I led a design studio at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) for third-year students at Harvard College pursuing S.B. engineering degrees. The unique aspect of the course is that it couples the studio with a major real-world industry client. In Spring 2025, I pursued a collaboration with New Balance Athletics, Inc., on the contemporary topic of “New Digital Design Systems.” From an educational standpoint, the studio offered a rare opportunity to test a Design Methods approach with an interdisciplinary student body.

Course Description

A semester-long team project providing experience working with real clients on complex multi-stakeholders design industries. The studio follows a Design Methodology approach: problem space analysis, problem framing, qualitative and quantitative research methods, engineering trade-offs, digital tools for prototyping, evaluation, and public communication. In Spring 2025, the studio theme explored the impact of “New Digital Design Systems”, powered by computing, advanced manufacturing, and AI, that can potentially transform traditional design and manufacturing workflows and redefine the relationship between humans and the design objects they use in their daily lives. Representatives from New Balance presented problem spaces (e.g., 3D printing, waste and manufacturing efficiency, consumer demand) of current relevance to their design industry challenging the students to carry out research on these spaces to determine potential opportunities for new design intervention. Problem areas engage broader questions of automation, human labor, computing, the environment, and design innovation.

Press

“Sole-ful Engineering,” By M. Goisman, June 5, 2025 (Harvard SEAS Newsletter).