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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Ryan Powell

Director, Head of User Experience at Waymo

Ryan Powell is the Director of UX Research & Design at Waymo, a self-driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to move around. At Waymo, Ryan oversees a talented group of researchers and designers taking a human-centered approach to designing the world’s first self-driving ride-hailing service.

His passion for people, design, and the belief that technology can improve everyday life have been the driving force of his career. Prior to joining Waymo, Ryan led teams at Google, Samsung, Xbox, and Motorola. He is especially adept at helping organizations figure out how to create simple, delightful and differentiated experiences that appeal to consumers across a variety of global markets.

He earned a Master of Design from the Institute of Design and a Bachelor of Science in Product Marketing from The Ohio State University.

Shapeshift Session

Designing for Trust in Urban Systems | Thursday, May 29

About the Summit

Shapeshift Summit

Program

Immersion