Mirai Designers by DLX - Design-Led Innovation Education Program for High School Students: First Cohort Completed
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The first cohort of the high school design innovation program Mirai Designers by DLX successfully concluded on February 28, 2026.
With the support of the Mitsubishi Memorial Foundation for Educational Excellence, 24 high school students learned about design, innovation, and prototyping over a five-month period from October 2025 to February 2026.
<Program Overview>
Mirai Designers by DLX is a design innovation education program for high school students who want to design a better future.
Offered by the DLX Design Lab at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, the program provides hands-on learning in design-led innovation, integrating science, technology, and human-centered perspectives.
Through learning design thinking and prototyping, students research people’s needs and societal challenges, and work in teams to bring their ideas to life.
The program was structured into two main phases.
<Phase 1: Design Fundamentals>
In this phase, students learned the fundamental concepts and processes of design through an intensive four-week course. The project theme was a “new library.”
Working in teams, students conducted research to identify challenges and points of interest within the library experience. They then explored how the experience of a library could be transformed, developing their ideas through the design process.
<Phase 2: Applied Project>
In the second phase, students formed teams and worked on more practical projects, building on the knowledge and experience gained in the Design Fundamentals phase.
The themes for this phase were:
Health & Wellbeing
Environment & Ecology
Technology & Society
Each team took on one of these themes, identified design challenges through research, and developed their projects accordingly.
During the approximately three-and-a-half-month project period, they also attended special lectures by professors from the University of Tokyo, providing opportunities to learn about the latest trends, societal issues, and expert perspectives related to each theme.
In addition, each team was supported by a designer from the DLX Design Lab who served as a mentor, providing feedback, guidance, and advice throughout the project.
In preparation for the final presentation, students created prototypes of their final products or services and presented their design projects through performance-style storytelling.
Each team delivered unique and engaging presentations, and the audience also enjoyed hearing their ideas about the future.
What impressed us most was the students’ creativity and their willingness to take on challenges.
Many teams tackled large, complex themes—what are often referred to in the design world as “wicked problems,” issues that are difficult to define and even harder to solve.
The process was by no means easy, and many teams experienced trial and error, as well as moments of struggle. The design process does not always follow a linear path, and even professional designers often feel lost within its iterative nature. Yet, by drawing on the skills and tools they learned in the Design Fundamentals phase, students navigated this complexity, continually reflecting on what was needed at each step and refining their ideas through exploration.
Watching their passion and imagination, we truly feel that a new generation of designers that will shape a better future for people, the planet, and society is steadily emerging.
Mirai Designers will continue to serve as a place of learning where the next generation of designers can engage with societal challenges and work together to design the future.
If you have any questions about the program, feel free to contact us at the email below.
<Teaching Team>
Miles Pennington
Professor at the Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo
Specialty: Design-led Innovation
Jenna Wang
Project Researcher at the DLX Design Lab, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo
Tomohiro Loeer
Designer at the DLX Design Lab, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo
Yoko Fredericka Matsuo
Designer at the DLX Design Lab, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo
<Acknowledgements>
We are deeply grateful to the Mitsubishi Memorial Foundation for Educational Excellence for their support, which made it possible to provide this valuable learning opportunity to the students.
This program was also made possible through the support and guidance of the University of Tokyo Next Generation Development Office, to whom we extend our sincere thanks.
※This program is in no way related to the admissions process for the University of Tokyo or the UTokyo College of Design.