NEW
Strategic Design
Turn design into a tool for identifying opportunities, driving innovation and transforming organisations
Bilbao
ESP
Master
Language
Spanish
Start date
October 2027
Frequency
Evening or Weekend
Duration
9 Months
Price
€ 13,500
Find out the current facilitations
Learn to analyse markets and contexts, identify new opportunities and design strategies, services and business models capable of creating value for companies, people and society.
The Master in Strategic Design prepares professionals to use design in decision-making, innovation and organisational transformation. Throughout the programme, you will learn to turn research and knowledge of users, markets and trends into viable value propositions, services, experiences and business models.
In a business environment shaped by uncertainty, technological acceleration and emerging needs, organisations are looking for professionals capable of anticipating change, identifying opportunities and connecting creativity, strategy and business. Strategic design responds to this demand through an approach that helps professionals understand complex problems, reduce uncertainty and develop solutions aligned with an organisation’s objectives.
During the programme, you will learn to research and analyse contexts, understand customers and users, interpret trends, define strategic challenges and develop value propositions. You will also work on service design, customer experience, business design, business models, organisational innovation, leadership, change management, sustainability and impact measurement.
Through projects connected with companies, institutions and organisations, you will apply research methodologies, systems thinking, service design, foresight, co-creation, prototyping and validation. The aim is to help you transfer what you learn to real professional situations and turn ideas into applicable strategies and initiatives.
Information to decide
A practical programme designed to develop a professional profile capable of working in design and innovation studios and consultancies, strategy and business development departments, customer experience teams, innovation labs, start-ups, public administrations, hospitals, social organisations and cultural institutions.
The Master covers the different stages of a strategic design project: from researching and analysing users, markets and trends to identifying opportunities, defining value propositions and designing, prototyping, validating and implementing solutions.
Its methodology is based on Project-Based Learning, combining theoretical content with workshops, case studies and projects connected to real challenges. Students work with tools used in professional fields such as consulting, innovation, service design, customer experience, business development and organisational transformation.
The programme is structured around four main areas:
People, trends and context, focused on learning how to conduct research, interpret information and understand the needs of users, customers and organisations.
Strategic design and innovation, focused on turning research findings into opportunities, strategies, value propositions, services and experiences.
Organisations, business and transformation, focused on applying design to business strategy, business design, business models, organisational innovation and change management.
Futures, sustainability and impact, focused on anticipating scenarios, incorporating sustainability criteria and assessing the economic, social and environmental consequences of decisions.
The programme concludes with a Master’s Final Project, developed individually or in collaboration with an organisation, in which students address a strategic challenge from the initial research stage through to the formulation and validation of a proposal.
The programme is coordinated by Idoia García de Cortázar, a strategic consultant and service designer specialising in complex systems. Her professional experience combines qualitative research, user experience, participatory processes and the design of solutions for organisations, particularly in the fields of healthcare and care services.
The programme is aimed at people who want to acquire design, analytical and strategic tools to participate in the development of projects, services, businesses and transformation processes.
- Recent graduates from creative, business, social science or technology disciplines who want to specialise in innovation and develop a cross-disciplinary professional profile.
- Designers and creative professionals who want to progress towards roles involving greater decision-making, strategic and leadership responsibilities.
- Professionals from design, business, technology or social science backgrounds who want to address complex challenges from an interdisciplinary perspective.
- Strategy, marketing, customer experience or business development professionals who want to incorporate research, service design and systems-thinking methodologies into their work.
- Professionals working in companies, consultancies, public administrations, hospitals, social organisations or cultural institutions who are involved in innovation and transformation projects.
- Professionals undergoing a career transition who want to develop their careers in areas such as consulting, innovation, organisational transformation or change management.
The Master in Strategic Design prepares students to work in areas where design is directly connected to strategy, business and decision-making. It goes beyond the development of products or services, teaching students how to research, identify opportunities, define value propositions and support their development until they become viable initiatives.
Its interdisciplinary approach integrates design, business, technology, sustainability and social context. This combination develops skills that can be applied in innovation and strategy consultancies, transformation departments, customer experience teams, business development areas, start-ups, institutions and public services.
Collaboration with organisations and work on real challenges allow students to gain professional experience and create projects that can be included in their portfolios. The Master therefore provides practical tools for taking on roles related to strategic design, service design, innovation, research, facilitation and organisational transformation.
Studying this Master at IED Kunsthal Bilbao also offers the opportunity to train in a city renowned for its urban, economic and industrial transformation, within an environment where companies, institutions, design, technology and culture coexist. This connection with the professional ecosystem makes the learning experience practical, useful and application-oriented.
Syllabus
Module 1: People, Trends and Context
Human-centred design
Design research
Applied ethnography
User analysis
Context analysis
Systems thinking
Stakeholders, relationships and interdependencies
Trends, megatrends and signals of change
Module 2: Strategic Design and Innovation
Strategic design
Identifying opportunities and defining challenges
Defining value propositions
Strategy and positioning
Human-centred innovation
Service design
Experience design
Strategic prototyping and validation
Module 3: Organisations, Business and Transformation
Business strategy
Business design
Business models
Strategic marketing
Innovation and organisational transformation
Leadership for innovation
Change management
Public-sector innovation
Entrepreneurship
Module 4: Futures, Sustainability and Impact
Futures, scenarios and strategic foresight
Social innovation
Design for sustainability
Design for transition and systemic change
Co-creation and participatory design
Design and innovation for public services and policies
Social impact and impact measurement
Ethics and responsibility in design
Facilitation of transformation processes
Module 5: Master’s Final Project
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