Book SummaryDesign Thinking for Training and Development, by Sharon Boller and Laura Fletcher

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Design Thinking for Training and Development

In Design Thinking for Training and Development, Sharon Boller and Laura Fletcher argue that design thinking is a powerful tool for creating effective learning experiences. They explain that design thinking is a human-centered approach to problem-solving that prioritizes the needs of learners and the goals of organizations. By applying design thinking principles to training and development, you can create learning solutions that are engaging, relevant, and impactful.

Boller and Fletcher are learning and development professionals...

Design Thinking for Training and Development Summary Core Principles of Design Thinking for Learning

According to Boller and Fletcher, design thinking for learning rests on four core principles. The first is to view the learning process as a progression. The second is to gain insight. The third is to harmonize learner and business needs. The fourth is to fail quickly to succeed sooner.

(Shortform note: In The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge argues that organizations must become “learning organizations” to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing world. He identifies five disciplines that are essential for organizational learning: systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, and team learning.)

Now, let's explore the foundations of human-centered learning creation and why prioritizing participants and results for organizations is important. We will also explore the journey of learning framework.

Foundations of Human-Centered Learning Design

Why Prioritize Trainees and Outcomes for the Organization?

As mentioned earlier, design thinking prioritizes individuals and business outcomes. Boller and Fletcher explain that it’s a method for addressing problems that begins by centering on people...

Design Thinking for Training and Development Summary Applying Design Thinking to Training

Now, let's explore the two main stages of implementing design thinking for training: understanding learners and defining performance challenges, and building, testing, and implementing learning solutions.

Understanding Learners and Describing Performance Challenges

To understand learners and define performance challenges, Boller and Fletcher suggest using strategy blueprints and mapping stakeholders. Stakeholder mapping is a method to illustrate everyone impacted by an issue, including their roles. A strategic outline is a resource for planning the educational experience you aim to create. Stakeholder mapping helps you identify whose viewpoints you must fully understand to comprehend the challenges that your training solution addresses. A strategy blueprint helps you revise the initial problem statement. It helps you distinguish the client's initial solution from the actual issues that require solving.

(Shortform note: Stakeholder mapping and a strategy blueprint can be useful tools for defining performance challenges, but they also carry risks. If powerful voices dominate the process, the “actual issues that require solving” may be defined in ways that ignore or even harm...

Shortform Exercise: Understanding Learner-Centered Design Thinking

Reflect on the importance of focusing on learners and balancing their needs with organizational goals in the design thinking process for training and development.

Why is it essential to prioritize learners over business goals when designing a training program?