The School of Design Innovation will be mentored by the best design brains from across the world. This pursuit of design excellence is bolstered by a partnership with the Pininfarina Design Academy in Torino, Italy, and Shenoy Innovation Studio IDC IITB.

The studios across Mahindra University are well equipped to address all concerns of design innovation. The 7 concerns of design thinking are employed as a project management template and collaborative tool to work across disciples for innovation.

The project design methodology will follow the Innovation by design paradigm where design thinking is used for innovation and the innovation process is designed to meet the project goals.
Problems will be sourced from industry or society at large and students from all schools and centres of Mahindra University will work on this by making collaborative teams. Each school will champion and lead the concerns of Design Thinking, the first three concerns will be nurtured by the department of humanities to motivate students and take up the cause, understand the context and come up with insights and form teams across schools to work collaboratively. The next concern is that the check will be spearheaded by the centre of entrepreneurship and the conception will be the domain of School of design of Innovation , then comes the crafting that will honed by the school of engineering and lastly the connection where the School of design of Innovation will champion it with support by all the departments of the University and industry partners.

The Mahindra University School of Design Innovation cultivates an interactive and collaborative learning environment. Students will learn from esteemed professors through both online and offline lectures and project mentoring will be one-on-one. Students will be taught to work collaboratively in teams. Additionally, the program will be enriched with field visits, cross-cultural art, and design boot camps across all the semesters.

Mission:
The School of Design Innovation at Mahindra University is dedicated to nurturing designers to create impactful, human-centered solutions keeping in mind the local cultural practices and systems. The school’s focus is to encourage entrepreneurship and support govt. and NGOs to promote sustainable livelihoods. The school’s mission is to drive innovation that works for people, deliver real-world benefits, and inspires future-ready designers.

Through talented and motivated faculty and international collaborations we strive to bring in the required talents in students through live projects. Through collaboration with incubators and an adaptive curriculum, the school is able to bring in the start-up culture early in their learning. Its endeavour is to create such innovative leaders who will shape industries, communities, and economies for a better world.

Vision:
Innovation can change the world in ways that are unimaginable. Yet there are some who can visualize such a change and develop products and services that are readily adopted by the people and transform the way they live and dream. Soon such innovations become the strong backbone of the society, industry, and the economy.

The School of Design Innovation at Mahindra University envisions a world where designers drive meaningful change. They solve real-world problems and create transformative solutions. We aim to nurture designers who not only understand people but also develop impactful products and services that address societal and industrial challenges. Our goal is to foster and groom such young minds to be the future-focused innovative leaders.

Design Innovation Projects to be followed in all academic programs. The Chakku’s 7Cs of Design Thinking for Innovation for undertaking any innovation project is as follows

1^st C The Cause: The resolve to solve a problem
Every design project is initiated by a need which becomes the “cause” of the entire journey that follows. This need may be a commercial requirement, a social necessity, or a specific niggling problem with an existing product. The recognition of such a need is a key trigger for the project and it can be identified by any of the stakeholders connected to the product – a product manufacturer or marketer, a user, or a product designer.

2nd C The Context: Understanding the problem space and the environment
To study and understand an existing or similar products in the market, it is critical that the environment in which the product is used is understood comprehensively. This means that a designer must study the users and their perspectives on the product. Often this involves several rounds of interaction and observation

3rd C The Comprehension: Arriving at design insights
At this stage, the designer analyses all the information gathered and methodically lists out their observations and perceptions of any notable issues in the use of the product. Such analysis results in the thorough, all-round comprehension of a product as it functions within the contexts of its use. The design insights thus arrived at give rise to creative ideas and form the basis for the intervention that follows

4th C The Check: Creating a project brief
The check is an essential step in understanding what requirements the product should ultimately meet and what problems the design intervention should address. The check, which is often a document in the form of a product brief, is created from the design insights and must be approved by the client. The product brief is an important point of reference throughout the journey as concepts and prototypes are created and evaluated.

5th C The Conception: Generating ideas and concept
Using the product brief, the designer arrives at multiple ideas to come up with solutions for the problems listed. At this crucial stage, ideas are proposed and grouped into clusters. This makes possible the consideration of multiple concepts. Finally, the team zeroes in on one all-encompassing concept that best addresses all aspects of the product.

6th C The Crafting: Building mock-ups and prototypes
Using the product brief, the designer arrives at multiple ideas to come up with solutions for the problems listed. At this crucial stage, ideas are proposed and grouped into clusters. This makes possible the consideration of multiple concepts. Finally, the team zeroes in on one all-encompassing concept that best addresses all aspects of the product.

7th C The Connection: Delighting the user
The last, but critically important concern is the connection the new product makes with the user. This connection or the bond between the user and the product is formed only when the user is satisfied with the product’s performance and begins to cherish it, which in turn creates an increased demand for the product. In fact, it is the customer’s satisfaction that makes a winning product and functions as the most important criterion for innovation.

Interaction Design

1. User Interface (UI) Design – Designing intuitive digital interfaces and user flows.
2. User Experience (UX) – Designing intuitive, inclusive, and seamless user experiences
3. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) – Researching how people interact with digital and physical systems.
4. Extended Reality (XR) Design – Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) experiences.
5. Game Design and Games Studies – Coding, development, design, study, level design, character creation of games.
6. Wearable & Smart Device Interaction – Designing interactions for smartwatches, fitness trackers, and AR glasses.
7. Service Design & Systems Thinking – Mapping user journeys and designing holistic service ecosystems.
8. Gamification & Interactive Storytelling – Designing engagement-driven experiences in apps and products.
9. Automotive & Transportation UX – Human-centered interfaces for vehicles and mobility solutions.
10. Accessibility & Inclusive Design – Designing for diverse abilities, neurodivergence, and universal usability.

 Communication Design 

1. Graphic Design:Focuses on visual content creation for print and digital media, including logos, brochures, posters, and websites.
2. Branding and Identity Design:Involves creating a cohesive visual and thematic identity for businesses or products, including logos, colour schemes, and overall brand guidelines.
3. Motion Graphics Design: Involves creating animated visual content for use in videos, presentations, websites, and other digital platforms.
4. VFX:Create realistic or stylized imagery by integrating computer-generated elements with live-action footage, covering skills such as compositing, 3D animation, tracking, and simulation techniques.
5. Advertising Design:Focuses on creating visual content for advertisements across various media, including print, digital, and outdoor advertising.
6. Illustration:Involves creating original artwork for use in books, magazines, advertisements, and digital media to visually convey messages or stories.
7. Information Design:Specializes in presenting complex data and information in a clear and understandable manner, often through infographics, charts, and diagrams.
8. Film and Video Design:Courses and subjects in Film and Video Design by design schools typically cover storytelling, cinematography, scriptwriting, editing, sound design, motion graphics, visual effects (VFX), animation, and media production.
9. Animation Design:Create ­
10. Social Media design:Understanding new digital tools and its application in social media. 

Industrial Design  

1. Product Design: Involves designing consumer products, from electronics and household items to furniture and appliances, focusing on usability, aesthetics, and manufacturability.
2. Transportation Design: Centers on designing mobility solution such as cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, water transport and air transport, emphasizing both function and style, as well as a systems design approach
3. Furniture Design: Specializes in designing functional and aesthetically pleasing furniture for residential, commercial, and public spaces.
4. Packaging Design: Focuses on creating packaging solutions that are not only visually appealing but also functional, sustainable, and protective of the contents.
5. Exhibition Design: Involves designing displays and fixtures for exhibitions, trade shows, museums, and retail spaces to enhance the presentation and interaction of products or artifacts.
6. Medical Device Design: Specializes in designing medical and healthcare products, ensuring they are user-friendly, safe, and effective for both patients and healthcare providers.
7. Lighting Design: Focuses on designing lighting products and systems that provide effective illumination while also considering aesthetics, energy efficiency, and user comfort.
8. Toy and Game Design: Involves creating toys and games that are not only entertaining but also safe, educational, and suitable for their intended age group.
9. Sustainable Design: Emphasizes designing products with a focus on environmental sustainability, including using eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient processes, and promoting product longevity and recyclability.
10. Ergonomic Design: Specializes in designing products that optimize human well-being and overall system performance, ensuring that products are comfortable, efficient, and safe to use.

Apparel Design

1. Fashion & Textile Design – Garment and fabric innovation, aesthetics, and creative expression.
2. Pattern Making & Garment Construction– Technical skills for translating designs into wearable products.
3. Digital & Smart Wearables– AI-driven fashion, 3D designs, and technology-integrated clothing.
4. Sustainable & Circular Fashion– Eco-friendly materials, zero-waste design, and ethical production.
5. Sportswear & Functional Apparel – Performance-driven clothing for athletics, workwear, and extreme environments.
6. Luxury, Couture & Ethnic Wear– High-end craftsmanship, traditional textiles, and cultural fashion.
7. Fashion Business & Branding– Retail, merchandising, marketing, and entrepreneurship in apparel.
8. Trend Forecasting & Consumer Behaviour– Predicting future trends using data, AI, and market insights.
9. Adaptive & Inclusive Design – Clothing for diverse body types, disabilities, and gender-neutral fashion.
10. Costume & Experimental Fashion – Film, theatre, avant-garde, and conceptual fashion exploration.