segal.northwestern.eduDESIGN INNOVATION - Segal Design Institute, Northwestern University

Skip to main content Your browser is out-of-date and has known security flaws . We recommend you update your browser: Chrome - Firefox - Internet Explorer - Safari . Search Search this website Search Open menu Programs Expand Programs Submenu Take A Design Course Expand Take A Design Course Submenu Design Thinking & Communication Expand Design Thinking & Communication Submenu Projects Curriculum Bay Area Immersion Program Expand Bay Area Immersion Program Submenu Frequently Asked Questions Segal Design Certificate Expand Segal Design Certificate Submenu Projects Curriculum Frequently Asked Questions BS in Manufacturing & Design Engineering (MaDE) Expand BS in Manufacturing & Design Engineering (MaDE) Submenu Projects Curriculum Objectives & Outcomes Admissions PhD Research Expand PhD Research Submenu Curriculum Admissions Affiliated Labs Master's Degrees Executive Education Projects Research People About Us Expand About Us Submenu Segal Design Facilities Expand Segal Design Facilities Submenu Prototyping Lab Corner Makery Get Involved Expand Get Involved Submenu Hire Our Students Support Segal Volunteer to Mentor or Speak Leadership Team Our Faculty The Segals Student Groups Company Partners Design Innovation News & Events Expand News & Events Submenu Events Course Listings Contact Info by Audience Expand Info by Audience Submenu Prospective Students Current Students Project Partners Faculty & Staff Resources Course Listings Contact Info by Audience Prospective Students Current Students Project Partners Faculty & Staff Resources DESIGN INNOVATION SEGAL DESIGN INSTITUTE at the McCORMICK SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Search this website Search Programs Creating all-out innovators at every level. Go to Programs Take A Design Course Bay Area Immersion Program Segal Design Certificate BS in Manufacturing & Design Engineering (MaDE) Master's Degrees PhD Research Executive Education Projects Research People About Us Expanding the research frontiers of human-centered design. Go to About Us Leadership Team Our Faculty The Segals Student Groups Segal Design Facilities Get Involved Company Partners Design Innovation News & Events Stay up-to-date on the latest Segal news and events. Go to News & Events Events Design Innovation Design innovation empowers Northwestern students to imagine a new future. Watch our video play_arrow pause It all starts with PEOPLE. We teach design innovators to apply a human-centered approach to problem-solving and expand the research frontiers of design. Discover our range of programs featuring hands-on, interdisciplinary projects that solve real problems for real people. Design Innovation is about mindset , process , and tools . 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. Learn more about Design Innovation 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. Learn more about Design Innovation 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. Learn more about Design Innovation 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 projects The Alligator Tail A V-shaped aluminum rail that hooks onto the axle of a wheelchair. close open New wheelchair users risk falling backward while learning how to perform a wheelie, a critical skill for navigating in a wheelchair. While The Alligator Tail is attached, the user will be safely caught if they tip back beyond their point of balance. view project inControl A video game controller designed for patients who have hemiplegia. close open A recreational therapist observed that patients with hemiplegia have trouble playing video games with a controller designed for two hands. A team of students designed a controller by mapping both joysticks to the user’s functioning hand. view project CattleTECH CattleTECH, a system of high-visibility collars and a virtual tether post. close open In Thailand, the cooperatively-run Raitong Organics Farm is transitioning to a free-range cell grazing system, but faces challenges. Students worked with farmers to address two problems facing the farm: cattle visibility and tetherless grazing. view project Who we work with Get Involved News and Events Keep up-to-date with our latest news stories and explore our upcoming events. Recent News Human-Centered Designs on Display at Thesis Fair Design Research Designing a Measure of Success MMM Students Sweep Kellogg Design Challenge All News Events Winter Classes End March 14 All Day Spring Break Begins March 21 All Day Spring Break Ends March 30 All Day Spring Classes Begin 8 a.m. - Note: Northwestern Monday - Monday classes March 31 All Day All Events James Kubik MaDE '14 "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 Breed Junior Chair of Design "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." Learn more Amelia Fish EDI '16 & 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." Learn more Manogna Lekkalapudi MMM '19 "[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." Learn more Wendy Roldan Segal Design Certificate '17 "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 play_arrow pause What we teach The interdisciplinary academic programs at the Segal Design Institute provide undergraduate and graduate students with collaborative training at the forefront of innovation and human-centered design. Explore our opportunities to find a program that best fits your goals. See all programs Undergraduate Master's PhD Executive Education Undergraduate Study Design Thinking and Communication (DTC) Core Curriculum Course Design Thinking and Doing (DTD) Course Designing Your Life Course Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing and Design Engineering (MaDE) Undergraduate Degree Segal Design Certificate 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 Engineering Design Innovation (EDI) Master of Product Design and Development Management (mpd²) MMM Program Discover the right program to position yourself for the next step in your career in industry, research, or academia. Learn more PhD Graduate Study PhD students at Segal work in the Design Cluster, an interdisciplinary doctoral cluster program jointly sponsored by Segal, the McCormick School of Engineering , and The Graduate School at Northwestern. Learn more Executive...