Methods I
with Corey LeeOffsite Japan
Most designers can execute, but few can explain why they’re building what they build.
Methods I, is designed to bridge that gap.
Led by Corey Lee, formerly of Figma, this course moves beyond the mechanics of design tools and into the architecture of strategic thinking. Students will learn how to frame problems, define opportunities, and translate design insight into actionable business outcomes.
Through hands-on exercises, workshops, and applied projects in Figma, students will develop their own strategic frameworks, learning to diagnose challenges, identify differentiators, and craft logical, repeatable systems for decision-making. The course introduces the core components of effective strategy, Context, Opportunities, Hypothesis, Themes, and Tactics, and shows how these elements can guide design direction, team alignment, and go-to-market success.
Methods I, is designed to bridge that gap.
Led by Corey Lee, formerly of Figma, this course moves beyond the mechanics of design tools and into the architecture of strategic thinking. Students will learn how to frame problems, define opportunities, and translate design insight into actionable business outcomes.
Through hands-on exercises, workshops, and applied projects in Figma, students will develop their own strategic frameworks, learning to diagnose challenges, identify differentiators, and craft logical, repeatable systems for decision-making. The course introduces the core components of effective strategy, Context, Opportunities, Hypothesis, Themes, and Tactics, and shows how these elements can guide design direction, team alignment, and go-to-market success.
By the end of the course, students will understand how to integrate design execution with product strategy, enabling them to move from maker to strategic partner. Whether they aim to grow as in-house designers, freelancers, or founders, participants will leave with a foundation for making confident, data-informed, and value-driven design decisions.
Learning Outcomes
- Strategic Design Thinking
- Understand strategy as a framework for diagnosis and action, connecting design choices to measurable business outcomes.
- Context and Market Insight
- Develop the ability to analyze user needs, market forces, and organizational dynamics to define high-impact opportunities.
- Hypothesis Formation and Validation
- Learn to create clear, evidence-based hypotheses that guide product direction and align teams around shared objectives.
- Translating Insight into Execution
- Use Figma as a thinking tool, not just for interface design, but for visualizing strategy, mapping logic, and aligning decisions.
- Communicating Strategy
- Present your design rationale through structured, business-oriented narratives that build trust and clarity with stakeholders.
- Framework Development and Repeatability
- Construct your own repeatable strategic framework — ensuring consistent alignment and confident decision-making in any team environment.
- From 0 → 1 Thinking
- Synthesize design and strategy to imagine, test, and communicate products or services that can move from concept to real-world viability.
Schedule
Lecture 10:00 AM - 12:30 JST
Crit 10:00 AM - 12:30 JST
Crit 10:00 AM - 12:30 JST
Corey Lee
Designer, Product Strategist, and Design Coach
Corey Lee is a designer and product strategist with over 15 years of experience building products that matter and empowering designers to think beyond pixels — to design with purpose, business acumen, and strategic clarity.
Formerly at Figma, Corey helped shape how the world’s leading design teams collaborate, create, and scale. Today, as a designer coach, he accelerates full-time designers toward senior roles and helps freelancers and creative agencies build thriving, strategy-driven practices. His mission is to help designers learn to speak the language of business, transforming design from a service into a source of strategic advantage.
Formerly at Figma, Corey helped shape how the world’s leading design teams collaborate, create, and scale. Today, as a designer coach, he accelerates full-time designers toward senior roles and helps freelancers and creative agencies build thriving, strategy-driven practices. His mission is to help designers learn to speak the language of business, transforming design from a service into a source of strategic advantage.
Corey’s frameworks and ideas on design and strategy have inspired professionals across industries and disciplines, reframing how they think about product value, leadership, and impact. His teachings distill over a decade of real-world experience into actionable methods for diagnosing business challenges, crafting hypotheses, and aligning teams around clear, repeatable strategies.
Through Methods I, Corey equips emerging designers and product thinkers with the tools to bridge design and business, to not only create beautiful interfaces, but to build the conviction, clarity, and systems that bring ideas from 0 → 1 and sustain them in the real world.
Through Methods I, Corey equips emerging designers and product thinkers with the tools to bridge design and business, to not only create beautiful interfaces, but to build the conviction, clarity, and systems that bring ideas from 0 → 1 and sustain them in the real world.
