Leading with Design: A New Model for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Higher Ed

Historically, at Washington University in St. Louis—and likely at many institutions—design and creative practice have often played a secondary, supportive role in the university's broader approach to innovation. As we enter a new technological era, driven by AI and emerging technologies, the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts has taken a bold step to reposition design at the forefront of technological advancement.

Over the past five years, as the founding chair of the new Master of Design in Human-Computer Interaction and Emerging Technology (MDes), I have led efforts to rethink how we prepare design students to lead in this rapidly evolving digital landscape. Launching in Fall 2025, the MDes program reimagines digital product design education—prioritizing digital craft, interdisciplinary collaboration, and design leadership—while critically engaging with the societal, ethical, and moral implications of emerging technologies.

This program is not only innovative in its structure and philosophy, but it has also been identified as a key initiative within the university’s strategic plan to “generate transformative solutions to our deepest societal challenges.”

In this talk and the ensuing discussion, I will share the journey of developing this new curriculum, explore what makes it uniquely impactful within our institutional context, and propose how similar models can be adopted at other institutions to amplify the role of designers and position creative practice, critical design thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration as essential to shaping how our global society engages with technology, now and in the future.