The Savannah College of Art & Design is recognized for offering more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university in the world. In spring of 2021, SCAD announced the addition of The Lextant Certificate Program “Design Research and Insight Translation” to its core design curriculum.
The certificate program was the vision of Dean Victor Ermoli and is the culmination of a 20 year partnership between SCAD and Lextant. Our Vice President of User Experience, Marty Gage, has led a Lextant team in collaboration with SCAD’s Dean Ermoli and professor Kwela Hermanns, associate chair, design for sustainability, and associate chair industrial design, to create and refine the curriculum.
Students in the program will learn how to systematically approach the first phase in the design thinking process: Develop Empathy. Lextant’s approach to this first step centers on defining what people value, in a way that is actionable for design. The certification is grounded in Lextant’s five steps to this part of the process. Students learn six key principles to guide their thinking through this effort The goal of this program is to better prepare the next generation of design professionals to become business leaders. SCAD students will learn Lextant’s proven principles and techniques to turn future-focused research into experience-driven design strategies that are understandable and highly actionable for all functions in an organization.
“When you apply wisdom and experience that has been not only accumulated but refined by practicing processes over a period of years, that makes your company stronger, your employees stronger, and it makes the next generation of designers stronger.“
“With Lextant’s guidance and collaboration, we’re addressing a huge gap that has been present in design education and in the design community.”
VICTOR ERMOLI DEAN, SCHOOL OF DESIGN
We are proud to partner with SCAD’s academic leadership to further the future of the design profession.