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How undergraduates are introduced to the discipline of engineering at the college level can have long-term educational and professional implications, including influencing decisions to pursue or leave engineering majors and validating beliefs about the purpose of engineering in society. Classroom lectures have been traditionally used within introductory engineering courses as they can transmit large amounts of content. However, they are generally less effective in helping undergraduates engage with and apply content. In recognition of this, learner-centered approaches are increasingly being used in introductory engineering classes. Our overarching purpose in this paper was to describe the use of the design process in an introductory engineering course that enrolled close to two hundred students, most of whom were in their first year in college. As we argued, these are the students who might most benefit from design process participation. We found that in general, the design process was transferable to this educational context. Most students seemed far more engaged than students in previous course offerings that had been delivered in a traditional format. Notably, students reported that in addition to learning course content, they learned creativity, persistence, problem-solving skills, leadership skills, and teamwork skills. However, perhaps the main contribution of engaging freshmen and other early-stage students in the design process was in fostering in them a greater understanding of the impact that engineers can have on society.