Courses

Explores the basic concepts of interaction design and fundamental theory The objective of this course is to introduce concepts of interactive media to students who enter the MDes program without a prior design degree. Through three modules based on user experience and interaction design, the course will enable students to engage with different digital media…

Learn how to be a capable image-maker through being a competent image-evaluator In an increasingly visually taxed world, with people’s ability to create and consume image-based media the easiest its ever been, knowing how to create compelling photography that can breakthrough the content-laden din to get noticed is a valuable skill. After a grounding in…

Creates the foundation of knowledge and skills for three-dimensional design At the end of this course, students should be able to explore, create, and communicate design directions for simple products and environments taking into account design principles, human factors, technology, and business issues. Learning Objectives Students learn about the design process through a series of…

Covers fundamentals for conveying visual information in effective and clear ways. This course provides the fundamentals for conveying visual information in a way that is effective and clear. Through a deep understanding structure and context of content, students will learn to apply visual elements, techniques, and principles crafting effective visual messages. Learning Objectives Students will…

Introduction to the methods, tools, and techniques for working with “quant” data in the design process Data literacy – the ability to confidently evaluate, interpret, and craft compelling stories with data – is a critical skill for designers working with data-smart products and interdisciplinary teams. But as a new skill for many, data analysis and…

Prepares students to confidently build projects with front-end web development tools. Web development technologies are increasingly important tools in a designer’s kit, aiding in every aspect of the design process from research to presentation. There is no platform as universal and distributed as the world wide web and mastering its complementary software languages and tools…

Explores the fundamental challenge of embodying a solution in a physical form. While many technical requirements for creating products define the materials to use and drive product form, designers are also actively defining a company’s brand expression through form and materials. This course looks to examine the influences of advanced technology, environmental concerns, and competitive…

Examines the principles and methods of visual representations and communication. Design, being an extremely expansive field, includes experts with highly specialized skills. While excelling in their respective areas, many lack the basics of good visual communication design, relying on commonplace or trendy graphic design expressions. Yet being able to communicate ideas that don’t yet exist…

Explores the language of diagrams and similar techniques for increasing communication effectiveness. Designers are often challenged with the development and synthesis of complex ideas, whether they are research outputs, design concepts, or system plans. At the same time, the proliferation of easy-to-use graphic and visualization tools facilitates the creation of visual representations that often emphasize…

This course explores the growing number of prototyping methods for design. Although prototyping is often thought of as coming at the end of the design process to verify a solution, our approach maintains that prototyping needs to happen throughout the process from initial research to storytelling, to concept generation, and lastly to refine and improve…

Builds a contextual basis for the field and profession of design Designers of the highest caliber offer not only excellent formal skills and conceptual rigor, but also an intellectual grasp of the professional practice of design, including evolution through history, current state and future direction. Broad knowledge of the field of design, and the different…

Introduction to the use of analytics measure the success of design solutions This course will introduce students to the process of collecting and analyzing evidence to make more informed design decisions. Having measurable results can aid a design team in justifying design decisions as well as helping justify an expansion of design efforts. This course…

Explore the various types of critique and their usefulness at different stages of the design process This course will introduce students to the theory and application of critique methods. There are various forms and contexts where critique takes place in worlds as disparate as art, design, and business. In this course, students will receive an…

An overview of how designs and design activities exert political agency. To design is to devise courses of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.” Simon’s oft-quoted definition begs the question, who gets to decide what is a preferred situation? Design shapes more than just products, services, and experiences. To design is to…

A critical survey of key and reoccurring contextual paradigms that designers must consider. The world is in flux. Everything must be re-designed. This course will survey a selection of theories, ideas and concepts that form the basis for understanding ourselves, the category of “the human” and the world that we live in. Currently, many aspects…

Review fundamental principles of Behavioral Economics in the context of the human-centered design. We all probably think of ourselves as rational decision-makers, when in fact we often make decisions based on incomplete information, frequently make “irrational” choices, and don’t always act in our own best interest. Yet as designers, we frequently assume our end users…

Introduces key principles and surrounding factors of the human experience for design efforts. “User Centeredness” is an understanding of a complex and wide range of influences that affect how people respond to the designed world. This course introduces students to the principles and surrounding factors of the human experience and how to incorporate these perspectives…

Explores issues in design and contemporary culture at the intersection of digital technologies, ethics, and society. How are futures imagined, performed, and made durable over time? Where and how are futures being made? Who is included and who is excluded from these futures? What is the role, agency and responsibility of design in making futures…

Introduces the principles and methods of user research for design. This course will introduce the principles and methods of user research drawing on the fields of anthropology and design as well as the intersection between these fields. What is a “user” and why might it be important to conduct research from a user-centered perspective? What…

Covers basics of argumentation, secondary research, and group-based discussion methods for establishing useful contexts to design against. This course will improve critical thinking skills when considering the wide variety of inputs and insight that often accompanies design initiatives. Understanding the context of a particular design challenge is critical to ensuring an insightful and reliable solution.…

Explore different established and emerging change management models and their application to design In this class, participants will explore new capabilities designers have to incorporate to exercise leadership, including how to engage and mobilize systems of people when facing complex challenges. Grounded in both theory and practice of the Adaptive Leadership Framework, this course provides…

How to strategically create enterprise design abilities in open innovation systems. Enterprising design strategies, the capacity to effectively innovate by integrating skills, techniques, sensibilities, practices, processes, and strategies that are institutionally and geographically dispersed has become the biggest challenge for any organization or initiative dependent on innovation to be successful. This course is for students…

Explores communication methods to give tangible form to valuable information throughout the development process. This course teaches students how to use communication methods to accelerate synthesis and give tangible form to valuable information throughout the development process. Students explore relevant theories of language, visual perception, visual representation, and communication. Through a mix of lecture, group…

Introduction to the typical process and tools designers use to understand fuzzy problems and develop insightful directions to pursue. Design analysis is primarily concerned with generating insights that drive the development of new products, services, and communications. Design synthesis is concerned with generating solutions that act on the insights developed in design analysis. These solutions…

Exploration of different digital media tools and artifacts Through three modules based on user experience and interaction design, the course will enable students to engage with different digital media tools and artifacts. Learning Objectives Students of this course will learn and reflect on three critical areas of Digital Media: Information Architecture, Interaction Gestalts, and Information…

Advances knowledge and skills for three-dimensional design experiences At the end of this course, students should be able to explore, create, and communicate design directions for simple products and environments taking into account design principles, human factors, technology, and business issues. Learning Objectives To give students the ability to successfully work on design problems: framing…

Investigates the elements, layout, and information structures in branded visual identity systems. Through this course students will continue to investigate the elements, layout, and information structures within the context of a branded visual identity system. This course focuses on a holistic approach mindful of brand attributes such as: message, meaning, audience, personality and tone, context…

Covers key principles and concepts with complex adaptive systems in relation to human-centered design. Even though it is well acknowledged that the unprecedented interconnectivity of the world economy, the global society, and the natural environment has a direct impact in the local lives and wellbeing of communities, yet change makers such as corporations, NGOs, investors,…

Applying design methods and open innovation towards sustainable solutions with impact. Contemporary problems and their solutions can be defined as complex adaptive systems because they emerge from the daily behavior of seven billion people looking for better standards of living when confronting the challenges and opportunities shaped by the unprecedented interconnectivity of the world economy,…

Understanding the structure and behavior of different types of systems. The course investigates principles and methods for representing and understanding the structure and behavior of different types of systems. Various forms of theoretical and philosophical frameworks and methodologies are introduced to model and understand the fundamental characteristics of domains of concern from different perspectives. Topics…

Introduces visual techniques to translate complex topics into models, diagrams, and frameworks. This skill is increasingly important as many problems that designers are wrestling with involve large-scale problem definition. And include subjects and characteristics too large or numerous to conceptualize using memory and cognition alone. Learning Objectives While simple models and frameworks often emerge naturally…

Covers the emerging practice of applying design to areas of civic-oriented challenges. This seminar applies Jay Doblin’s definition of ID as a school that leads to the establishment of Design as a professional practice.  Doblin postulated that what defines professional practice is the existence of theory, history, critique, and established practices/methods.  For a professional practice,…

Overview of how, why, and when to use codesign and participatory design in design research. Codesign and participatory design emphasize a shifting relationship between designers and participants, from hierarchical to collaborative. Specifically, codesign and participatory design offer ways of bringing together diverse groups of stakeholders around complex socio-technical issues such as health, education, transportation, technology,…

Project-based course with students from various colleges working together to address a real-world problem. Multidisciplinary Prototyping will approach projects with a real-world impact from a multidisciplinary stance. In this class, students will work with students from other disciplines around campus to engage design-led innovation methods and solve a real-world challenge provided by a company or…

Understanding key principles, values, culture/behaviors, and methods of Agile in design practice. Design Thinking is about defining the right work, and agile is about doing the work right. Agile culture is about clarity of purpose and that all work directly supports the overall value delivered to markets and customers. This course will be a balance…

Explores the methods and techniques to guide teams to desired outcomes in ways that build alignment, engagement, and momentum. Facilitation is the unspoken, untaught skill that can make all the difference in your ability to lead others through routine, as well as more complex, adaptive challenges. In this class, you will become a more adept,…

This course will teach methods and tools that focus a team’s creativity and analysis on the right deliverables. It will also explore how the basic functional methods of the business world–things like schedules, budgets, emails and meetings–can be informed by design thinking leadership to be more effective for teams composed of multiple disciplines. In both…

Explores communication methods to give tangible form to valuable information throughout the development process In both professional and academic careers, there is an increased need for storytelling skills and self-awareness. TED Talks have truly changed the way we expect content to be delivered. Creating passion-filled, compelling, and effective stories is a critical part of leadership.…

Explores the use and design of dynamic and interactive qualities for effective visualizations. We will review current theories and examine real-world examples of data narratives, data visualization, and time-based visualizations, analyzing motion, narration, transitions, and other visual properties that can enhance comprehension. As this field is evolving and new tools emerging, the course will also…

Explores the use of metaphors for increasing communication effectiveness. Designers cannot afford to communicate poorly: it’s more than a cliché that even great ideas can languish if not communicated well to the people who can convert them from thought to action. This is true when presenting to internal audiences, clients, at interviews, and with teams:…

Provides practice of research, development, and prototyping methods for communication design solutions. This workshop offers students the opportunity to practice methods for design research, concept development, and rapid prototyping of communication design solutions. The course explores a variety of communication design outlets such as traditional communication media, new communication media, multimodal communications, spatial communication, communication…

Explores a variety of digital fabrication tools alongside the language, limitations, and capabilities of contemporary and near-future digital manufacturing. This course serves as a broad introduction to issues in contemporary product and interaction design related to digital fabrication and data-driven form. Loosely structured around the increasingly viable notion of user-centered ‘Hyper-Customization,’ students will explore how…

Explores interaction design issues for immersive media experiences. This course explores interaction design issues for immersive media experiences that are enabled by visual formats such as multiple displays and immersive displays (e.g. head-mounted displays) and are used for applications such as vehicle simulators and augmented reality environments. In particular, we will look at the use…

Overview of product architectures and platforms and their possible applications to different design challenges. This course introduces the concept of product architecture and platforms to explore their possible applications to different types of products from different viewpoints. Product architecture is the physical and conceptual structure that integrates product components and subsystems into a coherent mechanism…

Explore current and emerging methods and tools to develop ideas into interactive prototypes. This recurring course teaches current and emerging electronics and programmatic prototyping tools so that students are able to fluently develop their ideas into interactive and responsive outcomes. Digital Development challenges students to explore how a combined knowledge of design research methods, contemporary…

This course will teach aspiring entrepreneurs how to build design-led start-ups and new ventures. Students will learn how to launch in-market experiments and test new business ideas through iterative ‘explore, create, build and learn’ cycles. This exploration will happen across the four critical elements of a new venture: brand/value proposition, user experience, business model and…

Frameworks and methods for effectively navigating change in organizations. One of the biggest frustrations designers face in the real world is seeing their designs sit on a shelf, or worse, become so bastardized that they are unrecognizable by the time they are implemented. Planning Implementation helps students develop skills – and gives them tools –…

Practical understanding of how businesses create value and sustainable strategic differentiation. In this course, students will develop a practical understanding of how business models work to create value for customers and sustainable strategic differentiation for a business. Through the semester, project teams will create new business model concepts representing interrelated entities in an ecosystem and…

An introduction to the techniques and processes involved in product/portfolio planning Today’s companies face many challenges. The least of which is managing their finite resources to deliver ever more compelling products and services faster than their competition and at higher profits. Portfolio planning in this context is the culmination of efforts to explore, create, and…

A survey of interaction models, prototyping methods, and tools borrowed from computer programming and product design. This review will help designers work at the intersection of social, cultural and technological contexts. The course will also touch on topics in cognitive psychology, sociology, and anthropology with computer science and design. Learning Objectives Expose students to methods…

Examines interactive media and improving the engagement between a provider (e.g. product or service provider) and a consumer (e.g. users, stakeholders, purchasers). Using the principles of persuasive technologies and design, we will explore theories and techniques to make an offering engaging enough through its interactions to support preferred behavior (such as repeated use, more effective…

Examines key thought leaders in interaction design, their innovations, and the technology and business contexts that shaped the environment for their work. We will identify important technologies and innovations for human/computer interaction and seek to forecast their future capabilities. We will review and assess successful and failed designs to better understand the elements that led…

This course introduces methods for effectively describing the dynamic nature of interaction. Beyond the basic concepts of interaction, underlying theories and design principles will also be discussed to examine understanding user needs, modeling, prototyping, designing, and evaluating interactive systems. Learning Objectives The course will cover the following topics: Historical development and nature of interaction design…

Explore the latest interaction design techniques to effectively support engagement and delivery. This workshop offers students an opportunity to explore issues related to interaction design and complex behavior challenges and build their skill in conducting user and contextual research, analysis to identify insights and design principles that may be used to reframe and refine solutions…

Explores the entire product development experience from framing through ideation to final concepts. This course is an opportunity for students to exercise their design muscles throughout an entire product development experience from framing through ideation to final concepts. The design process is rarely the clean linear path it is often depicted as. Navigating the nonlinearity,…

Explores methods and tools to design services with multiple stakeholders, elements, and delivery channels. Services are increasingly dynamic, interconnected systems that need to be thoughtfully designed and choreographed. Service components can be tangible design elements–graphic, interaction, product, environments–or intangible elements such as roles, organizational structures, and incentives. Designing for services require new approaches and tools…

Team-based course to apply innovation methods to a given problem and map out future possibilities. The goal of this workshop is to plan innovation opportunities in a selected topic of interest. Teams will conceive offerings that an organization can build and map out future possibilities. Teams will go through a structured innovation process that includes…

An overview of classic grounded theory coding techniques and current practices used in design research. The field of design began integrating social science methods for understanding users in the early 1990s. This course builds on that early work. Students will learn how to develop code lists, how to code data and how to conscientiously substitute…

Introduction to the basic components and considerations of survey design. In this course, we will cover basic components of survey design, including data collection modes, sampling, coverage errors, nonresponse, interviewer effects, questionnaire design, and ethics related to survey research. Students will also gain practical and hands-on experiences to further understand the practical aspects of the…

Covers the process and methods to describe and depict experiences. This course covers the process and methods of “Experience Modeling” –illustrating current and potential future experiences for the purpose of design-led innovation. As the number of touch points with customers has exploded, the challenge in understanding and managing a multi-channel customer experience has become increasingly…

Explores the use of interviews as a primary method of inquiry and insight development. This course will provide both practical knowledge and theoretical/methodological background to enable students to thoughtfully engage with users through individual and group-based interviews and to analyze and understand those dialogues. The course will combine scholarly research from the social sciences and…

Explores the use of photographic imagery in design-led, user research and related activities. Photography plays a critical role throughout the design process and is particularly important during upfront discovery research. From the preliminary framing of a design challenge through to the communication of research findings and design direction, students will learn how to take successful…

Introduces the theory and methods of behavioral observation, description, and analysis. This course will introduce students to theory and methods of behavioral observation, description, and analysis. Students will use a variety of techniques derived from social and behavioral psychology and anthropology to develop useful, powerful approaches to solving modern design and business problems. Readings and…

Design tactics and strategies for integrating knowledge distributed across multiple domains. This course teaches design tactics and strategies for integrating knowledge distributed across multiple domains. Open innovation systems, which consist of a productive capacity to design complex solutions by incorporating large quantities of relevant knowledge distributed across large networks of people has become a dominant…

Explores the social dynamics of design as an agent of change and innovation. As leaders in large organizations wonder where their next big idea will come from, individuals and teams within these organizations wonder how to get their great ideas to gain traction and attention among executives and peers. The void between ideas and sponsorship gets…

A broad look at innovation in design processes, methods, frameworks, and key principles. Based on the book “101 Design Methods: A Structured Approach for Driving Innovation in Your Organization”, this course will cover seven modes of innovation: sense intent, know context, know users, frame insights, explore concepts, frame solutions, and realize offerings. The course will…

Introduction to basic ideas, frameworks, and capabilities of innovation initiatives. This course is short but intense, and instrumental for understanding the basic ideas, frameworks, and capabilities that modern design planning and innovation programs demand. If you believe that innovation is fundamentally about creativity, the term “innovation planning” appears to make no sense. This should be…