Can a seven-week class change how you see the world? That is the central question explored in a new, unconventional course, “Design for Non-Designers.” Part studio, part performance and part experimentation, the class challenged students to rethink what it means to be a designer — and to recognize design as a way of thinking, living and shaping the world around them.
“Collaborating with Bruce has made me a student again in ways I haven’t experienced in years. Beyond being one of the most accomplished and influential living designers, someone I’ve looked up to for decades, he is a true educator: experimental, boundary-pushing and deeply inspiring in all the right ways.”
— Trudy Watt
The majors of the students enrolled in the course spanned from Community & Organizational Development to data science. With twice-weekly lessons, each Wednesday was open for audiences across campus to learn from legendary designer Bruce Mau, a format atypical of usual university courses. These class sessions were in a new, unique location each week, chosen intentionally to illuminate the ways that design as a form of leadership is already present in disciplines on campus. The sessions ended with a presentation at the Washburn Observatory, with a musical performance from Dan Grabois.
Mau worked directly with co-instructors Monika Thadhani, Design Studies teaching professor, and Trudy Watt, Kay Vaughan Innovation Fellow and MS Design + Innovation (MD+I) academic director, in the development of the course.
A centerpiece of the class was the students’ creation of their own “life-centered manifestos.” Based on Mau’s own “Incomplete Manifesto For Growth” and Massive Change 24, students were challenged to create their own moment of integration, reflection and responsibility, bringing together all they had engaged with over the course of the semester into a clear and intentional articulation of how they understand their life within the world.
The results were a combination of written, visual and auditory experimentations into the students’ minds, each completely unique to their own lives. Some students created scrapbooks, while others wrote poems or directed video montages.
“By working across text, image, sound and performance, the manifesto moved beyond language alone. It became embodied. It became felt. Students began to understand that ideas are not only communicated — they are also experienced, carried and shared. What emerged was something very personal and, at the same time, collectively powerful. There was vulnerability in their work, but also clarity, courage and a quiet insistence that they want to participate in shaping a more thoughtful and equitable future.”
— Monika Thadhani
Before finishing their manifestos, students had the opportunity to present their thoughts and ideas to Mau at the Chazen Museum of Art, connecting their own personal works to those in the gallery spaces.
“Coming from a more technical route, information science, I took this class to look at the intersection of what design is, and how design isn’t just a physical artifact or technology. It’s literally everything around us, and it has definitely shaped how I view the things around me.”
— Xai Khang, Infomation Science Student
Another critical part of the class was the creation of a hypothetical pitch for a master’s of business design at UW–Madison, a way for the students to have an opportunity to practice life-centered design with real-world applications. The students were tasked with collaborating with AI agents, completing stakeholder interviews and working together in teams to develop a fundamentally new model for educating leaders capable of designing systems with a life-centered mindset at the forefront.
The students first presented a slide deck to Julio Mario Ottino, the Distinguished Robert R. McCormick Institute Professor and Walter P. Murphy Professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University. Ottino and Mau worked together to create The Nexus, a book designed to combine art, technology and science into a collaborative whole.
From there, students were tasked with representing the core ideas and principles of their pitches in the form of a performance. From slime molds to sock puppets, the practice was intentionally created to showcase experience rather than explanation in ways that could not fully emerge in a slide deck. Located at the Wisconsin Historical Society, the building was chosen as a part of the experience for the students to use in any way they wanted.
“This class has definitely impacted how I think about myself as a designer. I am more technical, so this class picks things apart, looking at things like a big picture. Seeing how design can go beyond technology has been really amazing. I really admire how Bruce has emphasized that design is all around us — it’s not one singular practice or thing.”
— Xiabier Bisabarros-Hudoc, Data Science Student
This extraordinary experience is made possible by philanthropy. Mau is the first recipient of the Phillip A. Levy Fellowship in Life-centered Design, established by philanthropist and alum Jeff Levy in memory of his brother, Phillip A. Levy, who was an accomplished professional interior designer and generous advocate for students. In the years to come, the fellowship will bring other prominent design leaders to work with UW–Madison students on special projects, merging global insights with local perspectives on the Wisconsin Idea.
“Bruce Mau is a visionary,” said Jeff Levy, who attended several of the classes. “I was also impressed with the thoughtful questions the students asked.” Levy hopes future editions of the class will attract even more students from across campus, including those interested in engineering and healthcare, as well as the arts and sciences. “Design is not just pencil to paper,” he says. “Design is everywhere and it’s for everyone.”
“What I’ve learned from this class is that I can bring my whole self to the table as a designer. Through this class, I have understood that what I create is not the only value; my thoughts are highly valued as well.”
— Sophia (Fifi) Lipscomb, Design, Innovation & Society Student
“This class has really impacted the way I see myself as a designer. Before this class, I would never have ascribed myself to that label. Taking this class has made me realize that literally everything that I do in my life is design. It has really helped me learn that there are a lot of different ways that you can call yourself a designer.”
— Sofia More, Community & Organizational Development Student
Watch a video about the “Design for Non-Designers” student experience, produced by the UW–Madison Division of the Arts.
Story by Sofia More ’26, UW–Madison student studying Community Organization & Development.
Photos by Sharon Vanorny and Aaron Granat.