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Apply Design Thinking for Product Innovation* (24 HOURS)

*This is a non-WSQ module.
Apply Design Thinking for Product Innovation
Use Your SkillsFuture Credit Before It Expires! 

Tap on your $500 SkillsFuture Credit (which expires in December 2025) to offset our course fees! Whether you're upskilling for a career switch or looking to enhance your current expertise, make full use of this credit before it expires and invest in your professional growth today.

"Apply Design Thinking for Product Innovation" is created in collaboration between A*STAR SIMTech and PALO IT, a renowned digital technology & innovation consultancy headquartered in France.

A*STAR Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) and PALO IT have jointly developed a unique and immersive “Apply Design Thinking for Product Innovation” course that covers in-depth the essential design thinking elements of discovery, synthesis, ideation, prototyping and validation. Participants will learn and apply design thinking principles in the form of hands-on prototyping activities within SIMTech’s experimental labs. This 24-hour course serves as an intermediate level entry into the design thinking space.

COURSE INTRODUCTION

Design thinking as a methodology and its application in the form of state-of-the-art product prototyping techniques can save vast amounts of investment when exploring new ideas in the fields of product innovation. The process of design thinking is green and sustainable, as an emphasis on the prototyping and user-validation stages ensure that the products generated will have market traction. Participants can expect dynamic, engaging and insightful sessions full of real-world case studies led by certified Design Thinking coaches and UI/UX (User Interface/User Experience) designers. Participants will learn how to generate an innovative, consumer-oriented strategy that minimises the risk of bringing a new product to market by developing deep insights and rapid prototyping skills through a 5-step methodology of:

  • EMPATHISE
  • DEFINE
  • IDEATE
  • PROTOTYPE
  • TEST

Participants will learn to use software to model the product concepts and use a 3D printer to create prototypes. They will also learn about product engineering requirements and Design for Manufacturing & Assembly (DfMA).

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

  • All Industries which relate to new product design/development or service design/development
  • Individuals with prior design thinking knowledge seeking skills improvement and knowledge enhancement in the fields of design thinking, product design and innovation
  • Product Engineers / Product Managers
  • Mid-career switchers

Course Outline

Course Outline

The programme employs the Learn-Practise-Implement™ (LPI™) pedagogy, where fundamental knowledge and principles taught will be reinforced with hands-on practices.

Key focus areas or applications:

  • EMPATHISE: Utilising techniques such as user interviews to understand challenges from the lens of user
  • DEFINE: Defining the challenge at hand through the creation of user personas
  • IDEATE: Brainstorming of strategies and solutions to address the challenges that the users face
  • PROTOTYPE: Creating demonstrable solutions through sketching/wireframing/simulation
  • TEST: Bringing the prototyped solutions back to the user to begin the iterative cycle of improvement and enhancement

Upon Completion of This Course

UPON COMPLETION OF THIS COURSE

Participants will be awarded with a Certificate of Attendance (COA) by SIMTech and/or ARTC if they meet the following criteria:

  • Achieve at least 75% course attendance;
  • Take all assessments; and
  • Pass the course.

Note: Trainees will have to bear the full courses fee upon failure to meet either one of the criteria.

Pre-Requisites, Full and Nett Course Fees

Pre-Requisites

  • Applicants should possess a degree in any discipline or a diploma with a minimum of 3 years of related working experience.
  • Applicants who do not have the required academic qualifications are still welcome to apply, but shortlisted candidates may be required to attend an interview for special approval.
  • Proficiency in written and spoken English.

Full Course fee

The full course fee for this course is $2,400 before funding and prevailing GST.

Nett Course Fee

International
Participants		Singapore Citizens aged 39 years and below, Singapore Permanent Residents and LTVP+ HoldersEmployer-sponsored and self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 40 years and above
(MCES) ²		SME-sponsored local employees (i.e Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and LTVP+ Holders) (ETSS) ¹
$2,616
$784.80$304.80$304.80
All fees are inclusive of GST 9%.
Please note that fees and funding amount are subject to change.

LONG TERM VISIT PASS PLUS (LTVP+) HOLDERS

  • The LTVP+ scheme applies to lawful foreign spouses of Singapore Citizens with (i) at least one Singapore Citizen child or are expecting one from the marriage, or at least three years of marriage, and (ii) where the Singapore Citizen sponsor is able to support the family.
  •  All LTVP+ holders can be identified with their green visit pass cards, with the word ‘PLUS’ printed on the back of the card.

ENHANCED TRAINING SUPPORT FOR SMALL & MEDIUM ENTERPRISE (SMEs) SCHEME (ETSS)

SMEs that meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

  • Registered or incorporated in Singapore
  • Employment size of not more than 200 or with annual sales turnover of not more than $100 million

SME-sponsored Trainees:

  • Must be Singapore Citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents.
  • Courses have to be fully paid for by the employer.
  • Trainee is not a full-time national serviceman. 

Further Info: This scheme is intended for all organisations, including non-business entities not registered with ACRA e.g. VWOs, societies, etc. Only ministries, statutory boards, and other government agencies are NOT eligible under Enhanced Training Support for SMEs Scheme. Sole proprietorships which meet all of the above criteria are also eligible.

SKILLSFUTURE MID-CAREER ENHANCED SUBSIDY (MCES)

SkillsFuture Credit

For more information on the SkillsFuture funding schemes you are eligible for, please visit www.skillsfuture.gov.sg

How course fees are calculated

TYPECATEGORY OF INDIVIDUALS
International ParticipantsSingapore Citizens aged 39 years and below, Singapore Permanent Residents and LTVP+ Holders Employer-sponsored and self-sponsored Singapore Citizens aged 40 years and above SME-sponsored local employees (i.e Singapore Citizens, Singapore Permanent Residents and LTVP+ Holders)
 FUNDING SOURCE
Not applicable for SkillsFuture Funding SkillsFuture Funding (Baseline) SkillsFuture Mid-career Enhanced Subsidy (MCES) ² SkillsFuture Enhanced Training Support for SMEs (ETSS) ¹
Full Course Fee$2,400$2,400 $2,400$2,400
SkillsFuture FundingNot Applicable ($1,680)($2,160)($2,160)
Nett Course Fee$2,400$720$240$240
GST 9%
$216 $64.80* $64.80* $64.80*
Total Nett Course Fee Payable to Training Provider$2,616 $784.80 $304.80$304.80
* Based on 30% of Full Course Fee

About the trainers

Ms Li Wei Wei

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Ms Wei Wei is a UX Designer at PALO IT Singapore. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the National University of Singapore with a Minor in Technopreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. Weiwei believes that technology is a great enabler and people from all backgrounds can leverage it to live a better and more fulfilling life. For the past 5 years, she has helped many organisations to do just that, by deeply understanding user behaviour and needs. As a UX consultant, Weiwei is capable of looking at the big picture strategically while handling the details at a tactical level and has extensive experience as a coach and facilitator for Design Thinking workshops.

Mr Dwayne Wang

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Mr Dwayne is a Business Innovation Manager at Palo IT Singapore. He obtained his M.S.E from Princeton University, USA. Through his background in chemical engineering, Dwayne has a keen intuition for systems-level thinking. This is applied through the identification of solutions to address pain points in the enablement of organisations, strategies and mindsets. As a professionally-certified facilitator with experience in management consultancy and strategic planning, he believes in the power of collective wisdom, clear communication and ego-less interactions. ​Dwayne plays a unique role at PALO IT – namely the combination of sales/account management as well as facilitation and innovation coaching.

Dr Wang Zhenfeng

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Dr Wang is a Principal Scientist with SIMTech’s Microfluidics and MedTech Devices (MMD) Group. He has completed many research projects relating to Lab-on-a-Chip product development. Dr Wang obtained his PhD in Microelectronics from the Tsinghua University, China.

Ms Jasmine Zeng

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Ms Jasmine is a Lead Research Engineer with SIMTech. She obtained her B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in design, from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and an M.Sc. in Materials Science and Engineering from the National University of Singapore. Her research work involves the design and development of medical diagnostic products based on microfluidic technologies, and she maintains the ISO13485 certification for the research group.

Contact Us

  • For technical enquiries, please contact:

Dr WANG Zhenfeng,
Email: zfwang@SIMTech.a-star.edu.sg

  • For general enquiries, please contact:

Registration

Sign up now
  • Please register for this course through our online form: Course Registration Form for Public Classes.
  • For the first question, please select "Modular Programmes (Standalone Modules)".
  • Applicants will be placed on our waiting list if the course does not have an upcoming scheduled intake.
  • When the next intake is confirmed, a confirmation email with payment information will be sent to applicants to finalise their participation.

Schedule

Module 		Skills Course Reference Number Next Intake(s)'s Training Period
(Click on the dates to view its schedules)
Registration Status
  • Apply Design Thinking for Product Innovation (24 hours)
TGS-2021010205The next intake's schedule is still in the planning stage. 

Note: SIMTech and ARTC reserve the right to change the class/schedule/course fee or any details about the course without prior notice to the participants.

Announcement:

  • From 1 Oct 2023, attendance-taking for SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG)'s funded courses must be done digitally via the Singpass App. More information may be viewed here.
  • Participants will be provided with digital course materials when attending our courses. Please note that printed copies will not be available.
Sessions
FD: Full day
AM: Morning
PM: Afternoon
EVE: Evening

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