A lot has changed since the d.school first started offering classes in design thinking (including the shape of the d.school!).
Design thinking has spread throughout the world, and we launched our BA and MA programs in design. As a result, we’re redefining and refining our approach to design. As part of this work, a question surfaced: How do we invite people in?
One answer to this question is the new Design 1 class, an invitation to any student curious about design. This class allows students to flex their creative muscles to see if design is the path they want to take. It opens them up to the skills, methods, and mindsets of human-centered design while they dive into real world challenges. The class also brings in professionals so that students see examples of advanced designers’ work and journeys.
While Design 1 provides an essential intro to the possibilities of design, this class isn’t just about how we invite students into the world of design work, it’s also about how we invite students into the design community.
Louie Montoya, lead developer of the class, shared this reflection:
"There’s been quite a lot of demand and interest in design, and we’re trying to provide a learning experience that is hands-on, collaborative, and a little joyful and unexpected. We are introducing students to some key methods and tools that they can use in the program and beyond, but we’re also looking to build a strong network of designers.
"The best part of our first class was a student’s answer to the prompt: ‘What are you looking forward to most about this class?’, which was ‘Finding some design friends.’
"This is why we’re really trying to set up this cohort to be a community. We want them to feel like they’re part of the design family because previous students in the program have told me that the reason they are drawn to design is the connections you make with other people and communities. So I’m making sure we keep the class joyful and they get really interesting content—and also that they have lots of opportunities to really get to know one another and build those relationships."
Student Reflections
"As I took Design 1, the word design itself shifted from being a vague concept to an actualized, concrete process. I was completely unfamiliar with both Design Thinking (I hadn’t even heard of it before this class) and potential industry careers in design, but through defining and studying the field, this class shaped my perspective on what it means to be a designer. Within two months of beginning Design 1, I declared the major, largely because of the d.school’s incredibly passionate and approachable instructors, its celebration of diverse perspectives, and its project-based curriculum, where I really enjoyed spending time honing skills for tangible design outputs!”—Trini Rogando
"Even as a student with prior design experience, Design 1 introduced me to new tools and frameworks that I eagerly applied to projects beyond the classroom, including during my summer internship as a product designer."—Elsa Bosemark
"Design 1 changed my perspective on designing successful projects. When students shared the various ways they took their projects beyond the classroom, it significantly reduced the perceptual distance between me and a successful person. Success stories used to seem so far out there—as if big ventures were done by a mysterious ring of distant superheroes. But as stories bounced around the classroom, I realized ‘Oh, not only are we surrounded by these people, we are these people.'" —Atman Jahagirdar