Design thinking for everyone: Practitioner Certification Program

Learn design thinking through LUMA’s certification program

Organizations of all types are facing bigger, more complex challenges and disruptions. To adapt and innovate, it’s essential to design responses that solve the right problems and provide solutions that our clients, colleagues and partners want and need.

LUMA Institute teaches a unique system of human-centered design that equips individuals, teams and organizations to tackle challenges and reach solutions faster, with better results.

Starting in 2019 LUMA is offering our Practitioner Certification Program — previously available only in enterprise settings — to the public. The program combines expert instruction, hands-on training, peer-to-peer learning and on-demand resources to help you develop skills applying human-centered design.

You’ll learn to think and work like a designer and be equipped to apply design thinking to your challenges with confidence.

Earn LUMA certification as a practitioner of human-centered design

Participants who successfully complete program requirements will earn LUMA Practitioner Certification in recognition of your new design skills and accomplishments. You’ll receive a customized, downloadable certification document as well as a digital badge to share on social media and in your email signature.

Program Details

The Practitioner Certification Program begins with LUMA’s two-day, in-person workshop that introduces you to the LUMA System of Innovation in a group setting.

Through a dynamic mix of presentations and hands-on activities, the workshop will teach you to apply a versatile system that:

• Provides your teams with a repeatable way to innovate

• Promotes productive collaboration across teams

• Offers creative alternatives to traditional brainstorming

• Helps uncover deeper insights from market research

• Guides and informs development work for products, services and processes

Following the workshop, you’ll continue with activities and instruction to help you effectively apply human-centered design to your daily work. Components include:

• Remote sessions for expert coaching and instruction in additional design methods

• Assignments to complete and share

• Peer-to-peer sessions to give and get constructive feedback

• Presentations to demonstrate how you have used human-centered design

Throughout the Practitioner Certification Program, you’ll use LUMA Workplace®, LUMA’s digital platform that’s loaded with human-centered design tools, resources, how-to videos, expert tips, downloads and more.

Program Schedule and Certification Requirements

Participation and group interaction are essential to the Practitioner Certification Program as a world-class learning experience. To earn LUMA certification, you must attend the opening workshop and all three remote coaching sessions. 

Before you register, please review the dates and times carefully to ensure that you can attend the entire program. 

The two-day, in-person workshop will be held:

• Location: Cliftons, United Conference Centre, 10F United Centre, 95 Queensway, Hong Kong

• Dates: Feb. 26-27, 2019

• Time: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. HKT

The coaching sessions will be:

• Session 1: Mar. 6, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. HKT

• Session 2: Mar. 13, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. HKT

• Session 3: Mar. 20, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. HKT

What You Get

• Expert instruction built on real-life scenarios

• A common language for problem-solving

• Hands-on practice to deepen new design skills

• Guidance on how to bring a new way of working into your workplace

• “Innovating for People,” our acclaimed handbook of human-centered design methods

• A deck of LUMA's human-centered design planning cards

• One-year subscription to LUMA Workplace®, LUMA’s digital platform

• Workshop completion certificate

• Expert remote coaching with your group

• Peer-to-peer learning with others in your group

Participants who successfully complete all program requirements receive:

• Downloadable certification document customized with your name

• Digital badge for posting to social media and sharing in email signatures

Frequently Asked Questions

What's it like to attend the two-day, in-person workshop?

LUMA's in-person workshops provide an exceptional experience that is hands-on, dynamic and fun! Be prepared for fast-paced presentations from expert instructors mixed with human-centered design activities that will have you up and participating from the start. As the workshop progresses, you’ll work in teams and gain new perspectives from other participants in your cohort, and they’ll learn from you!

Who is the LUMA practitioner program for?

We welcome anyone who wants to accelerate innovation within their organization and to learn about human-centered design, and for those who want to earn LUMA certification as a practitioner of human-centered design. Job titles we often see include: product managers, designers, researchers, user experience professionals, marketers, consultants, engineers, and educators & learning

What organizations send people to LUMA programs?

Our public programs typically draw a lively mix of people from business, government, education and nonprofits, all eager to be more innovative. You may be surprised at who you’re sitting next to — we’ve had participants from Google, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Gates Foundation, American Express, IBM, Harvard, and many other companies and organizations of all types, sizes and sectors.


What should I bring to the in-person workshop?

Bring your curiosity, creativity and enthusiasm for learning a new way of working. We supply the rest (including breakfast and lunch).


How can I contact LUMA with any questions?

After you register, we'll send you additional information about program logistics. If you have questions or additional requirements, you can send us a message through Eventbrite. We're happy to answer any questions!


What is the refund policy?

Once you have registered, we do not offer refunds and we do not permit transfers from one starting date to another. It is possible to transfer the registration to someone else in should you be unable to participate.

Also, please note that we reserve the right to cancel any program up to 14 days prior to the start date of that workshop. If that happens, we'll notify you promptly and give you a full refund or the option to attend another public program within six months. We are not responsible for travel expenses or any costs that may be incurred as a result of a cancellation.

Additional Terms & Conditions

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.  All ownership of, title to, and rights to all LUMA’s intellectual property that exists as of the Effective Date of this Agreement or that may be created by LUMA thereafter, including patent, trademark, service mark, copyright, trade secrets, tools, materials, products, and Content (“LUMA IP”) will remain with LUMA.  Other than as specifically provided under the Limited License below, you may not (i) copy, sell, rent, modify, lease, distribute, broadcast, or sublicense LUMA IP; (ii) assign any rights to LUMA IP to any third party; (iii) remove any proprietary notice or label on LUMA IP, including any copyright, service mark, or trademark notices; (iv) encourage, assist or authorize any other person to bypass, modify, defeat, or circumvent security features that protect LUMA IP; or (v) modify or create derivative works in whole or in part with LUMA IP.  If you desire to sublicense or otherwise commercially exploit LUMA IP, a separate written license from LUMA must be obtained for that purpose.

LIMITED LICENSE.  Upon payment for the practitioner certification program:

(a) LUMA will grant you an irrevocable, non-exclusive, limited, paid-up, worldwide license to use the LUMA IP which is distributed to you in the workshop for your personal use, provided that such shall not be used to perform or develop training or workshops or for commercial exploitation.

(b) LUMA will grant you a nontransferable, non-exclusive, limited license to view, print, use, and display the materials on LUMA’s Digital Platform (“Content”) for your personal use.  The Content may not be shared, transferred, or otherwise assigned to any other person. You shall not duplicate, provide access to the Content, save or otherwise preserve the Content on a computer or other technology, or provide the Content or any derivative thereof to any other party.