2025 Impact Report: What I learned about using design to drive change
What I learned about using design to drive change in edu in 2025. Gratitude and Impact.
Download the Report đ
This Impact Summary is my attempt to step back and make sense of the year: both what I did, and what changed because of design in practice.
It captures real work in progress, real outcomes, and real signals from the field based on 30+ design-led events with 1,200+ attendees across 2025.
Access the full report below. Iâd love to hear what resonated, what surprised you, and what you want to dig into more. Letâs make something awesome together in 2026!
BONUS: Most Popular Posts on Substack
While putting together this Impact Report, I tracked my most popular posts on Substack. 50 Weekly Posts. 31k+ Annual Views. 1,200 Subscribers.
Thank you for reading.
November I spent a few hours investing in local business students with that goal. In this post I outline what I shared with them, informed by dozens of conversations with employers of all sizes and industries from the past year.
July Design is a catalyst for clarity, connection, and change. When we center real voices and iterate in community, we donât just generate ideas, we build momentum. This snapshot from a design session to help bring the process to life.
June Higher ed systems arenât designed for shared value between students, faculty, and employers. Hereâs how design is helping to make meaning and build a way forward in one project.
September Students experience college the way guests experience Disney in the confluence of place, product, brand, and experience through moments, handoffs, and the wait in between. While I visited to celebrate a birthday, I left thinking about what Disneylandâs experience can teach us about designing experiences that delight.
October The biggest opportunity in higher education isnât content, itâs connection.
When we activate connection through affinity, we donât just help students find jobs. We help them find people who can power their future. This post digs into learnings on the topic inspired by project work and a framework for scaffolding how to facilitate it.
March Higher education is at a crossroads: facing declining enrollment, financial pressures, and shifting student expectations. Yet, too many institutions look to âbest practicesâ instead of solving their unique challenges. To survive and thrive, Unis need to design solutions that fit their own contextâbecause what works elsewhere wonât always work for them.
Iâm grateful for the partners who invited me into their work, trusted our tools and methods, and showed up with curiosity and courage.
Learning, Designed exists to help institutions move from intention to action by getting curious exploring whatâs possible, and testing forward. This report captures what that looked like in practice this year, and where weâre headed next.
Iâm committed sharing learning and work in progress, and offering tools and approaches to help equip leaders to drive change where they are.
I hope the Impact Report linked above, featuring work with the following organizations and others, inspires your own design-led change.
Thanks for being part of the journey. Letâs make something awesome in 2026.
Learning is better when itâs social.
If this post moved something in you, tap the â¤ď¸, pass it along, or connect and reach out on Linkedin. Iâd love to hear what it sparked!
Such a gift to the field Brian. Thanks for writing.