For organizations looking for new ways to solve problems and innovate faster.
For organizations looking for new ways to solve problems and innovate faster.
What is zu Academy?
What is zu Academy?
zu Academy is the training and professional development arm of zu. After decades of designing, deploying and disrupting we are making our processes and knowledge available to the public. zu Acaemdy empowers individuals, and organizations to challenge conventional thinking, with new methods and frameworks to solve problems and innovate.These methods and frameworks are known as Design Thinking.
Why Design Thinking?
Why Design Thinking?
The cause of poor customer experience rarely has anything to do with the word Design, but rather all the steps further upstream. Problems like, misaligned thinking, buy-in, not solving the actual problem, poor project management, lack of user input, or jumping into a solution too soon. Our tool box addresses all the sticky parts of the process, finding alignment, seeing the common problem, creating a safe space to explore all ideas, getting consensus to move forward quickly etc.
OUR zu ACADEMY CLIENTS
What we are hearing from attendees...
What we are hearing from attendees...
"We are now getting to solutions in 6 weeks where it would take 4 months."
"I was surprised zu was kept us engaged and energized for six days, that's no small feat!"
"This was one of the best training sessions I've ever attended."
"The course was jam-packed with information and hands-on activities. Overall a very engaging experience."
"It was awesome. I like the laid-back nature, it was fun and had personality, which is lacking in many institutions."
"Thank you zu for tirelessly waving the user-centred flag and helping us see there are better ways to solve problems."
"A great team bonding experience. The workshop style was helpful to put what we learned into practice."
"From creative strategies to building a new cultural mindset, Design Thinking has become a game changer for us."
"zu has a way of bringing people together and making them feel welcome and comfortable."
zu has given us methods to solve business problems that we knew we could approach in a better way - but just didn't know-how.
— James Gates, Director, Customer Solutions, SaskEnergy
Fundamentals
Your first introduction to the world of design thinking. It’s a jam-packed 4-hour walkthrough of the entire methodology that teaches effective tools for complex problem-solving and delivering beautiful experiences for your users.
Intensive
This is a 3-day deep dive into the process of design thinking. This course involves the traditional approach to design thinking, giving participants an interactive learning experience through each major phase. Design thinking can be taken back to the office the very next day, with tangible tools and skills that will help you solve problems faster and more effectively.
3,2,1 Intensive
zu Academy's Design Thinking Intensive 3-2-1 is a jam-packed six-day course broken into pieces, making it easier to schedule around your busy teams.
Meet our Instructors
Meet our Instructors
All zu Academy instructors are seasoned practitioners who are proponents of human-centred design and passionate about building better solutions and experiences. They are equally excited to share what they learn in the field with all academy participants.
Albert
Jame
Chief Experience Officer,
Partner
Chief Experience Officer,
Partner
Rebecca
Ready
Strategy Director
Strategy Director
Christianne
Rooke
UX Strategist
UX Strategist