Great learning experiences rarely begin with content. They begin with curiosity, smart questions, and a willingness to test ideas before investing in a full build.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore how selected Design Thinking methods can strengthen training design by bringing more action, experimentation, and learner insight into the early stages of a project. Design Thinking is especially useful because it moves teams beyond discussion and into doing: mapping what learners experience, spotting assumptions, reframing challenges, generating options, and prototyping ideas quickly.

Whether Design Thinking is new to you or already familiar, this session gives you a practical way to use it in learning design. Participants will work with a realistic training challenge and move from an initial request to a rough learning experience prototype. Along the way, we’ll discuss where the process gets messy, how to adapt the methods to real project constraints, and how these tools can help you design learning that is more focused, collaborative, and effective.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have practiced a repeatable before-you-build process you can add to your training design toolbox.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Use selected Design Thinking methods to explore learner needs, challenges, and context.
• Identify assumptions that may influence training design too early.
• Reframe a training request into a clearer learning design challenge.
• Generate possible learning solutions before narrowing too quickly.
• Prototype a small learning experience that can be tested and improved before a full build.

Facilitator Bio: Stephanie Hammer

Stephanie is the founder of Hammer Learning Experiences LLC, where she designs, facilitates, and delivers practical learning experiences for professionals in complex business environments. A certified Design Thinking coach through the Hasso Plattner Institute, Stephanie brings together communication strategy, learning design, and hands-on facilitation to help learners apply new skills in real situations. Her approach is structured, collaborative, and action-oriented.