Interdisciplinary thinking lies at the heart of Culture and Design Management. This course introduces fundamental perspectives, concepts, and methods across culture, design, management, UX, technology, art, branding, and marketing. Through lectures, case discussions, and interdisciplinary projects, students will learn to connect these domains and develop thoughtful strategies for real-world opportunities.
Week 11: CDM’s Design Thinking Series #1: User-Centered Design Thinking
Opening Questions
How can individual responses become meaningful patterns rather than simple summaries?
What tensions and contradictions in the evidence reveal important opportunities?
How can user evidence inform strategic directions without prematurely determining a final solution?
Learning Goal
Transform user evidence into patterns, evidence-based insights, and strategic opportunity areas for Studio Mikko Laakkonen’s Korean market entry. Interpret findings through design perception, brand meaning, or marketing-touchpoint perspectives.
Lecture Materials
Evidence-to-Insight analysis guide
Pattern and Strategic Opportunity mapping worksheet
Unlocks when Week 10 class ends
Nov. 3, 1:00 PM (KST)
In-class Activity
In-class Lecture:
Briefly distinguish evidence, pattern, tension, interpretation, user insight, and strategic opportunity.
Introduce three Strategic Insight Lenses:
Design Perception
Brand Identity and Cultural Meaning
Marketing Touchpoints and Future Experience
In-class Activity:
Map meaningful patterns, differences, tensions, and contradictions across the prepared evidence.
Develop evidence-based user insight statements.
Frame broad strategic opportunity areas for the Korean market without prematurely finalizing a campaign or marketing strategy.
In-class Submission:
Submit one team working version containing key patterns with representative evidence, user insight statements, and strategic opportunity areas before class ends.
Unlocks when Week 10 class ends
Nov. 3, 1:00 PM (KST)
Homework
FCWatch ‘Customer-centered Thinking.’DueNov. 17
HomeworkRefine the analysis developed during the Week 11 workshop. Organize the evidence, user insights, and strategic opportunity areas that will be used during the Week 12 Customer-Centered Thinking workshop. Do not define the final target customer, value proposition, or marketing idea yet.View Homework 5 →Due2026.11.17
Key Takeaways
Collected evidence does not automatically constitute an insight.
Strong analysis identifies patterns, differences, tensions, contradictions, and contextual conditions.
A user insight explains what the evidence may mean for people and their contexts.
Strategic opportunities should remain broader than individual campaign or solution ideas.
The insights developed this week will become the foundation for customer-centered marketing decisions.
Available after class
Unlocks Nov. 10, 1:00 PM (KST), when this class ends.