Live Courses | Exploration
DESIGNING STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS
Impacting Systemic Change: Evaluating complex environments for better outcomes.
From health care to retail, design is expanding to complex systems of people, environments, processes and tools. In Designing Structures & Systems you will learn tools and methods to holistically understand a system and its intricacies and identify opportunities to create a more idealized future state.
Who should take this course?
Early to Mid-Level Researchers
Grow your ability to turn synthesized data into compelling narratives that speak to broader audiences and more effectively drive change on teams.
Product Designers
Develop a deeper understanding of user needs and behaviors, create more informed and innovative design solutions, and communicate their insights compellingly to stakeholders
Product Managers
Enhance your capacity to understand user needs, guide the development of user-centered products, communicate effectively with design and development teams
Course Summary
Learn to analyze and improve complex systems by mapping experiences, identifying opportunities, and designing better interactions.
Key Details
Format: Live instruction from AC4D faculty, including office hours
Schedule: Mondays & Wednesdays, 7-9 PM CST
Duration: 10 weeks
Tuition: $4,000 $2,550
Location: Remote
Upcoming Courses
📆 August 25, 2025
📌 Enrollments close approximately two weeks before each course begins.
This course will enable you to:
Visualize the way a person experiences a product, system, or service
Identify and highlight opportunities to improve existing design/person touchpoints
Propose improvements or innovations in experiences through the use of stories and narrative
Sketch new ideas and describe the value of these new ideas
Propose ideas in a persuasive and highly visual manner
Curriculum
Week 1: Introduction to Experience & Service Slices
Week 2: Journey Mapping
Week 3: Systems Thinking & Critique
Week 4: Service Slices Presentation
Week 5: Working Session
Week 6: Presenting Complex Artifacts
Week 7: Experience Vision
Week 8: Scenarios, Storyboards, Vignettes & Value Promise
Week 9: Design Criteria
Week 10: Final Presentations & Critique