Postgraduate Course: Engaging through Action: Research strategies for people-centred design (DESI11096)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will provide you with a comprehensive introduction to research strategies and methods involving designing through engagement with others, with a particular emphasis on people centred approaches relevant to product design and development. The course aims to provide you with a grounding of research methods and theory through practice based approaches. |
| Course description |
Generating concepts about future objects is central to product design and development. In this course, students will engage in practice led approaches to research appropriate to designing for others. The course aims to build a better understanding how to generate ideas and concepts witnessing various actions which engage people (self, users, clients, etc.) in order to compile behaviour-oriented data leading to new insights and perspectives on product use and utility.
The course is structured around understanding research about actions, but more importantly intends to develop an understanding of 'research through action'.
Three types of research actions are investigated over the course of the semester, where the designer/researcher engages the world through:
- the reflective nature of design research; observe yourself
- the ethnographic nature of design research; observe others
- the facilitative nature of design research; observe engagements between yourself and others
The course combines theoretical perspectives regarding these research actions, as well as practical workshops requiring students to construct situations which enable them to demonstrate the application of methods, relevant to a particular context.
The course introduces the use of artifacts as ¿props¿ and encourages the generative and iterative development of prototypes to illicit responses and behaviours, leading to insights and opportunities. Methods associated with visualisation, data reporting and concept development support students in developing appropriate design propositions, presented in video format, at the conclusion of the course.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course operates in a cooperative working environment, where students address common themes in a team based environment. There are two assessment components to the course, which involve individual responses to group work completed:
Assessment Component 1: submission of a 1500 word document combining text and image which explores, documents, illustrates and analyses engagement in at least one action based method relevant to your individual project - 35%
Assessment Component 2: a five minute video demonstrating research investigations employing at least three action based research methods, in situ, where "proof of concept" artefacts are deployed, engaged, tested. The video will provide an analyse of research findings in narrative format and provide a summary outlining future product developments. Methods of submission and full submission requirements including expectations of production quality are outlined in detail in the course handbook. - 65% |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback is regularly communicated through the course. This takes a number forms, including verbally through group and individual meetings where work and ideas are discussed with both peers and tutor.
Students will submit a relevant selection of work relating to summative Assessment Component 1 for written formative feedback regarding their work during the midpoint of the course; full details for dates and submission requirements for feedback are outlined in the course handbook. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate critical awareness of contemporary design themes and theories which drive appropriate practice-led product design research projects
- Critically compare relevant people-centred, action-based research methods through appropriate documentation in situated applications
- Communicate clearly and effectively through a variety of means how insights and findings from action-based research methods translate into product design opportunities leading to preferential futures
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Reading List
Universal Methods of Design: 100 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions
Author: Bruce Hanington (Author), Bella Martin 1
Publisher: Rockport (1 Feb 2012)
ISBN-10: 1592537561
ISBN-13: 978-1592537563
Design Research Through Practice: From the Lab, Field, and Showroom
Author: Ilpo Koskinen, Joh Zimmerman, Thomas Binder et al. 7
Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann (29 Sep 2011)
ISBN-10: 0123855020
ISBN-13: 978-0123855022
The Routledge Companion to Design Research 6
Author: Paul Rodgers, Joyce Yee
Publisher: Routledge (28 Oct. 2014)
ISBN-10: 0415706076
ISBN-13: 978-0415706070 |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Be open to new ideas, methods and ways of thinking
Be able to identify processes and strategies for learning
Be ready to ask key questions and exercise rational enquiry
Search for, evaluate and use information to develop their knowledge and understanding
Be able to respond effectively to unfamiliar problems in unfamiliar contexts
Be able to make decisions on the basis of rigorous and independent thought, taking into account ethical and professional issues |
| Keywords | design research methods,action research,participatory research,ethnography,people centred design |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Arno Verhoeven
Tel: (0131 6)51 5808
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Ryan Farrell
Tel: (0131 6)51 7400
Email: |
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