AEM 4402 - Business Design Studio

Spring. 4 credits. Letter grades only (no audit).

Enrollment limited to: juniors and seniors only. Satisfies Dyson Grand Challenges project requirement. Course fee: $50 for competition registration. Co-meets with DEA 4402.

D. Ramzy.

This course is a unique studio bringing together students on interdisciplinary teams to work on competitions, speculative projects and client challenges requiring both a design and business case. You will develop projects and processes from the intersection of your respective disciplines, enabling all participants to generate creative, innovative and feasible ideas, as well as communicate your vision effectively and persuasively. You will stretch the limits of your creativity—and encourage clients to stretch theirs. This course is ideal for those interested in design, entrepreneurship, strategy and social innovation, but open to all disciplines. It offers an opportunity to work in the intense studio environment, characterized by the iterative, human-centered design process, fast failure and peer learning. Each student will submit at least 3 design projects of various scale, requirements and origin, resulting in portfolio-ready projects that past students have gone on to develop and launch after graduation.

Outcome 1: Students will be able to apply research and analysis tools to the design process and learn to identify design and business opportunities.

Outcome 2: Students will be able to develop methods to quickly and effectively deliver design and business ideas in visual and written form.

Outcome 3: Students will be able to use the iterative process for problem solving: generating, testing, and refining ideas, products, business models, etc.

Outcome 4: Students will be able to practice working collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams.

Outcome 5: Students will be able to model innovative concepts at the intersection of design and business.