RCA design thinking course review: Leadership lessons from an analogue, laptop-free workshop
By
Abbey Bamford
The bagel they save for the regulars. Don't skim, savour.
Summary
A review of Special Projects' two-day executive design thinking course hosted at the Royal College of Art. The course is radically analogue — no laptops, no Slack — using paper templates, markers, and Post-its for collaboration. It focuses on a live brief for children's literacy charity BookTrust, emphasizing curiosity, creativity, and hands-on problem-solving over digital productivity tools. The article explores how the experience taught the author about leadership, frustration, and finding 'magic' at work through analog methods.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledSpecial Projects' two-day executive course on design thinking, hosted at the RCA, is radically analogue by design.
No one is tapping away at keyboards, and instead, there are paper templates, thick markers, Post-its, and a room arranged for collaboration.
To get everything done in two days, the course had to be relatively fast-paced. It wasn't too intense, though, and it left plenty of room for curiosity.
You might also wanna read
Jamie Dimon advises Gen Z graduates to develop soft skills AI can't replicate, warns NYC mayor on business climate
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon offers career advice to Gen Z graduates, urging them to focus on developing soft skills like critical thinkin
fortune.com·8h agoJamie Dimon advises Gen Z graduates to develop soft skills AI can't replicate, warns NYC mayor on business climate
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon offers career advice to Gen Z graduates, urging them to focus on developing soft skills like critical thinkin
fortune.com·8h ago/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/f6/6e/f66edaff-eb72-4b3e-8e69-77bf70f7aa4d/20251025_public-day_wu_miles_0)
14-Year-Old Student Wins Innovation Prize for Origami-Based Emergency Shelter Design
A 14-year-old student named Miles Wu has developed an innovative emergency shelter design using origami principles, specifically a variant o
smithsonianmag.com·11h ago14-Year-Old Student Wins Innovation Prize for Origami-Based Emergency Shelter Design
A 14-year-old student named Miles Wu has developed an innovative emergency shelter design using origami principles, specifically a variant o
smithsonianmag.com·11h ago
Why Participatory Innovation Must Replace Top-Down Design in Modern Organizations
The article argues that traditional top-down design and management approaches are obsolete in complex, interconnected organizational ecosyst
bradenkelley.com·4d ago
Five Steps Toward NGBS-Certified Sustainable Home Remodels
The article discusses the newly revised 2025 National Green Building Standard (NGBS) approved by ANSI, which promotes green renovations. It