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Northwestern University

Design Innovation

Design innovation empowers Northwestern students to imagine a new future.

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Societal innovation starts with
PEOPLE.

We educate the creative explorers of the future, focusing on the interconnectedness of technology, humans, and the natural world. Our students turn ideas into reality, centering people in complex challenges that have local and global consequences.

Design Innovation is about
mindset, process, and tools.

Mindset

Mindset: Design innovation is serious play. Adopt a designer's mindset: let go of fear of failure and have a solution-focused attitude. You'll be better able to take risks and design what's next.

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Mindset
Process

Process: The design innovation process involves some version of these steps: identify, ideate, and iterate. The goal: allowing you to design with the end user always first in your mind.

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Process
Tools

Tools: There’s no big prize for correctly solving the wrong problem. Tools like user observation help you understand the people you’re designing for and build empathy for their situation.

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Tools

News and Events

Keep up-to-date with our latest news stories and explore our upcoming events.

Human-Centered Design Projects

At both the graduate and undergraduate level, our students work on projects that produce tangible results and improve the lives of people around the world. Our team-based approach to education encourages students to use design thinking together to solve complex, authentic problems in product, interaction, service, and business design.

See all projectsLearn about project partnerships

Gastropops student team at Shedd Aquarium

GastroPops

A tasty artificial snail made from ground oyster shells and a seafood blend.

Queen conch, an important food source for marine animals, are listed as threatened due to overfishing, predation. and habitat loss from climate change.

The Gastropop snail aims to help inform restoration and conservation efforts — without exacerbating already threatened food sources.

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Sno-Gro boots team with prototypes

Sno-Gro Boots

Children’s winter boots that can expand up to three sizes.

Many families face the recurring expense of buying new winter boots for growing children each year.

This project, called Sno-Gro Boots, aims to create footwear that lasts for more than just one season, addressing both economic and environmental concerns.

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Feeding America

Taking on Food Insecurity

EDI students designed new ways for Feeding America to get food into the hands of those who need it most.

Feeding America charged students to create new strategies to rescue foods from retail and bring those goods into the Feeding America ecosystem.

Students tested ideas in the marketplace by visiting food banks, retail store, and various public venues to gather firsthand feedback.

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Who we work with

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James Kubik
James Kubik

James Kubik

MaDE

"So much of Segal Design Institute is about how design and engineering go hand in hand in a very practical sense. You’re doing both engineering and design at the same time in the same class and that’s the beauty of the MaDE program."
See James' startup venture

Haoqi Zhang
Haoqi Zhang

Haoqi Zhang

Associate Professor of Computer Science

"Design arguments are the reasons why a design may work. You need to build a language for thinking about how to argue for an idea and explain why it is the right move."
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Amelia Fish
Amelia Fish

Amelia Fish

EDI & Senior User Experience Designer, 3M

"Coming to the design team [at 3M] with several years of engineering experience was a huge advantage. I was able to better relate to the people I worked with on the technical and business teams than a traditional designer might."
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Manogna Lekkalapudi
Manogna Lekkalapudi

Manogna Lekkalapudi

MMM

"[The MMM Program] adds an extra dimension of empathetic and user-centered perspective to your management skills, bringing together both the EQ and the IQ elements of analytical thinking."
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Wendy Roldan
Wendy Roldan

Wendy Roldan

Segal Design Certificate

"With the mentorship I received at Segal Design Institute and Delta Lab, I have discovered my passion for research at the intersection of design thinking, manufacturing, and engineering."
See Wendy Roldan's project

What we teach

The interdisciplinary academic programs at the Segal Design Institute provide undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on, project-based curricula, integrating creative problem-solving into a variety of domains.

Explore our opportunities to find a program that best fits your goals.

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Undergraduate Study

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Whether you're looking to take a single design course or earn your bachelor's degree or certificate in design, Segal provides a wide range of exciting opportunities for undergraduates.

Master's Graduate Study

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Discover the right program to position yourself for the next step in your career in industry, research, or academia.

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PhD Graduate Study

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We do not offer a PhD program, but we're part of a larger ecosystem of centers and labs pursuing design-related academic research at Northwestern. PhD students interested in design-related research can explore the Design Research Cluster, an interdisciplinary doctoral program sponsored by the McCormick School of Engineering and The Graduate School at Northwestern.

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WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF

Design Innovation

Design innovation creates value using design-centric tools and frameworks such as empathy, visualization, prototyping, and iteration. By acquiring design innovation skills, we are prepared to find and frame problems, identify opportunities, and innovate across a variety of spaces. We are ready to bring our ideas to life.
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