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Interdisciplinary Toolkit

Wicked Problems

In 1973, design theorists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber described the elements of a "wicked" problem:

  • No clear definition: You cannot easily write down a single, agreed-upon definition of the problem.
  • No stopping rule: There is no test or finish line to tell you when the problem is solved.
  • Good or bad, not right or wrong: Solutions cannot be proven true or false. They are only judged as better or worse.
  • No trial and error: Every attempt to fix it counts as a major, real-world action with lasting effects.
  • Every problem is unique: No two wicked problems are alike, and past fixes may not work.
  • Symptom of another issue: Fixing one part often creates or reveals a new problem elsewhere.

 

Better Together

The problem spaces that IEAM researches, such as food insecurity and logistics efficiency, are classified as wicked problems. The profound complexities we encounter require examination through the lens of more than one discipline.  That is why we bring together faculty, staff, and students from across Indiana University and collaborate with Purdue Engineering to add valuable perspective as we work to co-create potential design solutions with the community.

Logos of schools involved in IEAM interdisciplinary research

Focus on Community Engagement

IEAM focuses on conducting interdisciplinary, human-centered design research in the context of community-engaged learning.  Our students work with non-profit partners to understand and define problems and to co-create potential solutions.  IEAM's work contributed to Indiana University Indianapolis receiving the Carnegie Community Engaged University designation in 2025.

Students volunteer at Gleaners Food Bank.

Project-Based Learning

Our faculty embed IEAM's research into their coursework using the pedagogical practice of Project-Based Learning. Project-Based Learning (PBL) allows students to become active participants in their learning and provides excellent preparation for life in the workforce. Using PBL, faculty and staff guide and mentor students for an entire semester or school year as they work to find solutions to complex interdisciplinary problems in collaboration with a diverse group of peers. Students develop skills and acquire knowledge throughout the process.  

Student giving report of work at Gleaners Food Bank

A Cohort Approach

Each school year, our students experience working in an annual cohort, tackling new design problems and challenges together. One outside observer recently described our work saying, "It's like a year-long hack-a-thon!" We help our students engage fully and learn to co-create meaningful solutions due to the depth of study and span of time, but our faculty, staff, and community partners cultivate the energy and creative atmosphere that a short-term hack-a-thon team might experience.

Student cohort works together in the studio.

Human-Centered Design Processes & Approaches

Along with our collaborators from Toyota Mobility Foundation and Toyota Production System Support Center, IEAM faculty and staff prioritize teaching and mentoring students to become problem solvers who look out for, observe, and center the needs of people.

Collaborative Action Research in Design

Stages of the design process: understand, define, ideate, prototype, evaluate, plan, and act.

Our interdisciplinary team unifies its work by following the stages of the design cycle together, working to understand and define problems with community partners, then ideate, prototype, and evaluate potential solutions through a co-creative process.

Co-Creation

Co-creative process diagram, showing that designers need to approach stakeholders with respect and humility, helping them through the co-creative process.

We teach our students how to engage in the co-creative process. To approach stakeholders in the community with respect and humility, listening and observing to identify their goals, ideas, processes, dreams, conflicts, and values as they build relationships and develop empathy with them. Only then can students begin the process of co-creating with their stakeholders, leading them to identify potential solutions that they could successfully implement to make change.

 

Toyota Production System

Diagram of the Toyota Production System Pillars, developing an integrated organizational culture through managerial, technical, and people development philosophies.

Our team also works with collaborators from Toyota Mobility Foundation and Toyota Production System Support Center to help students learn and apply principles of the Toyota Production System's organizational culture and people-centered design philosophies into their co-creative solutionizing.

 

 

External Feedback

Throughout the semester, students benefit from the feedback they get by working with faculty from other departments, stakeholders in the community, and industry experts who listen to their group presentations and assess the viability, human-centeredness, and innovative nature of the strategies they help develop. Students are encouraged to iterate and make design changes based on the feedback they receive, further preparing them for future experiences in the workforce.

Students present to community partners and get feedback on their work.