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Inside Our Program

An Insider's Perspective on Growth Innovation

March 2024   Accenture Song global chief strategy officer Baiju Shah discusses leadership and what it takes to remain relevant in his Growth Innovation course.

The Entrepreneurial Cheerleader

March 2024   Zach Jaffe brought his startup experience to the MMM program and is using it to foster the enthusiasm on campus for entrepreneurship and venture capital.

Scaling Olympus

March 2024   Scott Tsangeos leans on his MMM lessons and the opportunities the program provides to build his strength-training app into a powerhouse in the fitness community.

From Toothbrushes to Whiskey

February 2024   Marissa Noboa shares how the MMM program set her up for what has proven to be a successful and diverse career in brand leadership.

Cutting Through the Digital Clutter

February 2024   Microsoft's Mike Edmonds received the 2023 Cole-Higgins Award for Excellence in Teaching for his work teaching Mindful Product Management in Northwestern's MBA + MS Design Innovation (MMM) program.

Searching for Revenue at Amazon

January 2024   Sky Lalwani's internship at Amazon gave him the chance to leverage lessons learned in Northwestern's MBA + MS Design Innovation (MMM) program to help solve a financial problem.

Beyond Barbie

January 2024   Tamara Gutverg shares insights from her internship experience at toymaker Mattel, planning for the next generation of dolls while being immersed in a cultural tidal wave.

She Just Did It

January 2024   Karley Woods looks back on how the MMM program helped prepare her for success during her summer internship with Nike.

Shaping Foxtrot's Storytelling

January 2024   Students in MMM’s Business Innovation Lab are helping alum Nora Boneham (MMM ‘19) create a smoother shopping experience for customers at Foxtrot.

Applying MMM Lessons at Harry's

December 2023   Liz Mooney returns to the MMM program to partner with students in its Business Innovation Lab to drive growth at the shaving and grooming products company.

Answering the Call of Duty

December 2023   Kevin Petty looks back on his internship with Activision and how the MMM program helped prepare him for success with the maker of the popular video game series.

Capital One’s MMM Five

December 2023   A quintet of summer interns brought the program’s human-centered design approach to the financial institution.

The Quest for Rapid Growth

November 2023   Intech Systems Managing Director Deval Parikh (MMM ‘99) talks about how he leveraged his MMM education to develop a business philosophy that has led to multiple massive success stories.

Blending Creativity and Design with Business in the MMM Program

November 2023   International student Maanil Dodani ’25 recounts his first few months in the design-centric MBA program, and how supportive career coaches and peers are helping him chart a career pivot.

from Kellogg

Focused on Flow

October 2023   Michael Chen shares how instrumental the MMM program was to his career growth and his ability to create innovative workflow products at Asana.

Reinventing Couples Counseling 

September 2023   Adam Putterman's MMM experience made it possible to found OURS, a company financially backed by Serena Williams’ fund Serena Ventures that is trying to remove the stigma surrounding couples looking for help in their relationship.

A Sparkling Project for MMM Students

September 2023   Students in the MMM program’s Research-Design-Build course talked about their experience helping one of the world’s largest diamond retailers create lasting connections to its customers.

‘The Guy Who Does Crazy Stuff’ 

September 2023   Logan Groover leverages the lessons learned from the MMM program to play the role of impressionist at e-commerce giant Wayfair. 

Rethinking the Driving Experience 

August 2023   Geetha Somayajula (MMM '24) shares how she applied lessons learned in MMM to win the Kellogg Design Challenge and help Nissan reimagine global transportation.

Infection Prevention Reimagined

April 2023   MMM students put their learning into practice to help Northwestern Medicine in its fight against the spread of pathogens.

Protecting Women’s Health Privacy 

March 2023   Students in the MMM program’s Equity Centered Design class partnered with a Chicago group to help seal recently-digitized sensitive information.

Tech Talk Translators 

March 2023   MMM course’s new instructors focus on creating digital designers with the ability to build bridges to the world of software engineers and developers.

Training the Hybrid Innovator

February 2023   MMM program’s co-director talks about how the program is able to create graduates ready to make a difference in the business world.

Bringing the MMM Mindset to Google

November 2022   Saranga Arora’s summer internship helped shape her career goals for when she graduates from the MMM program.

What I'm Looking Forward to About MMM

November 2022   Five new students share what appealed to them about the program and how they think it will help them accomplish their professional goals.

Designing with Equity in Mind 

October 2022   A new MMM course looks at an often overlooked element in human centered design in an effort to address current social inequities. 

Serving Impoverished Areas in Kenya

October 2022   Tobias Wyler’s summer internship allowed him to apply lessons learned in MMM to help improve the sanitation situation in slums in Nairobi.

10 Alumni on Why They Chose MMM

September 2022   Recent graduates from the dual-degree program thought back to their time as prospective students and explained why MMM appealed to them.

Becoming a Math Teacher's Best Friend

September 2022   Jake Erichson leaned on his MMM lessons during his summer work on an app designed to make life easier for math teachers.

Making a Difference — Collaboratively

September 2022   Adjunct lecturer Dan Kraemer talks about his work as co-founder and co-CEO of IA Collaborative and his new course being taught to students in Northwestern's MMM program.

Returning to Microsoft and Minecraft

August 2022   Danielle Ma (MMM '22) is applying the focus on human-centered design she learned in MMM into her work at Microsoft, where she's leading consumer insights for the Minecraft franchise.

Expanding Reality Thanks to MMM

August 2022   René Peters talks about how his time with the MMM program helped him on the road to unveiling NVIDIA’s potentially life-changing Project Aurora.

Design Thinking with Bank of America

August 2022   MMM students helped Bank of America reimagine the post-pandemic banking experience for their Business Innovation Lab (BIL) project.

Optimism as an Asset

June 2022   Michael Perry (MMM ‘18) talks about his positive approach to life and work as a design innovator with Doblin.

Designing IoT Products to Connect the World

May 2022   Ryan Lee (MMM '16) talks about how Northwestern's MMM program prepared him for his work as senior director of product management with Hologram, an Internet of Things startup.

Bringing Fresh Eyes to Barilla

May 2022   Discover why the 145-year-old pasta company continues to turn to students in Northwestern's MMM program for guidance in design thinking and human-centered design.

From Innovation to Execution

May 2022   Marney Boughan (MMM '11) talks about how Northwestern's MMM program prepared her to successfully launch her design consultancy company, dthink.

Discovering Hidden Possibilities

May 2022   Ellen Wilcox (MMM '20) shares how the MMM program helped hone the human-centered design approach she now leverages daily as a senior design lead at IDEO.

3 Things to Know About Business Innovation Lab

April 2022   MMM Co-Director Greg Holderfield talks about the unique elements of Business Innovation Lab, the culminating course in a student's MMM experience.

Bringing Empathy to the Bra-Buying Experience

April 2022   Nicole Cuervo (MMM '22) is leveraging the lessons she's learned in Northwestern's MMM program to launch Springrose, her own company that produces adaptive, attractive, and comfortable bras designed specifically for women with upper mobility restrictions.

Designing the Future of History Education

February 2022   Steph Manuel (MMM '19) shares how MMM prepared him to launch TrueFiktion in an effort to redesign how people understand and relate to American history.

MMM Alum Uses Design Thinking to Help Plato Look Forward

February 2022   Stephen Chang (MMM ‘21), a product manager at startup Plato, reflected on his recent experience leading a design sprint to help brainstorm new growth opportunities for the company.

Bringing Human-Centered Design Home

February 2022   Claire Henderson (MMM ‘18) shares how Northwestern’s MMM Program prepared her to lead the innovation team at Zillow.

MMM Student Powers New Energy Company

January 2022   Entrepreneur Sophia Wennstedt (MMM ‘22) shares how blip energy got started and explains the value of the company's first product, the blipOne smart battery.

Southwest and Marriott Executives Reflect on the Value of MMM

December 2021   MMM students are assisting both companies as part of Research-Design-Build, one of the foundational courses in Northwestern's MMM program.

'Bringing the Future to Life' Thanks to MMM

December 2021   Adam Attas (MMM ‘18) explains how he's leveraged human-centered design principles at Fortune 100 companies and now as a product manager at a startup venture studio.

Lessons Learned So Far in MMM

November 2021   Current second quarter students check in about the highlights from their introduction to MMM and what they're looking forward to most about the rest of their time in the program.

Learning a New Way to Solve Problems

November 2021   Michael Boyas (MMM '22) wants a career that allows him to innovate while solving customer and business challenges. The lessons he's learning in MMM are preparing him to do just that.

Bridging Viability, Desirability, and Social Good

November 2021   Claire Marsh (MMM '20) turned to Northwestern's MMM program to understand how to bring business and design teams together. Now she's using that expertise to help launch new businesses as a senior product manager at BCG Digital Venture.

Using Creativity in New and Productive Ways

November 2021   Rohan Bhatt (MMM '22) has always been a creative person. Thanks to Northwestern's MMM program, he is learning to use that creativity to drive impact and create change.

Coming Full Circle With MMM

September 2021   Leah Marcus (MMM '13) had a transformative experience as a student in Northwestern Engineering's MMM program. Today, she is a business design director at IDEO and back at MMM, where she teaches as an adjunct lecturer.

Changing the World with Technology

September 2021   Kyron Whitfield (MMM '22) dreams of using technology to create innovative solutions that positively impact underrepresented communities. He turned to the MMM program to help make his dream a reality.

Northwestern Engineering Names Winners of 2021 Cole-Higgins Awards

September 2021   Casey Ankeny, Steven Franconeri, Victor Lefevre, Jill Wilson, and Kiki Zissimopoulos received the awards

from Northwestern Engineering

Creating Change and Capturing Value for Customers

August 2021   Shubhendra Agrawal (MMM '21) was drawn to MMM because of the intersection of business and design thinking. He recently reflected on the most important lessons he took away from the transformative program.

Bringing Mindfulness to Product Management

May 2021   As the popularity of product managers has increased, so too has the responsibility they must take for their creations, says MMM and EDI adjunct lecturer Mike Edmonds.

How MMM Prepared Me to be a Product Manager at Mastercard

May 2021   Stephanie Baranovic (MMM '19) talks about what appealed to her about MMM and how her experiences in the program directly influenced her role and responsibilities today.

Seeing MMM Lessons All Around

April 2021   Courtney Weldon (MMM '21) talks about having knowledge developed in MMM be applicable to almost everything she does now.

Understanding Ethics and Identity in Design

March 2021   Greater Good Studio Co-Founder George Aye shares the motivation behind this new course.

Learning to Innovate in any Industry

February 2021   Bianca Deslouches (MMM '19) talks about her new role as director of innovation strategy at Daily Harvest, and how she applies the lessons learned in Northwestern Engineering's MMM program on a daily basis.

Trio of MMM Alumni Share Experience Working at IA Collaborative

January 2021   Jenn Beske (MMM '15), Cam Scovil (MMM '17), and Juan Luciano (MMM '19) talk about their work at the design and innovation consultancy and the lessons they learned at Northwestern.

Using Whole-Brain Communications to Help Front-Line Workers

January 2021   MMM students provided recommendations to Northwestern Medicine to increase ease of use of analytical dashboards.

Transforming Cutting-Edge Technology

January 2021   Lynn Gong (MMM '18) talks about her role as a product manager at Adobe and how Northwestern Engineering's MMM program helped prepare her for the job.

Learning to Dream Bigger in MMM

January 2021   Rei Kigoshi (MMM '21) examines why she left her job developing innovative product concepts for aircraft cabins to pursue degrees in business and design innovation.

How COVID Turned My MMM Program Experience into a Real-life Design Case-study

September 2020   MMM Student Sarah Pinner (MMM ‘22) views the hybrid class experience as one that practices what MMM teaches.

Reflections from the MMM Class of 2020

August 2020   Graduates of the MMM Class of 2020 share their perspectives on MMM’s impact and memories of their ‘aha’ moment in the program.

MMM: A Pathway to Whole-Brain Thinking

August 2020   Dean Julio M. Ottino welcomed the new MMM cohort this summer. The following is an adaptation of his remarks.

Five Ways to Challenge Anti-Black Racism Using Design

July 2020   As the first pair of Black co-presidents to lead the Innovation and Design Association at Kellogg, Marvin Harris, Jr. (2Y 2021) and Hannah Anokye (MMM 2021) believe “that design and innovation can be leveraged to tackle societal issues that have stemmed from years of systemic inequality.”

Design Research

December 2019   The MMM Program's Design Research course taught by Amy Schwartz provides a deep dive into the human-centric element of the design thinking process.

MMM Students Sweep Kellogg Design Challenge

November 2019   Teams representing the MMM Program took home the top prizes at the Kellogg Design Challenge in partnership with Amazon.

from Northwestern Engineering

Designing a Better World

September 2019   Fernanda Colaco (MMM '20) interned with IDEO.org over the summer. Her internship took her to Tanzania where she designed financial tools for street food vendors.

Leveraging MMM Skill Set at Sephora's Innovation Lab

August 2019   Mark Carrott Odden (MMM '20) spent his summer interning with the Sephora's Innovation Lab, an opportunity that aligned with his passion for combining retail, innovation, and technology.

MMM Celebrates Class of 2019 Graduates

July 2019   Northwestern University's MMM Program celebrated the graduation of its master's students on June 21 and 22 as part of the University's 161st Commencement.

MMM Students Journey to Design Solutions

June 2019   Students in the MMM Program spent the winter term collaborating with Discover Global Network and Half Acre Beer Company as part of Business Innovation Lab, the program's capstone course.

MMM Innovation Day Explores Design in Business

April 2019   Students came together for the first-ever MMM Innovation Day on April 12 to hear different perspectives about fostering design innovation in business.

MMM Students Win PitchTexas Competition at SXSW

April 2019   A startup created by three Northwestern students won $10,000 at the 2019 SXSW PitchTexas Competition on March 8.

MMM Students Win AbbVie Innovation Challenge

March 2019   Northwestern students competed in the AbbVie Innovation Challenge on March 6, with a team consisting of three MMM students and a Kellogg MBA student placing first.

Exploring Entrepreneurship in Zell Fellows Program

March 2019   Robbie Sutkay and Layon Costa are applying the skills they have learned from the MMM Program to the Zell Fellows Program.

MMM Students Research-Design-Build Their Way to Innovation

February 2019   During the fall 2018 term, students in MMM's Research-Design-Build course partnered with DICK'S Sporting Goods and Lowe's Home Improvement.

MMM Students Win Kellogg Design Challenge

November 2018   Thirty-six teams competed in the Kellogg Design Challenge to create solutions to reduce barriers to insulin pump therapy for Medtronic.

from Northwestern Engineering

Q&A with Alyssa Lorenz, MMM '16

September 2018   Alyssa Lorenz is a Marketing Manager with Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices in the healthcare industry. In a Q&A, she reflects on her experience in the MMM Program and how it has impacted her career.

Q&A with Jeanne Gatto, MMM '13

September 2018   Jeanne Gatto is Director, Innovation Strategy at Baxter Healthcare Corporation in the medical devices industry. In a Q&A, she reflects on her experience in the MMM Program and how it has impacted her career.

Q&A with Michael Chen, MMM '15

August 2018   Michael Chen is a Senior Product Marketing Manager with Slack in the technology industry. In a Q&A, he reflects on his experience in the MMM Program and how it has impacted his career.

Design Thinking in the NFL

August 2018   Richard Xie (MMM '19) spent his summer interning with the National Football League, working in Media and Business Development in both New York and Shanghai.

MMM '18 Graduates Celebrate

June 2018   Northwestern University’s MMM Program celebrated the graduation of its master’s students on June 22 and 23 as part of the University’s 160th Commencement.

Designing Solutions for Real-World Problems

June 2018   This past winter, students in the MMM Program at Northwestern collaborated with NorthShore University HealthSystem, McDonald’s, and Hormel Foods Corporation as part of the program’s capstone educational experience: Business Innovation Lab.

Dollars and Design Sense

June 2018   Students in Northwestern's MMM Program combine design thinking and business expertise in a collaborative initiative with Visa.

from Northwestern Engineering

MMM Students Compete in VentureCat

May 2018   Five MMM students are getting a chance to hone their entrepreneurship skills while competing in VentureCat, an event celebrating Northwestern’s most promising student-founded startups.

Bringing Design to the Friendly Skies

December 2017   Insights and prototypes took flight in a MMM course called Research Design Build during the fall quarter as students partnered with United Airlines for a design innovation project.

MMM Students Compete in Kellogg Design Challenge

November 2017   Students from across the United States and Canada competed to find better ways to deliver information to millennial parents.

from Northwestern Engineering

MMM Students Celebrate Graduation

June 2017   Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering celebrated the graduation of students from the MMM Program on June 17 as a part of the University’s 159th Commencement.

MMM Student is a Cofounder of Viral Sensation RompHim

May 2017   Elaine Chen is a second-year in the MMM Program and happens to be one of four co-founders behind the RompHim, a romper designed for men, that has drawn attention from the media and many backers on Kickstarter.

MMM Team Brings Special Forces to Code Platoon

May 2017   A team of MMM students that included military personnel were asked to identify the best channels to raise awareness about Code Platoon, a Chicago vocational school that trains veterans through an intensive coding program.

Applying Design in the Management Consulting Space

May 2017   Anil Divakaran, a student in the MMM Program, explains how he leveraged design innovation skills in a more traditional management consulting role during a summer internship.

MMM Team Takes Second in Innov8 Marketing Case Competition

April 2017   Held on March 2-4, the Innov8 Marketing Case Competition recognized a team with three MMM students for their response to a marketing challenge issued by competition sponsor Adobe.

MMM Team Wins Rotman Design Challenge

April 2017   Held on April 1-2, the Rotman Design Challenge recognized a team of four students in the MMM Program with the best business and design solution on behalf of wireless telecommunications company and challenge sponsor TELUS.

Leveraging MMM Skills with New Venture Discovery

March 2017   MMM student Adam Attas chronicles how the New Venture Discovery design practicum has taught him to tackle a problem using a lightweight solution.

IA Collaborative Design Director Speaks to MMM Students

February 2017   IA Collaborative’s Rebecca Gimenez spoke about critical and emerging trends impacting companies in the travel and hospitality space and offered advice on how to become champions of meaningful innovation.

“Research Design Build” Course Inspires MMM Alumnus and Current Students

December 2016   MMM alumnus and Harley-Davidson President and CEO Matt Levatich worked with students to solve a challenge presented by the renowned motorcycle company.

Managing Directors of Moment Speak to MMM Students

December 2016   The MMM Program welcomed Joshua Lucas-Falk and John Devanney of design consultancy Moment for a discussion on how students can get the most out of their MMM degrees in the corporate world.

Meet MMM's 2017 Siebel Scholars

November 2016   Five students in the 2017 class at Kellogg — including MMM students Jonathan Goldstein and Bo Gustafsson — will each receive a $35,000 award for their final year of graduate studies.

Exploring the Power of Design Thinking with the MMM Innovation Council

May 2016   The MMM Innovation Council visited campus for its annual meeting, offering students the unique chance to connect with council members and gain their perspective on how innovation is shaping today’s business world.

The Power of Design Thinking

March 2016   First-year MMM student Vandana Sathpathy explains how the "Research Design Build" course simplifies the design thinking process.

Solving a Business Challenge with Design Thinking

February 2016   First-year MMM student Kristen Zhou describes how she used design thinking to solve a challenge in the consumer healthcare market.

MMM Students Win Kellogg Business Design Challenge

February 2016   Team “Designables” won Proctor & Gamble's challenge to design a new foot care routine with their proposal for “Pedifresh,” a disposable daily freshening wipe for feet.

Bringing Design Thinking to the Healthcare Industry

January 2016   MMM student Alyssa Lorenz shares how she leveraged design thinking during an internship with Johnson & Johnson.

Test Driving the Automotive and Sports Industries

January 2016   MMM student Caio Dimov describes how his MMM coursework helped him during summer internships at Maserati and ABInbev.

Discovering the Many Faces of Innovation

August 2015   Doblin co-founder and MMM adjunct professor Larry Keeley hosted MMM students at Doblin’s Chicago office for a crash course on what innovation looks, feels, tastes, smells and sounds like.

Love, Beauty, Religion, Death, and Space

January 2015   MMM students share their reactions to IDEO chief creative officer Paul Bennett’s recent presentation on design thinking to the Kellogg community.

10 Tips to Be an Effective Design Thinker

January 2015   MMM co-director Greg Holderfield examines ten traits he believes are essential to be an effective design thinker.

The Power of Design Thinking

January 2015   MMM co-director Greg Holderfield shares what makes design thinking so valuable.

MMM, 2Y Students Take Second in Haas Tech Challenge

January 2015   A team of four Kellogg students that included MMM classmates David Ufford and Justin Saeheng won second place in UC Berkeley’s 2014 Haas Tech Challenge held in November.

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