Mission Led Innovation: Designing a Sustainable Future

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Mission Led Innovation: Designing a Sustainable Future

Instructor: Nick de Leon

Included with

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9 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

No prior experience required

3 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

9 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

No prior experience required

3 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

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There are 9 modules in this course

Welcome to Mission Led Innovation, a course designed to expand your ability to create impactful, future‑focused solutions to today’s most urgent environmental and societal challenges. Developed by leading academics and practitioners from Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art, and produced by Imperial's Learning Experience Futures team and Digital Media Lab, this course brings together world‑class expertise in design, technology, and enterprise. You will explore the principles, processes, and tools of interdisciplinary, Mission Led Innovation, and apply these new approaches to research, design, prototype, and deliver scalable solutions for people, planet, and nature.

What's included

2 videos7 readings

What's included

1 video9 readings2 discussion prompts

1 video Total 10 minutes

The Six Stages of Innovation 10 minutes

9 readings Total 90 minutes

Unit 1: Overall Process 10 minutes
Description and Learning Outcomes 10 minutes
Case-study: Loowatt 10 minutes
The Six Stages of Innovation 10 minutes
Match the phase with its characteristic 10 minutes
Empathy is at the Core of Mission Led Innovation 10 minutes
Unit 1 Takeaways 10 minutes
Preparing for Unit 2... 10 minutes
Unit 1 References 10 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 20 minutes

How do your powers of observation, deduction and creative intuition compare? 10 minutes
Sustainable Development Goal Discussion 10 minutes

What's included

4 videos22 readings1 discussion prompt

4 videos Total 22 minutes

The Bridge Lecture 4 minutes
Frameworks and Tools 5 minutes
Interview with Joachin Horn 9 minutes
Defining the Scope 3 minutes

22 readings Total 220 minutes

Unit 2: Define the Scope 10 minutes
Description and Learning Outcomes 10 minutes
Design a Bridge 10 minutes
Design a Bridge Solutions 10 minutes
Hitch-Hiking Ideas 10 minutes
Who are we designing for and why? 10 minutes
Conclusion 10 minutes
Identifying a Problem Worth Solving 10 minutes
Self-Directed Projects - How do I get Started? 10 minutes
A Case Study of a Self-Directed Project: Innovating Water 10 minutes
Tools Introduction 10 minutes
Global Shifts Tool 10 minutes
PESTEL Analysis 10 minutes
Test your Understanding of the PESTEL Analysis Tool 10 minutes
Research Canvas 10 minutes
Getting the Scope of the Project Right 10 minutes
Scoping Statement Tool 10 minutes
Scoping Statement Template Example 10 minutes
Applying to your Own Self-Directed Project 10 minutes
Outcomes of the Scoping Phase 10 minutes
Unit 2 Takeaways 10 minutes
Preparing for Unit 3... 10 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Reflection 10 minutes

What's included

5 videos19 readings2 discussion prompts

5 videos Total 39 minutes

Research Methods 9 minutes
Using Personas 7 minutes
Journey Mapping 7 minutes
Stakeholder Analysis 4 minutes
Interview with Yusuf Muhammad, Founder of of Plumis 12 minutes

19 readings Total 190 minutes

Unit 3: Understand 10 minutes
Description and Learning Outcomes 10 minutes
The Understand Phase 10 minutes
Innovating Water: Case Study to Illustrate the Understand Phase 10 minutes
Understanding People and Their Context (for review) 10 minutes
Loowatt Case Study 10 minutes
Create a Persona 10 minutes
Journey Mapping 10 minutes
Plot a User Journey 10 minutes
Stakeholder Analysis 10 minutes
Stakeholder Analysis Mapping 10 minutes
Ways to Categorise and Group Stakeholders 10 minutes
Create your own Stakeholder Map 10 minutes
Re-examining the Loowatt Case Study 10 minutes
Mapping the System 10 minutes
Applying the Tools to Your Self-Directed Project 10 minutes
Introducing an Empathetic Innovator 10 minutes
Unit 3 Takeaways 10 minutes
Preparing for Unit 4... 10 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 20 minutes

Relfection 10 minutes
Reflection on the Understand Phase 10 minutes

What's included

3 videos20 readings1 assignment

3 videos Total 40 minutes

Interview with Daniel Becerra 14 minutes
Interview with Matthew Holloway, Formerly CEO of Q-Bot 13 minutes
How to Apply all of These Tools 12 minutes

20 readings Total 200 minutes

Unit 4: Introduction to Focus Phase 10 minutes
Description and Learning Outcomes 10 minutes
Buffalo Grid Case Study 10 minutes
Introducing an Empathetic Innovator 10 minutes
Jobs to be Done 10 minutes
Step 1. Identify the Target Users 10 minutes
Step 2. Focus on the Jobs They Want to Do 10 minutes
Step 3. Framing the Problem and Seeing the Challenges as Opportunities 10 minutes
Step 4: Mission Statement 10 minutes
Share Your Project 10 minutes
Theory of Change 10 minutes
Theory of Change Tool 10 minutes
Step 5: The Design Brief 10 minutes
The Design Brief Case Study: Q-Bot 10 minutes
Introduction to an Empathetic Innovator 10 minutes
How to Apply all of These Tools 10 minutes
Applying the Learning to Your Self-Directed Project 10 minutes
Reflection 10 minutes
Unit 4 Takeaways 10 minutes
Preparing for Unit 5... 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 20 minutes

How to Apply all of These Tools Knowledge Check 20 minutes

What's included

6 videos24 readings

6 videos Total 43 minutes

Introduction to the Ideation Activity 8 minutes
3. Brainstorming 5 minutes
4. Co-creating or 'serious play' 5 minutes
5. Parallel Worlds 5 minutes
6. Headline Writing and Backcasting 6 minutes
Interview with Professor Adam Sutcliffe 14 minutes

24 readings Total 240 minutes

Unit 5: Introduction to Ideate Phase 10 minutes
Description and Learning Outcomes 10 minutes
Creating the Right Conditions for Ideation 10 minutes
Introduction to the Techniques 10 minutes
1. Alternative Worlds 10 minutes
2. Crazy 8s 10 minutes
3. Brainstorming - Activity 10 minutes
4. Co-creating or 'serious play' - Reflection 10 minutes
5. Parallel Worlds - Reflection 10 minutes
6. Headline Writing and Backcasting - Reflection 10 minutes
Organising and Selecting the Best Ideas 10 minutes
Idea Voting 10 minutes
New customer or User experience 10 minutes
Translating the Concept into a Potential Solution 10 minutes
Storyboarding 10 minutes
Wireframes 10 minutes
Prototype and test 10 minutes
Body-storming 10 minutes
Minimum Level of Prototyping 10 minutes
From Concept to Proposition 10 minutes
Concept Capture 10 minutes
Applying the Learning to your Own Self-Directed Project 10 minutes
Introduction with an Empathetic Innovator 10 minutes
Unit 5 takeaways 10 minutes

What's included

4 videos12 readings1 discussion prompt

4 videos Total 40 minutes

Prototyping and Testing 11 minutes
Interview with Virginia Gardiner, Founder and CEO of Loowatt 14 minutes
Value Proposition 5 minutes
Business Model Innovation 10 minutes

12 readings Total 120 minutes

Unit 6: Introduction to the Refine Phase 10 minutes
Description and Learning Outcomes 10 minutes
Importance of Prototyping 10 minutes
Mitigating Risk and Learning 10 minutes
What Should I Be Testing? 10 minutes
Introduction to an Empathetic Innovator 10 minutes
Value Proposition 10 minutes
Value Proposition Template 10 minutes
Designing the Business Model 10 minutes
Understanding the Business Model Canvas 10 minutes
Applying the Tools to your own Self-Directed Project 10 minutes
Unit 6 takeaways 10 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Reflection 10 minutes

What's included

4 videos25 readings

4 videos Total 29 minutes

Blueprinting 5 minutes
Case Study: Ananas Anam and its founder Dr Carmen Hijosa 2 minutes
Interview with Carmen Hijosa 15 minutes
Building a New Business Venture 7 minutes

25 readings Total 250 minutes

Unit 7: Introduction to Implement Phase 10 minutes
Description and Learning Outcomes 10 minutes
Introduction to Blueprinting Part 1: Delivering the Proposition 10 minutes
What are Blueprints and how do you create one? 10 minutes
Examples and blueprints 10 minutes
Summarising blueprinting 10 minutes
How to Decide on the Best Business Plan Model 10 minutes
What's the optimal type of business to deliver this solution? 10 minutes
So what could possibly go wrong? 10 minutes
Moving from prototype to pilots 10 minutes
And then you need to consider how to scale up your solution. 10 minutes
Developing your business plan 10 minutes
Case Study: Ananas Anam and its founder Dr Carmen Hijosa 10 minutes
Learn more about Ananas Anam 10 minutes
Interview with Carmen Hijosa 10 minutes
Venture Building 10 minutes
Creating the Management and Organisational Structure 10 minutes
1. Building the Implementation Team 10 minutes
2. Developing a Deployment Plan 10 minutes
3. Evolving the solution 10 minutes
4. Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IOT) 10 minutes
Summary of Management and Organisational Structure 10 minutes
Why do I need to write a business plan? 10 minutes
Summary of the Business Planning Section 10 minutes
Unit 7 Takeaways 10 minutes

What's included

1 video4 readings1 assignment

Instructor

Nick de Leon

Imperial College London

1 Course 33 learners

Offered by

Imperial College London

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