About us
The d.school helps people develop their creative abilities. It’s a place, a community, and a mindset.
Our Point of View
We believe everyone has the capacity to be creative.
Putting design to work
We build on methods from across the field of design to create learning experiences that help people unlock their creative potential and apply it to the world.
Design can be applied to all kinds of problems. But, just like humans, problems are often messy and complex—and need to be tackled with some serious creative thinking. That’s where our approach comes in. Adding the d.school's tools and methods to a person's skill set often results in a striking transformation. Newfound creative confidence changes how people think about themselves and their ability to have impact in the world.
Unleashing Creativity
Here’s what that looks like at the d.school
Our way of working
Radical collaboration.To inspire creative thinking, we bring together students, faculty, and practitioners from all disciplines, perspectives, and backgrounds—when we say radical, we mean it! Different points of view are key in pushing students to advance their own design practice. Our methods become a shared language for groups to navigate the ups and downs of messy challenges.
Real-world projects.Students want to make real impact in the world. We think they can start immediately. Our classes challenge them to tackle problems that are happening right now, not the ones from a textbook page. We work with partners from non-profit, corporate, and government organizations to develop projects that address real-world challenges.
Unbounded problems.Like in life, there is no single right answer in a d.school class. The problems are complex and ambiguous. The solutions are uncertain and unclear. We give students ample opportunities to experiment, take creative risks, and fail. It's great preparation for real-world problem solving—because it is real-world problem solving.
100% opt-in culture.The people who are here want to be here. No student or faculty member at Stanford is required to participate.
Use our tools Explore Our Resources
We believe
We aim to actively
confront and challenge the mindset that design can only be used by a privileged few.
The d.school's mission is to help people unlock their creative abilities and apply them to the world. It reflects our foundational belief that design should be accessible to all, and that everyone is creative.
We believe design can help create the world we wish for. Design can activate us as creators and change the way we see ourselves and others. Design is filled with optimism, hope, and the joy that comes from making things change by making things real. We believe that diversity leads to better design, and opens up a greater range of creative possibilities.
The nature of design affords people the opportunity and privilege to shape the world that they-and others-inhabit. This is power. In a just world, that power is shared, prioritizing the voices and ideas of people most impacted by the intended and unintended effects of new designs. We aim to actively confront and challenge the mindset that design can only be used by a privileged few.
Given our ideals, we have work to do.
Find out more
About us
8 core abilities
This is the ability to recognize and persist in the discomfort of not knowing, and develop tactics to overcome ambiguity when needed.
Design is loaded with uncertainty. As a result, it involves being present in the moment, re-framing problems, and finding patterns in information. Ambiguity can arise in many places –within a project, a process, or within oneself. It’s important to put students in ambiguous situations and give them tactics to emerge from them.
This means empathizing with and embracing diverse viewpoints , testing new ideas with others, and observing and learning from unfamiliar contexts.
Throughout a design project, it’s important to recognize and take the opportunity to learn from others–both end users and other stakeholders and team members. There is a sensitivity to others that develops with this ability.
This is the ability to make sense of information and find insight and opportunity within.
Data comes from multiple places and has many different forms, both qualitative and quantitative. This ability requires skills in developing frameworks, maps, and abductive thinking. Synthesis is hard for new students. It takes time and is interdependent with navigating ambiguity.
This ability is about being able to quickly generate ideas – whether written, drawn, or built.
In order to rapidly experiment, you must be able to relax your mind and reach a mode of acceptance. This will eliminate the natural tendency to block ideas that seem off or unfeasible. Then, let your doing lead your thinking – and lead with your hands. This ability pairs naturally with Learn From Others. In many instances, you are experimenting by both generating a flood of new concepts at low resolution (brainstorming) and testing some of those concepts with potential users.
This ability involves understanding stakeholders and purpose in order to define the product or service’s features.
Everything is connected. When students are building out a new concept –whether a product, service, or experience – they need to be able to nest the concept within the larger ecosystem that relates to it. We have Ray and Charles Eames to thank for helping us set the scene for this ability. It involves abstraction to define meaning, goals, and principles, as well as precision to define details and features.
This ability is about thoughtful construction: showing work at the most appropriate level of resolution for the audience and feedback desired.
There are many sub-disciplines of design, each with their own set of tools and techniques. This ability requires a sensitivity to the tools needed to create meaningful work in your domain. UX designers have a specific set of tools to create human-centered digital interfaces. Architects have an arsenal of particular techniques to bring new structures into the world. Every discipline – immunology, macroeconomics, K12 education, whatever it may be – has its own building methods, and in every case, the details matter.
This is the ability to form, capture, and relate stories, ideas, concepts, reflections, and learnings to the appropriate audiences.
Communication happens in a variety of contexts. It may include reflecting on your performance to a project team or crafting a video to show your product to a potential investor. As we practice experiential learning at the d.school, communication and storytelling are paramount.
This meta ability is about recognizing a project as a design problem and then deciding on the people, tools, techniques, and processes needed to tackle it.
This ability develops with practice. We see it emerge in our more experienced students. It requires using intuition, adapting old tools to new contexts, and developing original techniques to meet the challenge at hand.
Our work in the world
The d.school’s impact can be seen in a variety of ways: within students themselves, on the Stanford campus, in the education system, and in the world at large.
Examples of change Read More
A band of creative individuals makes this place possible.
About us
Get to know us
Meet our community of educators, designers & creative thinkers.
Looking for someone?
Our team members are featured in various places throughout the site.Here's how to find us.
Program Teams- Find us by program.
Teaching Teams- See the classeswe're currently offering.
Faculty- Professors from across campus collaborate here.
Home Team - We're the folks who keep the hearth fire lit. Find us below.
For a full list, see our directory.
Thomas Both
Director, Designing for Social Systems
Director, Designing for Social Systems
I design pedagogy and experiences to empower practitioners with new creative abilities // I like to go on a journey to figure out how to create something unexpected
Full Bio
Bruce Boyd
Director of Technology
Director of Technology
Bring Zen to Tech // Community-builder, life-sharer, friend
Charlotte Burgess-Auburn
Director of Community
Director of Community
Purveyor of masking tape & love // Artist, educator, extroverted introvert
Leticia Britos Cavagnaro
Co-director, University Innovation Fellows Program & Adjunct Professor
Co-director, University Innovation Fellows Program & Adjunct Professor
Hack higher education through students and faculty // Collector and connector of dots
Carissa Carter
Academic Director
Academic Director
Redesign design education // Cartographer, geologist, awkwardness enthusiast
Susie Chang
Program Manager, Designing for Social Systems & K12 Lab Network
Program Manager, Designing for Social Systems & K12 Lab Network
Experience design, program development, event and financial management // Perform true stories, walk labyrinths, dream of treehouses
Milan Drake
Community + Curriculum Design Lead, Teaching and Learning
Community + Curriculum Design Lead, Teaching and Learning
Provide food for thought to the growing minds and community within & outside of the d.school //A connoisseur of both music and metaphors
Scott Doorley
Creative Director
Creative Director
Make ideas tangible // Heroes: Corita Kent, Hedy Lamarr, Nina Simone
Humera Fasihuddin
Co-Director, University Innovation Fellows Program
Justin Ferrell
Outreach & Partnerships
Outreach & Partnerships
Collaborate with others to affect who we reach and how we connect // All about human-centered media, organization design, and teaching
Stacey Gray
Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
Supports the d.team — coffee & humor included // Talk to me about sharks
Sarah Stein Greenberg
Executive Director
Executive Director
Shape the d.school’s impact in the world // Lover of design synthesis & marine invertebrates
Seamus Yu Harte
Experience and Curriculum Designer, Teaching + Learning
Experience and Curriculum Designer, Teaching + Learning
David Kelley
Faculty Director
Founder & Faculty Director
Unlock creative confidence for innovators, everywhere // Classic cars & cool sneakers
Perry Klebahn
Director, Executive Education
Director, Executive Education
Architect rigorous learning experiences for current and aspiring leaders. // From startups to corporations, I’ve been there, done it and still believe the best lies ahead.
Full Bio
Lupe Makasyuk
Program Manager, University Innovation Fellows program
Program Manager, University Innovation Fellows Program
Expertly tailor the UIF program’s events and experiences to inspire and delight the students and faculty in our community// Passionate about student services, volunteer work and community involvement.
Laura McBain
K12 Lab Director of Community and Implementation
K12 Lab Director of Community and Implementation
Unleash educators to change the world//Designer of experiences, systems-thinker and social justice advocate
Ariam Mogos
Emerging Tech Lead
Emerging Tech Lead
Design learning experiences with emerging technologies // Computational tinkerer, intercultural learning junkie, passionate about play
Louie Montoya
Designer in Residence, K12 Lab Network
Designer in Residence, K12 Lab Network
Tear down walls, and use the rubble to build a more equitable education system.
// Artist, cook, and escape room connoisseur
Full bio
Laurie Moore
Communications Director, University Innovation Fellows Program
Communications Director, University Innovation Fellows Program
Storyteller and distributor // Listener, weird face maker, road-tripper, ordinary rock collector
Full bio
Twitter
Ariel Raz
Head of Learning Collaborations, K12 Lab Network
Head of Learning Collaborations, K12 Lab Network
Spark Classroom Creativity // Listener, learner, hummus enthusiast
Bernie Roth
Academic Director
Founding Faculty & Academic Director
Keep the train on the track // Friendship, collegiality, clean-up
Full Bio
The Achievement Habit
Nadia Roumani
Senior Designer, Designing for Social Systems
Senior Designer, Designing for Social Systems
Coach leaders, who are dedicated to improving the lives of others, to be more creative, strategic and impactful // Community builder, strategic idealist, lover of dusk & dawn
Full Bio
Kelly Schmutte
Curriculum Designer + Special Projects Lead
Curriculum Designer + Special Projects Lead
Make ideas visual and craft beautiful tools for learners // Watercolor artist, dancer for life, bright colors fanatic
Kathryn Velcich
Head of Learning Experience Design, Executive Education
Head of Learning Experience Design, Executive Education
Help people break through doubt and uncertainty to see their work life in a new way. // I’m a Nebraskan and life-long learner who loves rapid prototyping and getting to know new people.
Full Bio
sam seidel
K12 Lab Director of Strategy + Research
K12 Lab Director of Strategy + Research
Link, think, and ink at the brinks of education, race, culture, and design
Lisa Kay Solomon
Designer in Residence, Futures
Designer in Residence, Futures
Focus on futures + design to ignite agency & possibility //Lifelong commitment to learning, and sharing light and laughter with others
Biography
Amanda Tiet
Community Coordinator
Community Coordinator
Megan Stariha
Program Manager, Teaching & Learning
Program Manager, Teaching & Learning
Renée Chao
Student Experience Lead
Student Experience Lead
Debbe Stern
Public Relations
Public Relations
Share our best stories and illuminate the true power of design // Media junkie, traveler, lover of family
Manasa Yeturu
Learning Experience Design Lead for Extreme & Design Lecturer
Learning Experience Design Lead & Design Lecturer
Manasa Yeturu is the curriculum lead & design lecturer for d.School’s renowned multi-disciplinary program Design For Extreme Affordability. Manasa has 15+ years of experience working the intersection of social impact + design, from being part of Teach for India’s startup team to leading government initiatives at GOOD Media she is no stranger to working on complex problems with the ethos of equity & collective care at the center of her design work. While by day she is a design practitioner and educator, but night she is a “Deep-sea Diver. Dancer. Dilettante of spoken word”.
Design for Extreme Affordability
Catherine Randle
HBCU Cohort Manager
HBCU Cohort Manager
Meenu Singh
UIF Lead Experience Design & Academic Program Lecturer
UIF Lead Experience Design & Academic Program Lecturer
Jamie Tongol
Academic Collective Coordinator
Academic Collective Coordinator
Colton Brasel
Student Services
Student Services
10 key ingredients
People often ask us how to start a “d.school.” The real answer is, there’s no foolproof recipe. Every context has its own contours. Every culture has its own quirks. What we can share is how the Stanford d.school came to be.
Curious how the d.school began? Learn More
Questions? Visit our FAQs or get in touch.
Questions?
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Contact Us
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About us
