Emerging Media &
Design Development
A master of arts degree in emerging media design and development (EMDD) is a world of cross-platform, interdisciplinary work. This program results in highly-trained professionals who have expertise in fields such as strategic communication, user design experience research, transmedia storytelling, design thinking, public relations, marketing, corporate business, advertising, and more.
EMDD centers it's core principals and teachings around three concepts: design thinking, transmedia storytelling and user-centered interaction. In addition, EMDD students engage audiences in two-way storytelling and create multimedia stories built for strategic communication, work with real-world clients to develop compelling content and deploy emerging technology to support storytelling and design.
Transmedia Storytelling
Think of a story not as a book, but as a constellation. Transmedia storytelling connects scattered stars across movies, games, and websites, drawing the audience into a vast, immersive narrative universe.
Design
Thinking
Imagine a maze of insights, where user empathy guides you through problem reframing, idea explosions, and rapid prototyping until you find the perfect solution. That's Design Thinking in five phases.
User-Centered Interaction
Imagine bridging the gap between tech and humanity – that's HCI in EMDD. You'll sculpt interfaces that whisper, guide, and delight, turning cold machines into trusted companions.
Scroll below to explore past projects including design cases and research.
Twine Digital
Interactive Narrative
David Letterman Learning Experience
The David Letterman Learning Experience (DLLE) was created in 2018 as a partnership between Ball State’s Emerging Media Design and Development (EMDD) program and David Letterman. It is an interdisciplinary, project-based learning opportunity that places students at the center of the intersections between storytelling, technology, and art. The vision statement above, developed by a previous cohort, acts as the guiding principle while designing, developing and creating the 2023-2024 David Letterman Learning Experience.
Because of this mission, the 2023-2024 project was driven to curate a platform for storytelling, digital projection mapping design and development, and experiential learning. Our goal was to showcase different stories not only amongst students, but also within the broader Ball State community to show how these stories can lead to meaningful opportunities to connect and build relationships with others in a post COVID-19 era.
Through creative storytelling and connection, the team is exploring post-pandemic challenges that have disrupted college students’ social networks, friendships, sense of direction, opportunities, and overall well-being. The team has proposed a unique opportunity to creatively bring student-generated stories to life as visually engaging displays through the use of projection mapping technology. The goal of the collaborative project is to create an interactive physical exhibit centered around artistic storytelling and projection mapping technology, exploring the art of relationship building through the storytelling lens of David Letterman's interviewing career.