No better way to learn about the tools, cases and mindset behind Design a Better Business than experiencing it in a two-day workshop, hosted by the authors and designers, in New York! This is the first of a limited number of workshops for 2017. We’ll do a deep dive and help participants become designers. Are you one of the lucky participants?
CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO TO SEE WHAT IT’S LIKE
PROGRAM DAY ONE
BLOCK 1
9:00-10:30 EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY
- Design thinking applied for strategy and innovation
- Linear thinking vs. The Double Loop
- The seven essential skills of designers
- Design criteria as a toolbox for business (tool)
- A marker, post-it notes and your notebook as visual tools
- Keynote: Hans Meyer, How Zoku changes the world of hospitality.
COFFEE BREAK
BLOCK 2
11:00-12:30 YOUR POINT OF VIEW (POV)
- What is your Point of View? Do you have one?
- Design your vision and strategy with the 5 bold steps vision canvas (tool)
- The Cover Story as a vision warm-up exercise (tool)
- Case Study how ING Bank designed their vision
- How to connect your vision to your business model and value proposition
LUNCH BREAK
BLOCK 3
13:30-15:00 UNDERSTAND CUSTOMERS
- How to understand your customer best through observation
- Understand your customer with the persona and right hand side of Value Proposition Canvas (tool)
- The customer journey as a way to understand customers (tool)
- The art of asking the right questions to the right people
COFFEE BREAK
BLOCK 4
15:30-17:00 IDEATE AND DESIGN NEW BUSINESS MODELS
- 5 Innovation techniques to get your engines going!
- The business model canvas as a tool for innovation (tool)
- Design your value proposition with the value proposition canvas (tool)
- Case Study: Start-up Onetab: The Beer App
DAY ONE EVENING PROGRAM
- 18:00 Drinks @ Zoku bar
- 19:30 Dinner @ Zoku living kitchen
- 20:30 Continuous learning and design thinking exercises
PROGRAM DAY TWO
BLOCK 1
9:00-10:30 PROTOTYPE: GET INTO THE MAKERS’ MINDSET
Prototyping business models and value propositions
Learn how to prototype an app on paper and on your phone
Build a minimum viable product yourself (skill)
COFFEE BREAK
BLOCK 2
11:00-12:30 VALIDATE: FIND YOUR RISKIEST ASSUMPTIONS
- Use the Investment Readiness Level of Steve Blank as a roadmap (tool)
- How to find the most riskiest assumption with the riskiest assumption finder (tool)
- What is a pivot? How do you pivot?
- Case Study how Beestar had worked through 3 business models
LUNCH BREAK
BLOCK 3
13:30-15:00 VALIDATE: SET UP EXPERIMENTS AND LEARN
- Set up experiments with the experiment canvas (tool) designed by Ash Maurya
- Validate your assumptions and track your pivots with the validation canvas
- Case study: The journey of Abrella a start-up from Denmark
COFFEE BREAK
BLOCK 4
15:30-17:00 HOW TO FACILITATE WORKSHOPS ON STRATEGY AND INNOVATION?
- How to design meetings and workshops
- The screenplay as a tool for designing workshops (tool)
- The team charter to get the right team on board (tool)
- How to design strategy & innovation workshops
- How fast passes help you do business planning
ZOKU: AN EXTRA SPECIAL VENUE

A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE AT ZOKU
You will experience a 2 day workshop, dinner and event night at the new hotel Zoku in Amsterdam. You have the option to also book your stay there. Zoku is a place where you can live, work, relax and socialize. Click this link to read more.

AWARD WINNING CONCEPT
Hans Meyer, founder of Zoku, created a new award winning concept in the hospitality industry for longstay. During the workshop, he will share his insights in how he applied design thinking, observation, prototyping and validation.

GET OUT OF THE BUILDING!
You need to step up as a rebel and be comfortable with being uncomfortable. In cooperation with Zoku you will get access to the Zoku community with whom you can practice your design skills and learn to ask better questions.
YOUR HOSTS
WHAT IS INCLUDED IN YOUR TICKET
- The Book Design a Better Business
- The essential tool box with templates
- Set of markers, post it notes to work with
- Zoku experience including drinks, dinner
- A storytelling toolkit to get your message across
- Detailed case studies from Toyota, Audi, Wavin, Onetab etc.
- Screenplays for strategy and innovation workshops