In 2026, after nearly 90 years, the Institute of Design was folded into Illinois Tech's School of Design & Society.
This website is an archive of the impactful and inspirational work produced by the ID community before that transition.

László Moholy-Nagy opened the New Bauhaus in Chicago in 1937, treating design as a discipline that was teachable, testable, and consequential. Nine decades on, its scope had widened from the things people use to the systems they depend on: hospitals, government agencies, classrooms, supply chains, digital platforms. Along the way, ID community members developed the published research, methods, and frameworks that designers rely on every day.

Chief among them is human-centered design: close attention to how people actually live, and advocacy for what that research reveals. It shaped designers who are comfortable with complexity and ambiguity: curious, rigorous, inclusive, and stubbornly optimistic about design's ability to change the systems that shape our lives.

To every one of them, who taught, studied, built, critiqued, and stayed late in the studio: thank you, and keep designing.

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Designing with Data in a Post-Disciplinary Society

By Aman Bhardwaj

May 11, 2023

The Changing Role of Design Education in Addressing Data-Related Issues

Highlighting capabilities, developed by the ID curriculum, crucial to design practice in 2023

This poster presents an argument about the changing role of design education in addressing data-related issues. The poster uses the provocative phrase “post-disciplinary society” to highlight the evolving nature of design pedagogy in this area. Based on a panel discussion at Design Intersections, hosted by the Institute of Design (ID) in 2017-18, the poster draws on insights from panelists Ted Booth (Senior Director User Experience Design, Honeywell Homes), Julia Haines (User Experience Researcher, Google), and Ram Prasad (US CEO, Final Mile), moderated by John Cain (Visiting Industry Professor, IIT Institute of Design).

The poster connects interview quotes with aspects of ID’s curriculum to demonstrate how the Institute’s approach to design education is relevant in today’s context. By highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, the poster suggests that design education must move beyond traditional silos to address the complex issues presented by data. The poster argues that a post-disciplinary approach to design education can facilitate the development of solutions that are both innovative and effective.

Overall, this poster provides valuable insights into the evolving nature of design pedagogy and the role of design education in addressing data-related issues. Its emphasis on the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and a post-disciplinary approach highlights the need for design education to adapt to changing times and embrace new approaches to problem-solving.

Project Details

  • Class: Strategic Communications
  • Instructor: Ryan Pikkel