Navigating Ambiguity: Creating Opportunity in a World of Unknowns

"This ... designer's guide from Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (aka, the d.school) helps you learn to lean into the discomfort of turning creative thought into intentional design"--


About the Author
Andrea Small is design leader, strategist, and educator. As a former d.school teaching fellow, she and her cohort created award-winning education experiences. Currently she teaches at the d.school and leads storytelling and design strategy for Samsung Research America's R&D Innovation team. Andrea has worked with some of the world's most iconic brands, including Nike, Nivea, Facebook, iRobot, Starbucks, and Herman Miller.

Kelly Schmutte is a designer, educator, and entrepreneur. At the d.school she designs learning experiences with lasting impact, reimagining the future of higher education (Stanford 2025), creating life tools for high schoolers, and building out the Navigating Ambiguity curriculum. Kelly teaches core d.school classes alongside d.school founder David Kelley. She and her ballet shoe start-up, PerfectFit Pointe, were featured in the New York Times.

The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, known as the d.school, was founded at Stanford in 2005. Each year, more than a thousand students from all disciplines attend classes, workshops, and programs to learn how the thinking behind design can enrich their own work and unlock their creative potential.