Before beginning my graduate program, I completed two bachelors degrees: one in Literature and one in Art & Technology. These two gave me a background in graphic design and writing. Many of my internships as an undergraduate were in the marketing field for both graphics and social media.

When I came into the Design Management program at SCAD, I began to see that Design Management had three general areas that I was not familiar with: Design, Business, and Design Research.

The farther I got into the program, I began to see that these three areas help to inform each other and they are deeply connected. These three areas need to work together in order to produce a successful project.

I developed my own definition of Design Management.

Design Management is comprised of these entities.

When all of these entities come together, they can produce successful projects and endeavors

While being a part of the SCAD Design Management program, I learned about the various design processes that are utilitized today. The last model is by Bruce Claxton. He developed this model and presented it to one of my classes.

These design processes are more in-depth and more lengthy than I first thought. These processes allow for designers to iterate and repeat the process until the best design is reached.

Design Research was an entirely new topic to me. I saw that three main factors were the most important when doing design research: Empathy for the user; building Rapport with individuals and groups; and gaining Trust with others.

Design research combines Empathy, Rapport, and Trust to further inform the design.

I believe that this is our job as design managers. Having the ability to create spaces for interaction or communication for various individuals and communities is essential for design and for business.

When I began thinking about my thesis, it had several different variations and possible topics. I settled on the topics of organizational behavior, design leadership, workplace culture, and innovation. These four areas, when placed together, generated the question for my thesis direction. To me, these four areas are also four factors into how a company can become successful with respect to innovation.

My thesis direction would most likely involve these four areas. During my review presentation, one of my professors mentioned that perhaps management would be listed under business instead of as a seperate area. Looking back, I agree with her. Management is a key aspect of business but also of design. So it is hard to place it into one category.