Jules Morris, PhD

In London, We Taught Design. They Learned Leadership.

Students holding an "Interview me" sign under the Camden Market sign in London

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Lane Morris, PhD, and I have taught Human-Centered Design and Leadership in London together eight times. The course is built on the design process. What our students really walk away with is leadership.

At a glance

1

Listen first

Leadership starts with understanding people.

2

Make sense together

Every voice adds to the picture.

3

Build before you are sure

Small experiments build confidence.

4

Lead with a story

Clear stories move people.

The Challenge

Each trip, student teams take on a real challenge about life in London, like helping visitors experience the city more fully. They start with strangers on the street and finish with a pitch. Here is what that looks like, one phase at a time.

Phase 1: Gather inspiration

Go Talk to Strangers

Teams head out with a notebook and a few open questions. They interview tourists, Londoners, shop owners and even police officers. For most students, walking up to a stranger is the scariest part of the whole course.

Students holding an "Interview me" sign under the Camden Market sign in London
Students posing with a smiling London police officer outside Buckingham Palace after an interview
A student interviews an older couple in front of Westminster Abbey
Students take notes while talking with a stranger outside a London market stall
A student interviews a man in a camel coat on a London street
Students sit and talk with three older visitors inside the British Museum

Leadership lesson

Lead by listening first. You cannot solve a problem for people you have not met.

Phase 2: Storytelling

Share the Stories

Back in the classroom, teams print photos from their interviews and tell the stories behind them. Every quote and observation goes on a sticky note, and everyone’s interviews count, not just the loudest voice’s.

Black and white interview photos covered with blue sticky notes of quotes and observations
A student team sits on the floor sorting interview photos and notes
Overhead view of students reviewing printed photos and notes on a laptop
A wall of interview photos with green and blue sticky notes
Students sit on the floor sharing interview stories around printed photos
Interview photos grouped with yellow, pink and blue sticky notes into themes

Leadership lesson

Every voice on the team is data. Good leaders make room for all of it.

Phase 3: Synthesis

Find the Patterns

Then the walls fill up. Teams move notes around until themes appear: why people travel, what makes them feel safe, what gets in their way. It is messy, and that is the point.

A crowd of students adds sticky notes to a long wall as they cluster ideas
Sticky notes grouped under a theme card that reads Why Travel
Sticky notes clustered under a Safety and Security heading

Leadership lesson

Leaders help a group find clarity in messy information without rushing to an answer.

Phase 4: Ideation

Ask “How Might We?”

Themes turn into How Might We questions. How might we make London’s history more accessible? How might we make tourists feel safer? Then the ideas come fast, hundreds of them.

A pink card reading How might we make London history more accessible, surrounded by idea notes
A pink card reading How might we make tourists safer in London
A yellow card reading How might we help budget-conscious tourists experience London fully
Students crowd a wall covered floor to ceiling in colorful idea notes
Students sit on the floor in a circle talking through ideas

Leadership lesson

The right question unlocks a team’s creativity. Frame it well and people want to answer it.

We teach human-centered design. What students really learn is how to lead.

Jules Morris and Lane Morris, PhD

Phase 5: Prototyping

Build It Rough

Paper, tape, pipe cleaners and cardboard. Teams build quick prototypes and test them with classmates. The goal is to learn, not to impress. We call it the Make It mindset.

A paper prototype of an accessible building entrance with three ramps
Paper models of a London Tube train and station platform
A paper prototype wristband labeled Oyster Friend
A whiteboard drawing titled Make It Mindset with two smiling figures building together
A hand-drawn poster prototype titled Wheel O London
Students build a cardboard prototype together at a table

Leadership lesson

Act before you are sure. Small, fast experiments build confidence and better ideas.

Phase 6: Final presentations

Pitch the Idea

Every team presents its concept to the class. They have to tell a clear story: who they listened to, what they learned and why their idea matters.

A student team presents its final concept with a LEGO slide on screen
Four students stand by a screen showing their Sightsee concept
A student team holds up its MATES prototype after the final pitch
Students act out a skit as part of their final presentation

Leadership lesson

Influence comes from a clear story grounded in real people.

What Students Say They Learned

On the last day, we ask students what they will take home. Their answers fill the whiteboard: creativity, learn by doing, don’t fear failure, embrace ambiguity, collaboration, authenticity.

A whiteboard listing what students learned: creativity, learn by doing, motivation, embrace ambiguity, do not fear failure, authenticity
A whiteboard of student takeaways including adaptation, growth mindset, collaboration and listening

Remember

Human-centered design gives students a process. Doing it together, in a city they do not know, gives them the confidence to lead.

Keep going

Design for the Edges

Why designing for people at the edges works better for everyone.

More on human-centered design

Every post on the blog about putting people at the center.

Human Centered Leadership

How Lane and I bring this work to leaders and organizations at BombDiggity.

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