Phase 1: Scoping

In this phase, you’ll be understanding your challenge and revealing insights, through a new lens.

Key skills gained and practiced in this phase:

• Identifying root causes and contexts
• Writing challenge statements
• Shifting perspective on problem solving
• Finding new opportunities for problem solving
• Deep questioning - translating from noun to verb 
• User empathy - gathering data and challenging assumptions 

Phase 2: Discovering

This phase is about finding biological models that provide inspiration for novel solutions, and discovering local resources to help your implementation gain traction.

Key skills gained and practiced in this phase:

• Deep research skills & tools
• Documentation skills & tools
• Connecting with local expertise and facilities, through resource searching 
• Understanding hierarchies of solution opportunities (function, strategy, mechanism)
• Improving observation skills, via drawing
• Building an understanding of how good designs fits function to context

Phase 3: Abstracting

In this ‘technically’ intense phase, outcomes include distilling key insights, decision-making, and learning how to effectively communicate across disciplines. 

Key skills gained and practiced in this phase:

• Transdisciplinarity: Translating jargon-intense concepts to everyday language 
• Critical thinking: How to prioritise and create boundaries for decisions  
• Systems thinking: understanding interconnectedness and setting key focus areas
• Improving cross-disciplinary communication skills, via drawing

Phase 4: Creating

This phase turns insight into well-developed ideas through layered iteration and context matching. Engaging with the user builds the capacity for collaborative design. 

Key skills gained and practiced in this phase:

• Prototyping: creating a prototype that is sufficiently detailed to get valuable feedback
• Building the ability to iterate based on feedback, insights and critical thinking
• Increasing collaboration skills and optimise solution by co-designing with users 
• Flexible thinking - learn to navigate convergent and divergent decision making

Phase 5: Evaluating

This final phase is about honing your ideas by using key evaluation tools and feedback loops. 

Key skills gained and practiced in this phase:

• Getting and giving feedback, from both real users and cohort peers
• Identifying opportunities for solution evolution 
• Learning to evaluate against nature’s sustainability benchmarks 

Phase 6: Presenting

The end is the beginning! Turn ideas into action, based on research and presenting your ideas. By telling your story and announcing next steps, you’re able to build valuable connections and collaborations to motivate you to keep your practice going! 

Key skills gained and practiced in this phase:

• Report-writing
• Presenting
• TED talk / Pitch-style 8min presentation at the end 

Other benefits

There are also some skills and benefits that are global to the overall experience  

• Self-sustained learning, guided by structure, accountability and mentoring 
• Peer-to-peer learning, through cohort calls and co-pilot activities
• Learning new software, tools and platforms
• Connection to a diverse, global network and community of inspiring change-makers
• Free monthly online meetups for alumni via the Communitree
• Discounted access to Learn Biomimicry’s bi-annual Biomimicry Confluence conference
• Perpetual access to curriculum and platform
• Exclusive access to our library of learners’ past projects.
• PLUS: Side effects may include a whole new level of wonder and understanding of the natural world. 😉

If you have any questions about the Biomimicry Practitioner Programme, please don’t hesitate to contact Jess (jess@learnbiomimicry. com) or Alistair ([email protected]), or book a call with Ali and ask him anything.