The Importance of Storytelling in Design
EDI alumni inspired current students' career exploration and storytelling abilities.
Design Communications is a core course in Northwestern's Master of Science in Engineering Design Innovation (EDI) program for a simple reason: effective storytelling is a critical component of design leadership
Integrating storytelling best practices into design methodologies and deliverables can be challenging. How might students develop foundational design storytelling skills to leverage in their coursework and as they navigate their unique career paths?
That was the question EDI director Amy O'Keefe and Tran Ha, founder and principal of Tiny Collaborative, asked as they created the course syllabus and recruited an ensemble teaching team for the class.
The Design Communications course drew on the experience of four design professionals and seven EDI alumni who served as lab leads during the course. These alumni interacted with small groups of students with aligned professional goals, meeting weekly to review course deliverables, discuss the relevance of storytelling, and talk through navigating career exploration and development. "This class helped me grow as a storyteller by showing me to be aspirational," said Jack Killian (EDI '26). "I came in with knowledge on how to engage and connect with readers. However, I was always shy to share my excitement in storytelling. With this class, I see the true importance and differentiation that storytelling can bring to my own personal brand."
The ultimate goal was to help students develop skills to express their ideas by making them more visible and tangible while creating a stronger emotional connection with audiences.
"The class forced me to be much more intentional about how I tell my own story through every aspect of what my 'brand' is," said Josh Greenburg (EDI '26). "As a storyteller, I am better able to get to the core of what story I am telling, and have been more intentional about how to convey it."
Three of the alumni involved with the class recently shared why they wanted to take on lab lead roles and what it says about how EDI prepares students for professional success.
Why did you want to be involved with the course?
Vanessa Corbett (EDI '20), lead experience designer at JPMorgan Chase: I am involved with hiring for my team at work and I find it so interesting how people present themselves in their portfolios and interviews. It is so challenging to look at yourself objectively and come across well to others in such a stressful scenario, especially when you are new to the process. I wanted to get involved to help students think more about that and provide some insight into what might be going on on the hiring side.
Ruizhi Liu (EDI '13), senior director, experience design at Travelers: It’s exciting to engage with the next generation of design talent. Having already mentored design students outside of EDI, it feels like a natural progression to extend this support within the EDI community. I’m excited to be part of the supporting ecosystem that nurtures their growth and development.
Justin Wear (EDI '10), UX research leadership at Google: As I grow more experienced in the industry, it's important to me to share my knowledge with others and help improve their careers. I think the biggest inspiration comes from the practical advice industry experts can provide. This course helps prepare graduates for the real jobs they will be assuming. It's inspiring that a fundamentally academic program thinks so pragmatically about the future needs of its students.
What stood out to you about the experience?
Corbett: I learned so much from the students. They helped me see what I can do better in my own portfolio and introduced me to new platforms and tools. It is also amazing to see how talented they all are and how much they grew in telling their stories in only a few short weeks.
Liu: I was truly impressed by how much the new cohort of EDI students grew. It was incredible to see them transform into confident, independent storytellers. They developed the ability to embrace ambiguity and challenges, all while gaining clarity about who they are and what they want to pursue in their careers.
Wear: Their questions helped me question what I take for granted. There's so much that you learn in school that's the ideal process that just is not reality in most companies. Their questions helped me strongly think about the right approaches.
How does this course demonstrate EDI's emphasis on preparing students to meet industry needs?
Corbett: This interaction with current and past students is what EDI is all about. It is such an amazing community and a testament to the fact that everyone wants to see each other succeed.
Liu: EDI continually evolves its offerings based on student needs and feedback, staying responsive and aligned with the changing landscape of the industry. At its heart, EDI feels like a family, with an intrinsic sense of familiarity and connection, even among people who have never met before. EDI is inclusive and diverse, providing students with a range of perspectives that help prepare them for the real-world challenges they’ll face in their careers. I believe this sense of community and belonging will stay with them for years to come — it certainly has and will continue to for me.
Wear: EDI is evolving to meet the changing needs of the industry. The program is tailor-made to provide students with the right prep to immediately land a job and make an impact across a range of career types. By involving this amount of industry expertise, EDI is positioned to be the best graduate program for students to land a job after graduation because they understand the nuances of the market and the translation from ideal process in academia to the hodgepodge, ad hoc changes in industry.
