HBUS-303: Designing for Change

Design is following the pathway of any professional practice, moving towards taking responsibility for the function at the enterprise level. Design started out making artifacts, then moved into design thinking, and now is at the juncture of getting a seat at the table in the C suite. This course offers students the opportunity to bring a variety of learning acquired from their business minor and design major and apply them to an all-encompassing portfolio piece that can demonstrate their potential for design leadership. During the course they learn from professionals that practice in the industry of their choice, consider trends that are impacting their discipline, and how they can differentiate in face of competition to create an ownable proposition. As basic competencies in design become standard for employees without formal design education, this business minor capstone places the skills of designers and artists beyond the context of artifact making and into that of creating value and impacting change across organizations, and thus across society. The course enables the designer to create a holistic business system around a design solution to further the intent of the artist or designer while harnessing cultural movement and sustainability goals.