The Interaction Design Programme

We are accepting applications for the next cohort of the IDP.

We have already started interviewing amazing people so we encourage you to apply soon.

Imagine, one year of your life - spent with cross-disciplinary peers from all around the world. Taught by 40+ visiting experts in design and technology, you will be completely immersed in a hands-on learning environment, working on projects that bridge urban life and the natural world.

When and Where? 
Two options in exciting locations, starting in:

January 2024 - 9 months in Costa Rica with 2 months in Italy
or
September 2024 - 9 months in Italy with 2 months in Costa Rica

If you're interested in learning more about the IDP, sign up for a one-on-one info session.

Our Alumni have gone 
on to work for:

The Experience

The Interaction Design Programme

The IDP takes place over one calendar year with a unique opportunity to experience two diverse contexts.

The purpose of the Interaction Design Programme (IDP) is to teach participants how to design and implement products, services, and environments in line with CIID’s vision to inspire action toward better futures.

We place faith in diversity of experience, thought, and culture.

We impart skills for teamwork, communication and collaboration, in addition 
to technical and design skills: an integrated approach for innovation.

Experience

The Experience

Transform Your Thinking

Testimonials

Hear it from our Alumni

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NORRIS HUNG

Product Designer at Regrow.
Previously – IDEO and Code for America

IDP 2020 alumnus

"The IDP has opened up a breadth of new creative doors with the confidence to pursue any of them. Of course, the courses have given me a foundation in many bleeding-edge fields such as physical computing, behavior change, biomimicry, and immersive environments. But more importantly, the IDP fosters a community fearless to bring the design process to any topic under the sun."

Lea-Labreche Lemarie

Senior Experience Designer, Frog in Amsterdam

IDP 2019 alumnus

"To me, the IDP was a time in my life where I consciously invested in myself, and I'll forever be thankful for it. The IDP is what you make of it. With an open mind, it's an opportunity to zoom out of your own career and life and to get inspired by a network of incredibly diverse, genuine, and talented people.”


Aakash Dewan

Senior Concept & Experience Designer, HP

IDP 2020 alumnus

"After 7 years of working in the industry 
as an industrial designer and a design researcher, I felt the need to update and upgrade my silks to become future ready, and IDP was the perfect fit."

Joey Huang

Product Designer, Apple.

IDP 2019 alumniI

"Coming from a non-design field, it’s almost unbelievable how a year’s experience could bring so many changes in my life, including my career path, my passion and my attitudes towards life. IDP goes beyond learning design tools, projects but working on important topics like Sustainable Development Goals to tackle the real world problems."

Our Offerings

About the Programme

Apply

1. Hands on Learning

Real industry projects, and learning through prototyping.

2. Small Class Size

Maximum 25 students per cohort.

3. Diverse Perspectives

Multinational cohort with varied backgrounds: not only classically trained designers.

4. Learn from nature

Hosted in one of the most biodiverse places on earth.

5. Industry Partnerships

Build connections with leading design companies.

6. Expert Faculty

Learn from our roster of 40+ leaders in design and technology.

Apply

Our Approach

Build. Test. Repeat.

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We are ready to take you on an explorative journey that will lead you towards a new way of thinking. Our intense one-year curriculum imparts the skills for identifying and exploring opportunities through the design of pragmatic and socially relevant concepts that consider both people and the planet.

The curriculum starts by taking you through topics such as life-centered research, physical computing and machine learning. You’ll have the opportunity to incorporate your new skills through investigative project work and collaborations with industry partners.

The Interaction Design Programme (IDP) is an effective platform for peer-to-peer learning. Following a rigorous selection process, we select people from all over the world and from a wide range of backgrounds. Teamwork, communication and collaboration are just as important as technical and design skills and we place faith in diversity of experience, thinking and culture.

Together, you will learn how to approach challenges through the lens of life-centered design - design that considers not just the welfare of humans in this rapidly changing world, but also the greater habitat in which we live, including all planetary life.

Testimonials

Our Industry Project Partners

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Hector Ouilet

Head of Human Centered Innovation & Strategy at Google

“I’m so grateful for the collaboration with CIID. The process and the output delivered the outcome that we originally wanted. It was inspiring to witness new and diverse ways of thinking, creating and discussing. I would definitely do it again. And again…”

Martin Sanders

Innovation Lead at LEGO Creative Play Lab

“LEGO Creative Play Lab is on a journey of discovery to invent the future of play. Collaborating with CIID and the talented (IDP) students through Industry Projects is an inspiring, insightful and valuable experience for everyone involved.”

Our Philosophy

Life-centered Design

Experience

CIID’s life-centered approach encompasses not just people, but the planet we live on. Our vision is to be a global hub for innovation and an accelerator for sustainable solutions in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In a changing world with widespread awareness, we are ready to tackle these global challenges and we believe that design will play a huge part in the creation of a positive future.

The beauty of interaction design is that it can act as a conduit between the individual and the complex systems that govern how we live. There are things people can do to live a more sustainable lifestyle – but we need to act on a systemic level. At CIID, our aim is to teach the leaders of tomorrow how the tools of interaction design can help achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set forth by the UN.

Experience

No
Poverty

No

Hunger

Good 
Health

Quality
Education

Gender
Equality

Clean Water

and Sanitation

Renewable 
Energy

Good Jobs and Economic Growth

Innovation 
and Infrastructure

Reduced 
Inequalities

Sustainable Cities
and Communities

Responsible Consumption

Climate
Action

Life Below
Water

Life
on Land

Peace
and Justice

Partnerships

for the Goals

Onward Journey

Our Amazing Alumni

Our alumni have gone on to be interaction designers, UX/UI designers, design strategists, design researchers and creative technologists. Those further on in their careers are now taking on roles such as head of innovation, design director and head of product.

They are scattered all around the globe, working for a wide range of companies and organizations including: IDEO, Google, Apple, New York Times and the UN. We can guarantee that you will become part of an amazing network of professionals.

People sitting in the woods in Costa Rica discussing design.

IDP STUDENT PROJECT SHOWCASE

Financial Aid

Loans

There may be partial loans available for those who need support in paying the tuition fee upfront.

To apply for a loan, you must have first been accepted  to the Interaction Design Programme.

Therefore, the first step is to apply.

Join the community

Are you driven, and inspired to make a difference in the world?

Whether you're currently studying or working, the Programme offers a mode of integrating design practice and critical thinking.

IDP 2021/22 STUDENTS