Product and Service Innovation

Overview 

In a fast-changing economic, social and technological landscape, organisations are under growing pressure to innovate, not just in what they deliver, but in how they think and adapt. 

This intensive, design-led workshop from Goldsmiths’ Department of Design creates time and space for teams to step back, make sense of complexity and reconnect innovation with strategy. Tailored to each organisation’s context, it uses creative methods to surface new opportunities and build shared understanding. 

Focused, practical and highly engaging, the programme supports clearer decision-making, stronger alignment across teams and greater confidence in navigating uncertainty. The outcome is not a fixed solution but a practical framework for building a human-centred, sustainable innovation culture. 

What you’ll learn 

Participants gain practical tools and approaches they can apply immediately within their own organisation, including: 

• How innovation connects to global change, emerging futures and organisational strategy 
• Foresight and scenario-building methods to understand what is driving change  
• Visual and relational mapping to explore systems, stakeholders and organisational dynamics 
• Scenario and story-making about future contexts, services and user experiences 
• How design thinking supports innovation, change and cultural renewal 
• Ethnographic approaches for understanding behaviours, needs and unmet opportunities 
• Prototyping and future modelling to test ideas quickly and safely 
• Iterative design processes that support reflection, collaboration and learning  

Teams leave with shared language, practical insights and visual tools they can return to, enabling more confident, strategic and sustainable approaches to innovation beyond the workshop. 

Who it’s for 

This workshop is designed for organisations that want to make innovation a shared, ongoing practice. It is particularly suited to: 

• SMEs developing new products, services or ways of working 
• Large organisations navigating transformation or organisational change 
• Public sector and civic organisations responding to complex social and operational challenges 
• Cross-functional teams working across strategy, service design, transformation or organisational development 

The programme is ideal for organisations looking to align teams around a clear direction, unlock new thinking and build internal capability for innovation. 

Who leads it 

The workshop is led by Professor Mike Waller from Goldsmiths’ Pi Studio in the School of Design, an internationally recognised centre for research and teaching in design, futures thinking and creative practice. 

The department has delivered innovation programmes for a wide range of organisations, from SMEs to major public and civic institutions including the BBC, the NHS and government bodies. 

Drawing on expertise in design thinking, ethnography, foresight and participatory research, the teaching team helps organisations translate creative practice into practical, real-world outcomes.