Design Thinking Institute

What Design Thinking Institute does

Design Thinking Institute (DTI) is a Poznań-based design thinking training and consulting firm founded in 2012 by Iwona Gasińska-Mulczyńska, operating as a sole proprietorship (DESIGN THINKING INSTITUTE IWONA GASIŃSKA) with a team of approximately 12 people. The firm serves three primary customer segments: large Polish enterprises and corporations (with named clients including IKEA, Orange, Met-Life, Black Red White, Enea, SWISS KRONO, Vorwerk-Thermomix, and The Lorenz Bahlsen Snack-World), public administration (over 50 local government units), and individual professionals seeking moderator certification. Its offering combines self-paced online courses, live and in-person certification programs, themed course packages, and multi-month strategic consulting engagements delivered by a small team of senior practitioners.

The core product is the three-day Design Thinking Moderator Course (21 hours, online or in-person at PLN 3,567 and PLN 5,166 respectively), delivered in 100+ editions to over 2,000 certified moderators since inception, alongside a proprietary four-stage Design Thinking Experience Program (DTEX) framework (Engaging, Knowledge, Practice, Maintenance) for embedding design thinking into enterprise organizations. Supporting the certification anchor is a catalog of six standalone online courses (Design Thinking Start, Praca Warsztatowa ABC, Empatia w Praktyce, Uruchom Kreatywność, Design Thinking w Marketingu, Moderowanie Efektywnych Spotkań) bundled into Kompletna Ścieżka Design Thinking, plus themed packages for marketers, creative leaders, and beginning moderators, a new AI in Design Thinking Projects course, Mastermind programs, and one-day Design Thinking Jam workshops.

DTI's business model is sales-led and predominantly transactional: one-time course purchases priced in PLN (range 49-5,166 brutto), bundled subscriptions with summer promotional discounts, corporate team training delivered as closed engagements, multi-workshop strategic consulting processes (5-6 sessions per engagement), and a FLEXI Ticket corporate multi-seat subscription. Distribution is direct via the dt-institute.pl e-commerce platform, phone, and email, supplemented by content marketing across blog, podcast (Posłuchaj Kapeli!), free tools library, webinars, and the Design Thinking Fest conference. There are no external funding rounds, no subsidiaries, and no parent company; the firm operates exclusively in the Polish market.

Name

Design Thinking Institute

Legal name

DESIGN THINKING INSTITUTE IWONA GASIŃSKA

Website

https://dt-institute.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Design Thinking Institute is a Poznań-based design thinking training and consulting firm serving Polish enterprises, public sector organizations, and individual professionals through online courses, in-person certification programs, and strategic consulting engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training and Consulting

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDABAHAK

UX, Design Thinking & Customer Research for PMs

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Project, Program & Product Management Training

SECONDARYEDAGAKAF

Learning Experience Design (LXD) & UX for Learning

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Instructional Design & Content Development Services

SECONDARYBPAFAEAI

Brand Experience (BX) & Service Design

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Brand Strategy & Creative Services

Keywords

• Design thinking training
• Workshop facilitation courses
• Moderator certification programs
• Corporate innovation consulting
• Professional education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Poznań

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Online Courses: Self-paced online courses delivered through e-learning platform available 24/7. Includes courses like Design Thinking Start, Workshop Work ABC, Launch Creativity, Design Thinking in Marketing, Empathy in Practice, and more.
2. Moderator Certification Courses: Live online and in-person moderator training programs lasting 3 days (21 hours online, 21 hours in-person). Includes certification upon completion.
3. Corporate Training: Closed group training for business teams, including workshop facilitation, team Design Thinking Jam, and customized programs.
4. Strategic Processes: Long-term strategic consulting engagements (5-6 workshop sessions) for organizations including user research and prototype testing, delivered by dedicated experts.
5. AI in Design Thinking Projects: 2-day in-person workshops combined with 4 online webinars, mentoring, and final project feedback.
6. Consulting Services: Individual online consultations with design thinking experts for guidance on challenges related to design thinking methodology.
7. Event-based programs: Mastermind programs, interactive workshops, and Design Thinking Jam events for learning and community building.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Design Thinking Institute sells design thinking education, moderator certification, and innovation consulting through online self-paced courses, live online and in-person workshops, a flagship 3-day moderator certification program, and multi-session strategic consulting processes. The proprietary 4-stage Design Thinking Experience Program (DTEX) is its primary B2B offering, while individuals can purchase standalone courses such as Design Thinking Start, Praca Warsztatowa ABC, and Empatia w Praktyce on a perpetual access basis.

Product overview

Design Thinking Institute offers a comprehensive portfolio of design thinking training products and services. The core offering includes individual online courses (Design Thinking Start, Praca Warsztatowa ABC, Design Thinking w Marketingu, Empatia w Praktyce, Uruchom Kreatywność, Moderowanie Efektywnych Spotkań) and in-person courses (Kurs Moderatora Design Thinking in both stacjonarny and online formats, AI w projektach Design Thinking). These are bundled into themed packages: Kompletna Ścieżka Design Thinking (comprehensive 6-course bundle), Pakiet Marketera, Pakiet Kreatywnego Lidera, and Pakiet Początkującego Moderatora. For organizations, they offer the proprietary Design Thinking Experience Program (DTEX) with 4 stages, strategic consulting processes, and online consultations. The company also provides master-level programs (Mastermind series), workshops (Design Thinking Jam, Interaktywny warsztat), and free tools/reports through their resource library.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Design Thinking Experience Program (DTX): Proprietary training system for building internal innovation culture in organizations based on Design Thinking principles
• Kurs Moderatora Design Thinking
• Design Thinking Jam
• Kompletna Ścieżka Design Thinking
• Pakiet Marketera
• Pakiet Kreatywnego Lidera
• Pakiet Początkującego Moderatora

Products and services

• Design Thinking Start Introductory self-paced online course covering the five stages of design thinking methodology fundamentals and practical tools for daily work application. Priced at 306.27 PLN brutto with permanent access to 10 video lessons, exercises, and templates. Aimed at individuals beginning their design thinking learning journey.
• Praca Warsztatowa ABC Self-paced online course teaching practical techniques for leading effective workshops, including people management, space preparation, and workshop process planning. Aimed at individuals seeking workshop facilitation skills.
• Design Thinking w Marketingu Online course teaching how to apply design thinking to create effective marketing campaigns, including customer journey mapping, message design, and experimentation. Priced at 244.77 PLN brutto. Authored by strategist Joanna Wróblewska. Aimed at marketing professionals.
• Empatia w Praktyce Online course focused on deep user understanding through research and insight analysis, covering the empathy stage of design thinking methodology. Aimed at individuals developing user research skills.
• Uruchom Kreatywność Online course providing tools and techniques to stimulate innovative thinking within teams. Aimed at individuals seeking to unlock creativity in professional settings.
• Moderowanie Efektywnych Spotkań Online course/webinar on techniques for turning unproductive meetings into valuable and dynamic sessions. Priced at 120.54 PLN brutto. Aimed at managers and meeting facilitators.
• Kurs Moderatora Design Thinking (Online) 3-day online moderator certification course (21 hours) using Miro and Zoom platforms, teaching participants to facilitate design thinking workshops and processes. Includes certification upon completion. Priced at 3,567 PLN brutto. First comprehensive moderator certification program in Poland with both online and in-person versions. Aimed at professionals seeking moderator credentials.
• Kurs Moderatora Design Thinking (Stacjonarny) 3-day in-person moderator certification course (21 hours) delivered in Warsaw, training participants to moderate design thinking workshops and processes with certification awarded upon completion. Priced at 5,166 PLN brutto. Scheduled e.g. Nov 18-20, 2026 in Warsaw. Has been delivered in 100+ editions with 1,600+ moderators certified. Aimed at professionals seeking in-person moderator training and certification.
• AI w projektach Design Thinking 2-day in-person workshop (14 hours) combined with 4 online thematic webinars, 1 hour of online mentoring, and a final project, covering integration of AI tools and methodologies with traditional design thinking approach for modern project implementation. Priced at 3,567 PLN brutto. Scheduled e.g. Oct 5-6, 2026 in Warsaw. Aimed at practitioners modernizing their design thinking practice.
• Autentyczna autoprezentacja i wystąpienia publiczne In-person course focused on authentic self-presentation and public speaking skills. Aimed at professionals seeking to improve presentation capabilities.
• Mastermind: Strategia i biznes Advanced online mastermind program focused on strategy and business applications of design thinking. Priced at 4,428 PLN brutto. Aimed at senior professionals and business owners applying design thinking to strategy work.
• Mastermind: Warsztat i kompetencje Advanced online mastermind program focused on workshop facilitation and competency development. Priced at 3,198 PLN brutto. Aimed at practitioners deepening their workshop design and facilitation expertise.
• Interaktywny warsztat: Poznaj design thinking Interactive 1.5-hour online workshop combining presentation with practical group exercises, introducing design thinking methodology. Priced at 49 PLN brutto. Scheduled e.g. June 18, 2026 online. Aimed at entry-level individuals exploring design thinking.
• Design Thinking Experience Program (DTEX) Proprietary 4-stage (Engaging, Knowledge, Practice, Maintenance) corporate training system for building internal innovation culture and creative problem-solving capabilities within organizations. Sold to enterprise and corporate teams as a structured implementation program. Delivered as closed-group training for business teams.
• Proces strategiczny Strategic consulting service based on design thinking methodology, involving 5-6 workshop sessions, user research, and prototype testing to help organizations discover new business opportunities. Long-term engagements delivered by dedicated experts. Past engagements have included 7-9 month projects for clients such as Enea and SWISS KRONO. Aimed at organizations seeking strategic transformation.
• Konsultacje online Individual online consulting sessions with Design Thinking Institute experts to support design thinking projects, answer methodology questions, and provide guidance on workshop facilitation. Available by phone (+48 501 109 691) or email. Aimed at individuals and teams needing expert advice.
• Design Thinking Jam One-day team workshop format for design thinking practitioners to practice methodology and explore industry applications, used for team building and methodology introduction. Aimed at teams wanting hands-on practice.
• Bezpłatny Design Thinking Jam Free one-day design thinking workshop for team building and methodology introduction. Aimed at teams sampling design thinking methodology at no cost.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2000+ moderators certified through comprehensive programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LUMA Institute: Pittsburgh-based organization that originated the LUMA System and certified practitioner training, offering in-person and online human-centered design courses; directly comparable to DTI's moderator certification and curriculum-driven training model.
• Board of Innovation: Belgium-headquartered innovation consultancy that combines corporate innovation training, workshops and multi-week strategic engagements; comparable to DTI in selling both certification courses and longer consulting mandates to European enterprises.
• IDEO U: Online learning platform from IDEO delivering self-paced design thinking courses and certificates to individuals and corporate learners; the closest scalable online analogue to DTI's e-learning portfolio and bundle packages.
• ExperiencePoint: Provider of design thinking and customer experience training programs sold to corporate L&D teams globally; overlaps with DTI on enterprise training packages, certification programs and facilitator enablement.
• AJ&Smart: Berlin-based innovation consultancy and training firm specializing in Design Sprints and design thinking workshops for corporate teams; the most direct international analogue to DTI given its focus on training internal moderators and facilitators across Europe.

Others

• Service Design Network: Global community and conference organization advancing service design practice; an adjacent ecosystem participant relevant to DTI's service design training and certification work rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Originator of design thinking as a corporate methodology with a broad portfolio of consulting, design research and learning programs (IDEO U); the canonical incumbent whose methodology DTI teaches and whose entry into any market DTI serves would be a defining competitive event.
• frog (frog design): Global design and innovation consultancy offering transformation and capability-building services to multinationals; overlaps with DTI in organizational innovation programs and design thinking adoption at the enterprise level.
• Designit: Wipro-owned global design and innovation consultancy delivering service design, strategy and capability-building programs for large enterprises; comparable to DTI's corporate training and strategic-process offering but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Regional players

• Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID): Denmark-based design education institution running professional programs in interaction design, service design and design thinking; comparable to DTI on educational mission and target learner (working professionals) but operating in a different geographic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/designthinkinginstytute
• Instagraminstagram.com/design_thinking_institute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/designthinkinginstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Design Thinking Institute