Profile • The Institute of Design at Illinois Tech

What if design wasn’t just about decisions, but about expanding what’s possible? In this profile by the Institute of Design, Deaa Bataineh shares his journey to introducing Strategic Choice-Making©—a model reimagining design as a tool for institutional transformation.

Podcast • espresso? Algorithmic Futures: Plural, Complex, and Imperfect (5th series)

The fifth espresso? series—Algorithmic Futures: Plural, Complex, and Imperfect—dives into the limits of linear thinking in a converging world. Co-hosted by Deaa Bataineh, Cecilia Tham, and Carlos Teixeira, the series explores how design, computation, and ethics shape more inclusive, resilient, and dynamic approaches to future-making.

Podcast • espresso? on Infrastructuring Systems Change (4th series)

Infrastructuring Systems Change, the 4th espresso? series, explores how design can reshape public systems for equity and well-being. In five powerful episodes, André Nogueira, Deaa Bataineh, and Carlos Teixeira unpack frameworks and real-world cases that rethink infrastructure—from rural India to U.S. healthcare.

Talk • The United Nations Global Compact

Deaa Bataineh led a session for the UN Global Compact’s Global Deep Dive series on “Design Thinking for Social Impact,” presenting the Strategic Choice-Making model. The session explored how design can drive impactful interventions across sectors—regenerative supply chains, EV charging, embedded finance—showcasing design as a critical tool for shaping equitable, resilient, and sustainable infrastructures.

Lecture • The Institute of Design

This lecture presents Deaa Bataineh’s Strategic Choice‑Making© model for navigating complex innovation. He demonstrates how micro‑level design choices, aligned with institutional priorities, orchestrate resource flows, guide platform‑infrastructure transitions, and enable large-scale systemic transformations.

Watch the full lecture here. Read the full Dissertation.

Podcast • espresso? on Justice, Power & Design (3rd series)

In Justice, Power, and Design, the latest espresso? series, Deaa Bataineh, Carlos Teixeira, and Jessica Meharry explore how power shapes design. From anti-oppressive frameworks to equity in sociotechnical systems, these five short episodes challenge designers to rethink justice, agency, and innovation.

Roundtable Discussion • Dar Al Uloom University

This roundtable at Dar Al Uloom University, led by Deaa Bataineh and Carlos Teixeira, explored design’s role in Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification. Experts from 15 sectors discussed design-led innovation, AI, and public-private collaboration—highlighting design as a catalyst for adaptable, resilient, and sustainable growth.

Podcast • espresso? on Capital, Infrastructures, & Design (2nd series)

espresso? returns with a bold new series: Capital, Infrastructures, & Design. Carlos Teixeira and Deaa Bataineh, hosts Jordan Ostapchuk, this series explores how design reshapes capital allocation, turning risk into opportunity and infrastructures into investable systems. Tune in for quick, powerful insights.

Podcast • espresso? Designing at the Intersection of Systems (1st series)

espresso? is here—Deaa Bataineh and Carlos Teixeira launch a bold new podcast delivering fast, full-bodied insights into design, systems, and strategy. The first series, Designing at the Intersection of Systems, offers condensed episodes blending human thinking and AI voices. Tune in for your daily shot of inspiration. Listen now

Awards • Core77 Design Awards

The Future Archetypes of EV Charging project has won two 2024 Core77 Design Awards—in Consumer Technology and Transportation. Developed in the Sustainable Solutions Workshop, the project reimagines EV charging as intelligent, adaptive, and equitable infrastructure at the intersection of energy, mobility, and long-term investment. led by Carlos Teixeira, Deaa Bataineh, and Jordan Ostapchuk.

Panel Discussion • Design Museum of Chicago

This panel explored design’s role in navigating today’s complex systemic challenges. Deaa Bataineh, in conversation with André Nogueira, Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio, and Cecilia Tham. Together, they highlighted how design shapes strategic choices, drives innovation, fosters interdisciplinary language, and empowers communities. The discussion emphasized design’s evolving responsibility in creating resilient, inclusive, and future-ready systems.

Awards • Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards

The Sustainable Solutions Workshop project has won two 2023 Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards—in the Politics & Policy and Urban Design categories. Led by Carlos Teixeira, Deaa Bataineh, Chris Rudd, and Ruth Schmidt, the project reimagines civic infrastructures in Chicago through equity-driven, design-led systems innovation.