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 13: CDM’s Design Thinking Series #3: Design Management — Strategic Thinking Process
Opening Questions
What makes a design or marketing idea strategically stronger than competing alternatives?
How can a company turn its identity and strengths into a meaningful reason for customer choice?
How can competitor analysis help define a distinctive role in the market?
Learning Goal
Apply strategic thinking to evaluate ideas through customer relevance, company strengths, competitor context, and differentiation. Develop a provisional marketing strategy with a credible competitive position.
Lecture Materials
FC Lecture: Strategic Design Thinking
Competitor Comparison Map
Strategy Comparison and Marketing Strategy templates
Unlocks when Week 12 class ends
Nov. 17, 1:00 PM (KST)
In-class Activity
In-class Lecture:
Review Strategic Thinking as the alignment of customer relevance, company strengths, competitor context, and meaningful differentiation.
Clarify the difference between observable competitor characteristics, inferred strategy, simple difference, and competitive advantage.
In-class Activity:
Research and Compare Competitors
Select approximately four relevant competitors or alternatives available to the Target Customer.
Compare target customer, products and design characteristics, brand image, price or market level, notable strengths, and visible communication or customer-experience examples.
Evaluate the Strategic Potential of the Value Ideas
Evaluate Customer Relevance, Company Leverage, and Competitive Advantage.
Decide whether each idea should be Developed, Combined, Revised, or Removed.
Build a Competitive Marketing Strategy
Select the strongest Value Idea or combine the strongest elements into one provisional strategy.
Clarify the Target Customer, Key Customer Value, Company Strength, Competitive Advantage, Strategic Role, Marketing Direction, and Remaining Questions.
In-class Submission:
Submit one team Competitor Comparison Map, Value Idea Strategy Comparison, and Provisional Competitive Marketing Strategy before class ends.
Unlocks when Week 12 class ends
Nov. 17, 1:00 PM (KST)
Homework
[Preparation for Week 14 Consultation]Bring an editable provisional strategy draft containing
one provisional strategic direction;
the strongest customer, company, and competition rationale;
two to three connected proposed actions;
major assumptions or risks; and
two to three focused consultation questions.
[Due]Dec. 01
PrepNo separate LearnUS submission is required for this preparation. Use the Week 14 consultation to develop and finalize Deliverable #6.
Key Takeaways
Strategic Thinking evaluates whether an idea creates a meaningful advantage over competing alternatives.
Customer findings from Week 12 become criteria for evaluating ideas rather than an analysis to repeat.
Being different is not sufficient; the difference must create a stronger reason for customer choice.
A strong strategy should be relevant to customers, grounded in company strengths, and advantageous against competitor strategies.
Positioning describes the distinctive role that the company seeks to occupy within the strategy.
Product, story, message, channel, and experience should reinforce the same strategic direction.
Available after class
Unlocks Nov. 24, 1:00 PM (KST), when this class ends.