The Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at the University of Cape Town (UCT) is calling on working professionals to step out of the meeting room and into a hands-on experience in creative problem-solving. From 16 to 18 November 2026, the institution will host the final 2026 cohort of Design Thinking in Practice, a three-day immersive programme designed to equip professionals with the mindset, methods, and tools to tackle complex, real-world challenges with confidence.
A core pillar of the programme is its departure from theoretical learning. Rather than working through hypothetical case studies, participants tackle genuine challenges in small teams, guided every step of the way by seasoned practitioner coaches who offer guidance rather than lectures. With a 1:6 coach-to-participant ratio, cohorts are kept deliberately small so that every participant receives real-time, high-touch feedback throughout.
Over the three days, participants are guided through the full innovation cycle - from building empathy with the people affected by a problem, to framing the challenge that truly matters, to generating ideas, building low-cost prototypes, and testing them quickly and cheaply. Along the way, they cultivate an experimental mindset that values learning and iteration over perfection, and practical collaboration skills for aligning diverse teams around a shared process.
"Design Thinking in Practice is not a theoretical overview; it is about doing the work," the programme outlines. Participants leave with a human-centred mindset, a practical toolkit - including journey maps, empathy maps, and "How Might We" framing - and ready-to-use templates they can apply in their organisations the very next day.
The value of the experience extends well beyond the three days. After the in-person programme, participants join three monthly online group coaching sessions to help them implement what they have learned, stay connected, and build real-world momentum alongside a growing community of graduates. They leave more comfortable navigating ambiguity, better equipped to move ideas off the whiteboard and into reality, and with the confidence to lead change from wherever they sit.
Design Thinking in Practice is a three-day, in-person programme held at the d-school Afrika at UCT's Middle Campus in Cape Town, at a once-off fee of R19,500.
Applications close on 9 November 2026, and upon successful completion, participants receive a certificate of completion.
For more information or to apply, please visit https://dschoolafrika.org/learn-design-thinking/professional-programmes/design-thinking-in-practice-dtip-up/
