The Knowledge Media Design Institute (KMDI), founded in 1995, is a leader in interdisciplinary research and teaching at the University of Toronto. The work of this largely graduate research and teaching institute spans the scientific study of the ways in which media and media technologies shape, and are shaped by, human activity, and the practical work of founding an interdisciplinary nexus for the design of such media. Adopting a human-centred and participatory approach to design, our goal is to enhance human skill rather than diminish it, and to encourage creativity and innovation. People and their practices are at the heart of all we do.

Collaboration and innovation are our hallmarks. Our strengths as an institute include:

• the ability to foster interdisciplinary, inter-divisional, and tri-campus research and teaching at the University of Toronto
• innovation in the design and development of new media and media technologies
• our role as an intellectual incubator bringing important new ideas to the University of Toronto and the broader community.

KMDI is an exemplar for the design, production and sharing of knowledge in the university, in particular, illustrating how a human-centered design philosophy and practice can make a difference in people's everyday experience of media and technology.

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