Going to the d.school (not really)!

The d.school at Stanford University gives unique opportunities to graduate students from all disciplines to learn how to apply design principles to whatever endeavor you're in. This is a great opportunity for anyone's  career to get them to be more innovative as well as more collaborative. The bad news is you have to be a grad student at Stanford, which isn't going to happen for (most) everyone. The good news is that anyone can benefit from their methodology by starting at the d.school website. Like all truly great things, the d.school gives you things for free. Scratch. Nada.

First up - The d. manifesto



You'll see that these themes run throughout most of everything they publish. They really nail what they're all about, and help you understand what and how you'll be learning.

Next head over to the Use Our Methods page and download The Bootcamp Bootleg pdf they offer. This covers the basics of Design Thinking and the d.schools overall methodology. Check out the Mix Tapes as well. Theres even a 90 minute video and printable exercises to be used in a team situation to really get the feel of the lessons.

One of the best things they provide is a reading list which helps contextualize what they teach. Most of the books should be easy to find for free at your local library. If not check your local used books store or Amazon. First up for me is Making Space - How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration.