On February 20th, 2025, Tomorrow Lab Partner Theodore Ullrich gave a three hour lecture and workshop at California State University Long Beach’s (CSULB) Design Department. The event was part of the Duncan Anderson Design Lecture Series, a collaboration between the Duncan Anderson Endowment and CSULB’s Industrial Design Program. Over the past 15 years, the series has hosted hundreds of speakers and focuses on connecting the CSULB design community with industry design practitioners to hear their stories.
About CSULB Department of Design
CSULB’s Design Department, located in Long Beach, California, offers a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design, focusing on visualization, materials, product development and human factors. The department has a strong legacy of shaping industry professionals and has produced notable alumni such as Bill Greening, a lead Barbie designer for nearly 25 years; Archie Boston Jr., a graphic artist and founder of the Visual Communications Design program; and Edward Killingsworth, the architect behind much of the CSULB campus design. Founded in 1949, CSULB has been a hub for design education and innovation.
About Education at Tomorrow Lab
Education has been a core value at Tomorrow Lab since its inception. Training the next generation of designers and engineers to think collaboratively is essential for solving major global challenges. Tomorrow Lab demonstrates its commitment to education in several ways:
- TL Internship Program – Over the past 15 years, Tomorrow Lab has hosted more than 50 design students, providing hands-on experience.
- Potentially Genius® YouTube Series – A video series designed to demystify product design and development.
- Teaching Contributions – Tomorrow Lab Partners have held teaching roles at institutions such as the School of Visual Arts, Cranbrook Academy of Art, and Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design.
Speaking at CSULB was another opportunity to mentor and influence future designers, helping them develop a holistic and logical approach to hardware product design, giving their ideas a better chance of becoming reality.
About the Educational Spotlight at CSULB
The event was divided into two sections: Lecture and Workshop.
The first half covered Tomorrow Lab’s journey, its approach to innovation, and its impact on hardware product design. For more insights into Tomorrow Lab, visit:
- About Tomorrow Lab
- Product Design & Development Process
- Innovative Product Design Across Industries
- Tomorrow Lab Case Studies
The second half was a hands-on workshop based on Tomorrow Lab’s Hardware Innovation Guidebook, which provides structured methodologies for developing innovative physical products. The guide is divided into 10 sections, covering everything from conceptual thinking to execution. It draws from over 100 hardware innovations and 15 years of consulting experience, helping teams optimize timelines, mitigate risks and reduce costs in product development.
The students split into 10 groups, each working through a section of the guidebook. They focused on two key questions: 1. How does this section relate to your own work? And 2. What suggestions do you have for improving this section? Following the group discussions, students shared their insights in a collaborative session. The event concluded with a Q&A, covering topics such as idea origination, real-world application of the guidebook, and the challenges of scaling product designs for manufacturing—an aspect often overlooked in traditional design education.
Tomorrow Lab’s session at CSULB reinforced our dedication to education, fostering critical thinking and innovation in the next generation of designers.
