Overlap works with people and organizations that want to make things better. We use tools of design to understand problems, draw out insights, generate ideas, and arrive at practical, actionable solutions.

Making Better Decisions

Regular price
$399.00
Regular price
Sale price
$399.00
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Pricing is per person

In this course, you will learn about the importance of feedback on your solutions as you refine them as well as simple yet powerful decision-making tools for choosing directions, setting priorities, and reaching consensus in a group.

In terms of the number of insights you get out of a conversation, talking to just one person is infinitely better than no one. The law of diminishing returns kicks in after about five people. Make a thing, show it to five people, iterate, then find five different people to show it to.

You prototype to test. The goal of testing is to improve the ideas, to get real feedback before the pilot, and to co-design with stakeholders. You actually want to get more things wrong than you get right so you learn what to change while it’s still inexpensive to make changes. You want to make small changes based on feedback, build a new model, and go back out for feedback until you are confident that the solution meets stakeholder needs. Throughout this process, many decisions need to be made in a way that is collaborative and visualizes your thought process. 

In this course, you’ll dive deep into the Test and Decide phases of the human-centred design cycle.

What's Included:

  • 6 hrs of live online teaching from expert design coaches
  • Practical exercises to practice skills
  • An introduction to Miro, a digital whiteboard & design tool
  • Downloadable Process Card deck of design exercises to help design workshops and plan your work (for use in Miro)
  • Downloadable Testing Brief template

Two Modules

1. How to test and decide

Learn about how to maximize your ability to collect meaningful feedback from your stakeholders and considerations for decision-making along the way.   

2. Test and decide in practice

A hands on session where you will practice getting feedback and using several decision-making tools that you can implement right away.  Some of the tools and processes explored include Observation, Affinity Clustering and $100 Test.

One Assignment

Creating experiments for testing can be planned. In your assignment, you will be guided through our Testing Brief to help you understand how to plan and execute experiments to test your ideas.

Join a Peer Learning Group

Joining a peer-led learning group will provide an opportunity to share your assignment and get feedback from others in the group.

Course Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should understand the importance of a curious mindset as you create a human-centred solution and walk away with a suite of tools to help you make decisions when you feel stuck.

You will learn:

  • Power of testing and incremental improvements:  explore best practices around timing of feedback—an early and often mindset—and support for building this muscle.
  • Feedback tools that work: learn tools and methods that work every time
  • How to propel forward confidently: make good decisions that the team can get behind

How you'll learn

Live Online Instruction
The course is delivered virtually via Zoom with other learners from all over the world and led by Overlap instructors.

Practice
Throughout the modules there are opportunities to practice skills and apply concepts.

Connect
You’ll be able to join peers to share and discuss what you’re learning to gain greater understanding and deepen the impact.

Reflection
Learning design is more than technical skills—it’s about the way your worldview is changing and your approach to problem solving. Multiple moments of reflection are designed into the course.

What happens when you buy a course?

After your purchase, you will be enrolled into the course and receive an email confirming your course date, time, and zoom link.

You will also be sent information to login to our learning site and community. Access to any downloads and course content will be found there.

I'd like to book for my team

If you'd like to book this course for you team select 'Team Booking', confirm the number of seats during the checkout process and we'll connect with you to book a date that works for your team!

Rather speak to someone first? You can reach out to hello@overlap.school with your request and we'll get you sorted!

For teams smaller than 5 people, we'd recommend joining one of our open courses. Your team will join others learning the same material and will get the added benefit of connecting with individuals in other organizations.

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Testimonials

Overlap training introduced me to a process and a wealth of tools that will take our planning to the next level. Moving to virtual training did not dampen Ryan and Nicole's enthusiasm, and their insights helped me understand how to apply these tools in my own organization. I cannot wait for my next planning session!

Dr. David H. Michels, Head of Public Services Law Library, Dalhousie University

The general consensus is all positive vibes as the kids would say. Both teams got a lot out of the session and highly engaged throughout. I think for my team in particular it served to validate a lot of the work they’ve been doing—turns out I wasn’t making this stuff up—but also allowed us all to stuff our stockings with some new tools and tricks.

David McDonald, Director Strategy & Growth Innovation, Sun Life Financial

Taking (Intro to HCD) rejuvenated my enthusiasm for work at a time when I was starting to feel disconnected. Not only was it refreshing to work through Launch activities with an interdisciplinary group, it gave me ideas for engaging my own team differently. I immediately applied what I learned with noted success!

Lauren Anstey, Associate Director, Educational Development, Queen’s University

I joined Overlap’s Introduction to HCD Training—WOW!! The learning facilitator was incredible at keeping the energy and interest of the group up the entire day! Somehow she not only gave us oodles of incredible tools and learning, but she also stitched us together in a way that some of us left giving hugs instead of handshakes!

Michelle Schurter, Founder, Millennial Strategist