: You never need to renew your certificate or pay additional fees.
- Holistic Approach: Beyond Scrum, Agile Academy covers topics crucial for modern work practices, such as:
- OKRs (Objectives and Key Results): Goal management for teams.
- Psychological Safety: Creating a safe work environment.
- Leadership Development: Leadership skills for Agile teams.
- Our approach makes you a comprehensively trained agilist – far beyond the basics.
- Practice-Oriented: The focus is on applying what you learn directly. Our exams and assignments are designed to test and promote your practical skills – ideal for real project environments.
- Flexible Learning: Choose between e-learning and live training, depending on what better fits your schedule.
- Free Retakes: You can retake the exam as many times as needed at no additional cost.
- No Hidden Costs: Unlike ScrumAlliance or Scrum.org, we have no ongoing fees or expensive exam attempts.
- Broader Range of Topics: We go well beyond Scrum and cover modern, practice-relevant topics like OKRs, Psychological Safety, and Leadership Development.
- Practice-Oriented Certificates: Our certificates reflect your actual abilities, not just passing an exam. The goal is for you to apply your knowledge directly in real projects.
- Lifetime Validity: Through our lifetime certification, you save considerable time and money in the long run.
- Modern Learning Formats: Agile Academy offers you the flexibility to choose between live training and e-learning to optimally support your personal learning style.
Yes! Unlike many other certification bodies, Agile Academy doesn't force you to attend live training. You can prepare flexibly and independently through e-learning. However, live training is available if you prefer personal interaction.
The "Certified by Agile Academy" credential was launched in 2024. Our goal is to make this certification the new standard in the agile world – with a strong focus on quality, practical relevance, and the requirements of modern organizations.
Agile Academy itself is already a recognized name in the DACH region: We have been working successfully with many large, well-known as well as small companies for years. With our extensive experience and excellent reputation, we are among the top providers for agile training. You can be confident that our certificates are designed for quality and practical relevance – exactly what modern organizations are looking for.
We work with these and many other clients:
Certification for Teams & Companies
Design Thinking Training as In-house Training
Opting for an in-house Design Thinking course, especially for groups of 8 or more, offers distinct advantages. Training can be customized to fit your organization's needs, promoting team alignment and practical application. An in-house training provides a private setting for open discussions about challenges your organization is facing.
In-house training is typically more cost-effective per employee than public courses, while also saving on external expenses e.g. travel and accommodation. Additionally, these in-house courses can be certified by Agile Academy, adding value to your team's professional development.
In summary, in-house courses offer beneficial customization, confidentiality, cost savings and - if needed - recognized certification.
Design Thinking Training with Volume Discount
Agile Academy offers volume discounts in public Design Thinking training which allow our clients to achieve significant cost savings. When multiple team members enroll (minimum 3), volume discounts are applied, making large-scale training more economical.
Compared to an in-house training these discounts come with flexibility. Team members can choose different training dates to suit their schedules, maintaining business continuity.
In essence, volume discounts offer a more cost-efficient solution for quality Design Thinking training, blending substantial savings with scheduling convenience, making it an attractive choice for organizations striving to enable their teams in innovative problem-solving.
Contact us with your special requirements and we are sure to offer you a custom, tailor-made solution for your training needs.
Philip Rogowski
Customer Success Manager
team@agile-academy.com +49 151 610 59 938 Mo-Fri.: 9am - 5pm