DESIGN INTERACTIVE
Founded an organization educating the next generation of responsible technologists.
Built the operating system, structure, culture, and pro-bono projects, that now puts 75+ students through ethics-grounded design work serving local nonprofits and startups.
Project details
Timeline
2024–2025
Role
Founder
Typology
Culture / Strategy / Vision
In 2024, in Madison, Wisconsin, there was no design-tech community for young people to learn & grow in. At the same time, there was increasing fear around the harm that emerging technologies could do, and concern at the power of people creating them. This prompted the question:
What if there was a community where people could develop technical skills in design + tech, and also an informed awareness of people, contextual needs, and societal impact?
And so, Design Interactive was born.
01 / Vision
When crafting a vision, I was curious not only what impact Design Interactive could have in Madison, WI, but what it could contribute to the world.
A generation of responsible social practitioners building tech solutions that nurture life on Earth.
This prompted more questions:
How do people learn design foundations rooted in critique, ethics, and thought?
How could we be conversation starters for tough, audacious conversations?
How do we appeal to people to yearn for resilient, nurturing futures?
Here’s how we went about it
Design foundational workshops rooted in ethics + critique.
Pro-bono design work for local organizations lacking time + money.
Guest speakers + site visits from socially-responsible businesses.
Hosting bold and ambitious conversations open to the community.
02 / Strategy
How do you build reflection, critique, and ethics as instincts, and not separate considerations?
Our approach, was to weave it into every conversation, workshop, and experience we could.
Education
Teaching judgement
Foundational workshops rooted in critique + broader consideration
Workshop activities cue reflection on potential unforeseen consequences of their solutions, and opportunities to work through how to mitigate some of that harm.
Hands-on experimentation
Especially for people who aren’t part of the semester-long projects, getting experience with a wide range of skills and collaborating with others to build.
Spotlighting underrepresented voices
In our weekly newsletter, spotlighting not only awesome designers doing cool things, but also those awesome designers that are less represented.
Mission-driven work
Importance of relationships & impact
Organizations that can’t afford design help
Growing up in Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Idea—using your privilege of education to serve the people of the state—is my north star. It felt really important that our pro-bono projects would be life-changing to those we served.
Sustainable Consulting
Teaching what it looks like to design to sustain after handoff: to stay aligned with the client, and to build rituals the client could realistically sustain on their own.
Conversations
Initiating ambitious conversations
Being a responsible social practitioner, to me, is initiating and existing in hard and ambitious conversations. I wanted DI not only to model that, but also, make sure we were transcending beyond the walls of UW–Madison, and to the greater community. We hosted two community events:
Panel: “Transdiciplinary Collaboration in the Age of Emerging Technologies.”
Workshop series exploring what makes work impactful.
03 / Culture
Culture is the engine of any organization. I was particularly interested in creating a culture around ethics and bold dreaming. Here are a few ways I thought about it.
Human Side
Humor and absurd icebreakers to foster psychological safety. 1:1s and weekly exec meetings where the team co-created the future of DI. Modeling aspiration out loud.
Structural Side
Only sourcing locally owned snacks for meetings + events. Firmly upholding commitments. Declining collaborations with orgs that didn’t align with our ethics.
Impact
0 → 75
active members in one year
40
students given real-world design experience
13
person leadership team built and managed
8
guest speakers hosted
4
pro-bono projects delivered
2
design showcases
Reflection
Everything built during this year, was a reflection of the designers who showed up, mentors who believed in us, professional who gave us their time, and clients who trusted a few people who had a vision.
Personally, this experience gave me the confidence to navigate uncertainty, take initiative, and believe in my ability to change the world. It continues to shape how I approach challenges, and possibility.
CHICAGO, IL
THE GREAT LAKES REGION