Design tells a story! Explore five incredible college football uniforms, from UCF's SpaceU to Navy's Jolly Rogers, and see how great design communicates history and meaning.
From Chaos to Clarity: Modular Design in Programming
Bring clarity to your chaotic code! Learn the three core principles of modular programming (abstraction, encapsulation, cohesion) to build scalable, maintainable, and professional-grade software systems.
Writing Professional Articles: The Little Things That Count
Boost the impact of your professional writing! Learn how formatting and syntax are critical to capturing attention and reducing reader distractions. Follow style guides, master emphasis (use italics and bold, not underlines), and refine sentence structure for clarity and influence.
Exploring the Hype Cycle of AI
Are we nearing an AI winter? Learn about the Gartner Hype Cycle's Trough of Disillusionment, the stage after the peak of inflated expectations where reality tempers the utopian promises of Artificial Intelligence.
Using AI to Study
Harness the power of AI to transform your study habits. Learn how to use artificial intelligence ethically for brainstorming, outlining, summarizing, and editing to achieve academic success.
Good Design from the Summer of 2025
Summer is a time for relaxing but it doesn't mean it's a time to stop exploring innovation. Learn about some good designs that we discovered over the summer of 2025, from beautiful lotus boardwalks and excellent french toast to heatless curls and 3D printing.
Writing Professional Articles: Developing Your Writing
Elevate your professional and academic influence with effective writing. Learn the four pillars of writing — narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive — to communicate with clarity and purpose. Discover how strong writing, even in STEM fields, sets you apart by showcasing your competence and personality.
Clustering in Design Thinking: Making Sense of Empathy Data
Unlock meaningful innovation with design thinking and empathy. Learn how to use clustering to organize raw, human-centered data, uncover hidden insights, and avoid common biases. Discover the history of this powerful technique, from the KJ Method to modern affinity diagramming, and see how it can reframe problems to create truly impactful solutions.
A Design-Inspired Book Review of Elon Musk
Published in 2015, Ashlee Vance's biography of Elon Musk offers a fascinating look at the tech mogul’s early successes. Rereading it today reveals how his methods, from maniacal attention to detail to an unwavering worldview, continue to drive his companies forward.
Refining the Design: Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo’s release of the Switch 2, an upgraded version of its predecessor, shows how refining a product is critical to making good designs better. Nicholas Hardman write how the Switch 2's design improvements, like its bigger size, magnetic controllers, and additional charging port, showcase how small changes can significantly enhance a user's experience and improve a product's success.
Why Every Design Should Start with a Question, Not a Solution
Creativity and exploration are essential parts of design, but in engineering, they should be grounded in purpose. Without a defined problem to solve, designs risk being ineffective, unused, or even wasteful.
How to Create a Design Portfolio That Drastically Improves Your Job Prospects
Some things are better shown than said. Professor Chris Mattson explains that a portfolio doesn't just claim you have skills—it makes them obvious through compelling, visual evidence. For engineers, a strong design portfolio can become one of the most powerful tools in your early career.
Wabi-sabi vs Kaizen
Learn about the Japanese philosophies of wabi-sabi and kaizen with Professor John Salmon. Discover how to apply wabi-sabi, which finds beauty in imperfection, and kaizen, which focuses on continuous improvement, to enhance your life and design projects.
The Evolution of Roller Coaster Design
In commemoration of National Roller Coaster Day, join Blake Ipsen in appreciating the hard work and technical expertise that go into designing these rides. Countless technological innovations in recent history have made new roller coasters safer, more comfortable, more reliable, and more extreme than ever before.
Small but Mighty? Mini PCs: A Modern Design Approach to Computers
From massive room-filling machines to sleek mini PCs you can hold in your hand, computer design has evolved dramatically. Joselyn Cortes describes how a mini PC offers a compact, cost-effective, and surprisingly powerful option for modern users.
How Might We… Craft Better HMW Statements?
"How Might We" (HMW) statements transform ambiguous problems into clear, opportunity-driven starting points for design. When crafted well, they inspire creativity and focus ideation. This article by Christ Mattson breaks down how engineers can leverage HMW statements to effectively reframe challenges and unlock innovative solutions.
Explained: Engineering Photography
Explore how photography bridges the gap between the technical and artistic. It's a powerful tool for showcasing innovations, stimulating creativity, and communicating complex designs, essential for engineers in all fields.
Stanley v Owala: The Big Bottle Debate
Discover which reusable water bottle reigns supreme. Learn from Emelia’s analysis as she compares Stanley Quencher and Owala FreeSip designs, insulation, and features to help you choose your perfect hydration companion.
Paperclips, Thanos, and the Perils of Overfitting
Discover the dangers of overfitting in engineering design and everyday life! From "lucky" paperclips and Thanos's flawed logic to Clippy's demise, learn how optimizing too narrowly can lead to unexpected failures. Mark McDonald reveals why robust solutions require simplification and real-world validation, avoiding the perils of over-optimization.
America the Beautiful: How Ansel Adams Designed His Landmark Landscapes
Ansel Adams's iconic landscapes weren't just pretty pictures; they were masterworks of design. This article reveals how Adams's revolutionary principles—from empathy to composition and vision-driven innovation—offer invaluable lessons for engineers seeking to craft impactful solutions.