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The Transformation Design Program

Part-time, 6 months, virtual. Hands-on and project-based. The skills and experience needed to create and redesign complex systems with a human-centered lens.

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Making radical improvement possible

Approach Ambiguity With Clarity

Transformation design brings together the strategic elements that keep us connected to building something that is desirable, feasible, and viable.

The Transformation Designer is transdisciplinary, sees the connections between the parts, and always designs for evolving circumstances.

Who is Transformation Design for?

Only for Those Ready to Take Action

For Designers, ready to level up

For those currently in design and hungry for more. More capabilities, more influence, more impact.

There is a deep set of patterns that designers can learn to respond to any kind of challenge and be competent in multiple situations. We work around the science angle of design and being good at discovery so that we create things that work, feel good, and look nice.

For Leaders, navigating change

This program is ideal for a leader in an organization who wants to build the skills that allow them to change the way the organization operates or is structured.

We emphasize the challenges of adoption by looking at the nature of patterns and conditions that resist innovation (e.g., the 'dark matter' within organizations).

For Builders, of companies and products

Build a company, product, or service that is not only great, but actually adopted by those that need it. Those two essential elements do not inherently go hand-in-hand. Ensure that they do. 

For the Activists, and the Aspiring

The program is for those of you aiming to resolve large, complex societal challenges like homelessness, healthcare provision, and climate-related challenges.

Learn to apply deep design and discovery principles to complex challenges to generate meaningful improvement

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learn through the design challenges you take on

Each week brings fresh theoretical concepts, practical applications, and hands-on exercises.

This hands-on and project-based program builds a foundation of the skills and experience necessary to take the transformational approach to large and small challenges alike. It pulls together skills and diverse design perspectives as well as the fundamental MetaSkills of critical thinking, systems thinking and complexity, creative thinking, computational thinking, prosocial collaboration, and human behaviour among others.

The Transformation Design program develops designers who examine and understand challenges holistically and dynamically, maintain the strategic connection between the overall desired success and any technical design tactics that are deployed, and steward successful prototypes as they move to implementation at scale.

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Next cohort intake starting soon

6 months, Part-time

Two weekly virtual sessions

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6pm - 9pm

144 hours total instructional time

$9,000 CAD

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What you'll get out of the  Transformation Design program

Participants will come out of this program with the ability to apply deep design and discovery principles to a variety of complex challenges and opportunities to generate meaningful improvement in their products, teams, and organizations.

  • Understand how design works at the strategic level as well as at the more tactical discipline level, and the important connections between them. 
  • Know how to apply knowledge of human nature and change theory to produce desirable shifts in behaviour. 
  • Communicate your ideas with conviction and clarity. 
  • Develop several approaches for successfully collaborating in teams, including participatory design methods where non-designers are part of the design process.
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Design your future – Take the first step, today.

Our next cohort will be starting soon! 

Get on the intake list

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Our Transformational Design Team

Designing to Your Success

Greg Hart
Greg Hart

Co-founder and Design Facilitator

Chris Caldwell Headshot
Chris Caldwell

Design Facilitator

Ashlyn
Ashlyn Knox

Design Facilitator

Devon Hamilton
Devon Hamilton

Design Facilitator

Margo Purcell
Margo Purcell

Co-founder and CEO

FAQs

Your questions, answered.

Who should take Transformation Design?
  • Leaders and managers who want to gain the capability to create transformative change inside and outside their organizations, particularly in complex environments.
  • Design professionals (e.g., engineers, architects, product designers, graphic designers) who want to expand their horizontal design skills and work in a transdisciplinary way with other designers and non-designers to better address complex and wicked challenges.
  • People who want to focus on the design competencies that aren’t vulnerable to automation and outsourcing, while working effectively with emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence.
What design perspectives are incorporated into the program?

This hands-on and project-based program builds a foundation of the skills and experience necessary to take the transformational approach to large and small challenges alike pulling together skills and perspectives as diverse as:

  • Urban design

  • Service design

  • User-centered design

  • Participatory design

  • Concept design

  • Information design

  • Industrial design

  • Graphic design

  • Motion design

  • Systems design

  • Interactive design

  • Experience design

What do you mean when you mention MetaSkills? What are they and how will they help me?

Tools don't solve problems. People do. Innovation and building better is a people- centric activity. This means that our ability to use our MetaSkills - critical thinking, systems thinking, creative thinking, computational thinking, design and collaborative skills - are timeless competencies that are central to our future success. And to be clear, this is not just your career; these cognitive and interpersonal skills have impacts across all aspects of your life.

What is InceptionU’s philosophy on learning?

At InceptionU, we believe that humans learn by doing. We've built experiential programs that are active, discovery driven, immersive, to build core competencies (both technical and non-technical) and challenging all in a supportive environment.

Is InceptionU an accredited education institution?

Fortunately, we are not! This allows us to be agile and adaptable with our curriculum as technology evolves. We consult with industry partners to design and develop curriculum that aligns with industry trends and workforce needs. Read more on our perspectives around credentialing in this blog post.

How much time outside of the classroom should I expect to dedicate to the program?

The short answer is it depends on your level of experience. Beyond the 6 hours per week of synchronous sessions with facilitators, you should allocate around 3-5 hours to consume additional content and materials, and work on projects.

Will I be required to do any preparation prior to the start of the program?

Not necessarily. Depending on your level of background and experience coming into the program, you may benefit from doing some pre-work to set yourself up for success. During the registration process we will provide additional information on how to best prepare.

Will I get a certification?

No. InceptionU emphasizes genuine learning over certification. We can confidently tell you that our programs will lead to meaningful career opportunities. InceptionU will provide you with the technical skills and MetaSkills, like critical thinking and design thinking, that you need to succeed in your future career.

Does InceptionU provide networking opportunities?

Yes! InceptionU connects our learners in a number of ways. Our alumni bring real-life experience from a variety of industries, our programs and curriculum are often based on real-world examples, and we maintain strong relationships with our business partners providing a two-way exchange of talent ideas, and challenges/opportunities.

See all FAQs

Curious? No Obligations, Just Answers

Understand anything. Improve everything.

Connect with us to get future-ready
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