Disrupting Higher Education: Engaging Design Students in UX Processes to Enhance Innovation in Higher Education

In Fall 2018, California State University, Long Beach initiated an envisioning process for future casting called BEACH 2030. This multi-year event was initiated with a two-day event called “Imagine Beach 2030.” Designed to engage a broad audience of stakeholders including students, faculty, staff, alumni, leadership, regional partners, and community members, this event, held on November 14–15, 2018, was an opportunity to host a series of campus activities meant to engage groups of people both in virtual and physical space. This case study discusses an experience design event that was a collaborative strategy to generate innovation strategies to enhance the student experience in higher education. A unique combination of UX research strategies, design course and student engagement events are discussed with regard to how existing courses and resources can be used to create a cohesive process for UX innovation in higher education in design.