Course: MIS20090 Design Thinking
Duration, 110 minutes
The organisation of this material is subject to on-going revision.
Students will abide by the provisions of the "UCD Student Code". All deliverables, whether individual or group, must comply with UCD policies on "Academic Integrity" and "Plagiarism". Communication should be respectful, professional, and comply with the school protocols. The policy on late submission of coursework to conform with university guidelines.
Notice:
Slides and files are accessed from the module in UCD Brightspace https://brightspace.ucd.ie/ (login required).The organisation of this material is subject to on-going revision.
Students will abide by the provisions of the "UCD Student Code". All deliverables, whether individual or group, must comply with UCD policies on "Academic Integrity" and "Plagiarism". Communication should be respectful, professional, and comply with the school protocols. The policy on late submission of coursework to conform with university guidelines.
Module Description
Design Thinking for Digital Projects equips you to act as an effective problem finder, solver and designer of human-centred solutions. You will acquire practical experience in user facilitation, requirements gathering, and collaborative design idea generation for human-centred design initiatives.Our aim is to create practical learning experiences that prepare our students as active participants, contributing to the requirements, analysis and design stages of digital projects. The approaches introduced in this class offer a foundation for later development on career paths in product management, business analysis, and ICT projects.
You will be able to:
Mid-term Study Break
Learning Outcomes
We wanted to prepare you to be an active and productive member of a design team; for you...
- to have conducted original research into a social, industry or firm context and established the nature of a design need;
- to have familiarity with facilitation techniques for revealing insights in multi-disciplinary teams;
- To have knowledge and understanding of digital prototyping and mock-up tools.
- to be able to identify, capture, and create descriptive user requirements for digital design relevant to specific business contexts;
- to be able to formulate a design element and comment critically on its development, implementation and adoption;
- to be able to explain the strengths and weaknesses of the field study and design methods used to develop digital systems.
- to be open to a career pathway in product design research, business analysis, and as ICT project contributor.
- Identify, capture, and create descriptive user requirements for digital design relevant to specific business contexts;
- Formulate a design element and comment critically on its development, implementation and adoption;
- Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the field study and design methods used to develop digital systems.
- Continue career pathway in product design research, business analysis, and as ICT project contributor.
Indicative Module Content:
This module connects user-centred design principles, designing requirements and requirements design for digital systems. Practical facilitation skills are developed using Lego Serious Play (LSP). Classes employ contemporary idea generation and experimentation techniques using the IDEO Design Kit [IDEO.org, 2015]. The module gives you the opportunity to learn to use popular Wireframe and Mockup Tools for digital design. A project is organised along the lines of the ‘Sprint’ method [Knapp et al., 2016].
The project is focused on carrying out practical field studies of everyday challenges and problems people face in their encounters with technology. These could be digital or physical challenges. Challenges ranging from mobility access in the built environment through to digital access and usability for people with disabilities and diverse needs.
Assessment Strategy
Due dates will be as indicated in Brightspace. UCD policy on late submission applies.
(25%) Homework assignments (weekly during term)
(15%) Group Design Thinking Simulation (participation in-class 6 week group experiment)
(60%) Term Paper (independent research project)
Syllabus (subject to revision)
Please note that selected content will be added or adapted in real time as new information emerges, the research environment evolves, and the social-organisational context changes.
Session 1: Design Thinking and the Sprint Process
- Course overview.
- What is Design Thinking?
- Empathy Exercise. Wheelchair.
- 0a. Media consent form signed
- Next session homework 01. Photograph of a design "fail"
- Next session homework 02. Reflection/notes on a reading - 4 Common Ways.
Session 2: Discovery
- Design Thinking Simulation - Part 1 Discovery - The Game Combinator.
- Game or Gamification. The big idea in a sentence (gap, need, goal)
- The IDEO Shopping Cart Video
- Next session homework 03. Reflection/notes on a reading - "Empathy on the Edge"
Session 3: Interpretation
- Design Thinking Simulation - Part 2 Interpretation – Find stories, data, meaning.
- Divide and conquer. Ask the people. Ask the robots. Discovery, research, facts and information.
- Human Centred Design Process for Interactive Systems (KS A ISO 13407:2005 )
- The 7 Principles of Universal Design
- Next session homework 04. Reflection/notes on a reading - "Design Thinking: An Overview"
Session 4: Ideation
- Design Thinking Simulation - Part 3 Ideation – Generate ideas, refine ideas.
- Let a thousand ideas bloom. Solution jigsaw.
- A Basic Game / Gamification Structure
- Next session homework 05. Analysis of - The Little Book of Design Research Ethics (IDEO.org, 2015)
Session 5: Experimentation
- Design Thinking Simulation - Part 4 – Experimentation – Maker time, prototype, try.
- Maker time: make a mock-up.
- The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design (IDEO.org, 2015).
- Sketching User Experiences (Buxton, 2007)
- Next session homework 06. A short (~30 seconds) time-lapse video TECHNOLOGY 'in-the-wild'
Session 6: Evolution
- Design Thinking Simulation - Part 5 Evolution – Living Lab, observe your users.
- Test time: feedback
- The IDEO Method Cards: 51 Ways to Inspire Design (IDEO, 2003).
- Next session homework 07. Homework. Post URL to a short (30 seconds approx) screen capture video.
Session 7 Pitch
- Design Thinking Simulation - Part 6 Pitch - Present the prototype, pitch, poster and BMC
- Make a pitch sheet (poster). Present your pitch and get the word out.
- Assignment Submit: 08. Design Thinking Simulation - workspace or poster - group activity Post photo or copy of the group prototype and poster.
- Writing like a researcher - template, citing, references.
- Next session homework 09. Research 1st research method
Mid-term Study Break
Session 8 Unpacking the Sprint Process
- Structure of a Sprint (Jack Knapp et al., 2016)
- Design sketches and wireframes for prototyping
- Next session homework 10. Select, research and apply a 2nd research method
Session 9 Shift-Left Design
- WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
- Designing for Interaction.
- Next session homework 11. Homework. Post an updated version of your CV with new skills
Session 10 Group Facilitation
- Product Analysis - Design Briefs - Problem solving approaches - the Universal Traveler (Koberg and Bagnall, 1991)
- No homework.
Session 11 Writing workshop
- Writing workshop
- End of week submission: 12. Research Project Presentation Video - 4 minute presentation
Session 12 Writing workshop
- Writing workshop
- End of week submission: 13. Research Essay (including Reflection)
