Description
The emphasis in design has increasingly shifted towards solving the questions of what should be designed instead of only dealing with challenges defined in a polished design brief.
In User Inspired Design (UID) Module the traditional designerly problem solving and novel approaches to involve users into design decision making are applied to find out and describe emerging practices and design opportunities. UID projects do not aim at proposing feasible designs but propose decision making options and stimuli for a range of different business purposes.
The module will address issues related to creating new concepts through a user centered (or more or less inspired) process. It gives an overall understanding and practical skills for concept design and managing of concept design activities. The module follows integrated product, interaction and service design approach where disciplines such as user research, marketing, engineering, software design and industrial design work together. That is why the UID module is also well suited for students with a variety of educational backgrounds.
Objectives are to:
• understand the versatile business aims of concept design
• learn user centered concept design process
• learn to gather and use user and context information with approaches such as observations and self-documentation
• learn to interpret qualitative user data for design purposes and to link user information with designerly problem solving
• learn to generate, present and evaluate concept designs
• practice with cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural co-operation
The main learning activities during the module are supported by lectures and conducted through cross-disciplinary and multi-cultural team assignment including
- framing and planning the project,
- planning and conducting a user research or a participatory design case,
- interpreting the user data,
- generating concepts,
- evaluating concepts and
- presenting a concept project.
Course format
The course includes lectures, workshops, learning diary, teamwork, and scientific paper drafting.
Time of the course
October 13 – December 11 2009
The course is conducted through weekly lectures, exercises, team work and workshops.
Topic
Each year the course explores alternative themes. The topic during autumn 2009 is PIAZZA. This topic explores creating spaces, services and meeting points focusing on issues such as sensing and meaning making. It considers the process of customer journeys, touch points, as well as the contexts of social gatherings, and material environment, aesthetics and activities.
The criteria for passing the course is:
- Active participation in lectures, workshops, and group activities (80%)
- Project diary
- Literature assignment (2 of the books+articles of course literature / student)
Course evaluation: 0-5 (O failed-5 excellent)
15 credits