Denielle J. Emans is an Associate Professor in the Department of Media + Design + Communication at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, USA. She is passionate about collaboration, storytelling, and empowering teams to build strong relationships to fuel creative action.
Kelly M. Murdoch-Kitt is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan's Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design. She is a user experience designer and educator focused on people, systems, and interpersonal interactions.
Their collaborative research has been recognized by the Design Incubation Teaching Awards and the Carol Hollenshead Inspire Award for Excellence in Promoting Equity & Social Change. They have co-authored chapters in the Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Design, the Handbook of Sustainability and Social Science Research, and Collaboration in Design Education.
Intercultural Collaboration by Design explores one of the central challenges of our increasingly connected world: How do people who see the world differently come to understand one another well enough to create something meaningful together?
Drawing on more than a decade of research and practice in Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), this book presents visual thinking as a collaborative practice for building understanding across cultures, disciplines, and distances. Through sketches, photographs, diagrams, maps, storyboards, and other visual artifacts, collaborators learn to make perspectives visible, navigate difference with curiosity, and develop ideas together before moving toward solutions.
Organized around the natural arc of collaboration, from first introductions to final reflection, the book combines the Six Dimensions of Intercultural Teamwork with hands-on activities that help teams strengthen relationships, communicate across difference, and create meaningful work together.
Whether you are a university student, educator, designer, workplace professional, community organizer, or anyone collaborating across cultures, no prior design experience is required. What matters is curiosity, careful observation, and a willingness to learn with and from others. Every meaningful collaboration begins with understanding. From that foundation emerge new ideas, stronger relationships, and new possibilities for the people, communities, and shared future we create together.
Part I · Beginning: Seeing Ourselves and One Another 1. Visual Thinking Primer 2. Six Dimensions of Intercultural Teamwork 3. Designing Collaboration Part II · Middle 4. Making Dialogue Visible 5. Identity Beyond the Surface Part III · Making 6. Visual Storytelling and Co-Creation Chapter 7. Intercultural Collaboration for Social Good 8. Innovation Through Making Part IV · Ending 9. The Life of Ideas
Praise for the Previous Edition:
"Whether your team is in the workplace or the classroom, Intercultural Collaboration by Design will empower you with design-based practices adapted for multidisciplinary use to build a world where people communicate across boundaries. The book´s activities will enhance creativity, intercultural awareness, and team focus.”
—Robin Landa, Distinguished Professor, Michael Graves College of Kean University
"This is an extraordinary book! I have never seen anything so helpful in overcoming intercultural challenges across members of work teams. It is full of wisdom and helpful exercises. It is creatively written and easy to read.”
—Jeffrey S. Harrison, University Distinguished Educator, W. David Robbins Chair in Strategic Management, University of Richmond
"I work across industry and academia with geographically and culturally diverse teams, and I can´t wait to try the flexible tools and activities in this book. The Six Dimensions framework is already shaping how I think about guiding my students and colleagues through complex projects and team dynamics. The book is thoughtfully organized to give anyone the confidence to create welcoming collaborative environments. As our world becomes more globalized and yet more polarized, these are the skills we need to create a more inclusive and equitable world.”
—Amy Bickerton, Design Researcher, Dropbox; Adjunct Professor, California College of the Arts; Former Senior User Experience Designer, Amazon
"I feel very fortunate to have experienced these methods firsthand as a student—and now, with remote work becoming the new norm, I´ve been armed with a diverse toolset that will continue to enrich the collaborative thread that connects teams who are spread all over the world.”
—Jessica Cook, Designer
