Design Issues Course DE612

- exploring triadic design perspectives

Design Process
Methods and Tools

Design Thoughts Design Concerns

Science and Evolution Context, Society & Nature
‘What is Design?’
and
‘Design Process?’
- Introduction and questions

Design Methods
- is different
“Design is thinking made visible”
LESS FORM
IS FOLLOWS
MORE FUNCTION
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Louis Sullivan
 Designer as problem solver
- bridge between information and purpose

Today’s designers do much more than solve problems.

They research social, cultural and commercial trends,

analyze changing values, brainstorm ideas and convert
their findings into new messages, artifacts and
experiences.

It is about defining what the problem is and where

opportunities exist for new ideas.
By John Waters in design observer 29-9-2010
“Design is thinking made visible”
”If you do it right it will last forever“
Design eases our relationship with
the environment, linking creativity
and innovation to human need and
iterative thinking to sustainable
solutions
From ‘Introduction to IDC’
Designer Worldview
- by Prof Ranjan
What is ‘Design’?
. A satisfying user experience
. A respect for environment

. Aesthetic manifestation of form

. Appropriate in function

. Process of making something new

. Reframing of the existing mindset

. It’s a problem solving activity

. Finds needs and seeks opportunities
What is ‘Design’?
User and Environment
. A satisfying user experience
. A respect for environment

Form and Function

. Aesthetic manifestation of form
. Appropriate in function

Creativity and Innovation

. Process of making something new
. Reframing of the existing mindset

Method and Process

. It’s a problem solving activity
. Finds needs and seeks opportunities
User Form
and and
Environment Function

Creativity Method
and and
Innovation Process
What is ‘Creativity and Innovation’?
Creativity
. Process of conceiving/making something new/original
. Producing something novel and something valuable
. Thinking out of the box is formed.

In-novation
. Replacing/Reframing of the existing mindset
. implementation of something new
. translating an idea or invention into goods or
services that creates value
Why ‘Design?

. Design is user concerned

. Design is society concerned
. Design is nature concerned

. Human centered > Life centered

. Design is appropriate use of communication

. Design is appropriate use of technology
. Design is appropriate use of material
‘Design’ for who?

Important Q’s:

. Design for Technology?

. Design for Marketing?
. Design for Users?
What is ‘Design Process’?
. Identifying the Problem

. Researching the Problem Space – data collection

. Understanding the Problem Space – data analysis

. Explore Alternate Concepts- creativity

. Build Mock-ups/Form Giving – prototype

. Testing and Feedback

What is ‘Design Thinking’?
. Focus on Users - empathise

. Challenge Notions – inspiration

. Redefine Problems – define

. Experimentation and Exploration - ideate

. Prototype - develop

. Testing and Feedback

The Design Process - evolutionary

. Problem > Brief & Need Finding

. Research > Understanding & Worldview

Users, Environment, Artifacts
. Analysis > Mappings & Visualisation
Insights & Design Opportunities
. Concepts > Final concept & Prototyping

. Develop > Product & Technology Development

. Business > Industry

The Design Process – co-operative/collaborative
Interdisciplinary + Group work
. Problem > Brief

Participative + Iterative
. Research > Understanding & Worldview
Users, Environment, Artifacts
. Analysis > Mappings & Visualisation
Insights & Design Opportunities
. Concepts > Final concept & Prototyping

. Develop > Product Development

. Business > Industry

The Design Process – user driven

. Problem

. Research > Understand Users

. Analysis > Identify Needs

. Concepts > Create Concepts

. Develop > Develop Technology

. Business > Build Business - reference: Vijay Kumar

IIT Chicago
The Design Process – business driven

. Problem

. Research > Fit Users

. Analysis > Create Needs

. Concepts > Create Concepts

. Develop > Develop Technology

. Business > Business Plan - reference: Vijay Kumar

IIT Chicago
The Design Process - generative

. Problem

. Research

. Analysis

. Concepts

. Develop

. Business
Damien Newman’s Squiggle
Design Thinking Process by d.school
By IDEO
By Design Council
By Dan Nessler
Design Thinking Process at IDC
Design Thinking Process by d.school
Design Thinking Process Overview
IDEO is often credited with
inventing the term “design
thinking” and its practice and
took up the phrase “design
thinking” to describe the
elements of the practice we
found most learnable and
teachable—empathy, optimism,
iteration, creative confidence,
experimentation, and an
embrace of ambiguity and
failure.
https://designthinking.ideo.com/history#the-evolution-of-design-thinking
Need Finding and Research
- problem identification, understanding and worldview

Context:
- Users,
- Environment and
- Artifacts

Secondary Research:
- Existing Information Search
. Literature, Experts, Journals,
Internet, Case Studies, etc.
Primary Research:
- User & Environment Understanding
. Field studies, observation, interviews
documentation, etc.
Ex.:
‘family, crowding’
Observation/Understanding
- understanding user experience by IDEO

Shadowing:
. Observing people….

Behavioral Mapping:
. Documenting people….

Consumer Journey:
. Tracking their interactions….

User Stories:
. Narrating experiences….

Ex.:
‘family, crowding’
HCI Research Methods
- understanding user, context, product and environment

HCI techniques:
. Ethnographic Study Techniques
. Contextual Enquiry - observing and interviewing the user while they actually work
. Focus Groups - is a form of qualitative research
. Fly in the wall – just be a silent observer
. Heuristic or Expert view – usability issues to identify problems of user interfaces.

. Usability Studies/Testing - efficiency, accuracy, recall, and emotional response

. Personas and User profiles - using specific details, not generalities

Ex.:
‘family, crowding’
Agile and Waterfall Design Process
- working models

Agile techniques:
. Individuals and Interactions
. Working Software Development
. Customer Collaboration
. Responding to Change

Waterfall Model:
. Sequential and Non-iterative
. Emphasis on Documentation and is Timebound
. Structured with identifiable milestones

Ex.:
‘family, crowding’
Semiotics - semantics
Object

Representation Interpretation

Syntactic

Semantic Pragmatics
Information Theory

. Message - units, bits, levels, etc

. Organisation - chunks, order, etc.
. Structure - links, paths, etc.

encoding decoding

sender receiver
feedback
Problem Space Visualisation
- cross relating and to make sense from many

a. Brainstorming, Keywords, Mappings:

. Collect lots of ideas or issues or information

b. Card Sorting, Affinity Mappings:

. Classification or making groups (collectively)
. Make connections

c. Process Activity, Time-Space Mappings:

. One day in the life of

d. Conceptual Framework Diagrams:

. Connecting the key concepts together
Ideation/Synthesis
- idea generation

Cultural Factors:
. Metaphors….synectics

Brain Storming:
. Participatory design….

Fast Visualisations:
. Sketches, sketches, sketches….

Create Scenarios:
. Build stories….
Prototyping
- mock-ups to visualise concepts

Rapid Models:
. Build mock-ups….‘paper mock-ups’
(wireframes)

Presentation Models:
. Both 2D and 3D…. ‘high fidelity prototypes’
(video prototype, walkthrough, scenarios)

Full size Prototyping:

. Finalise details & get feedback…. ‘working protos’
(proof of concept)
Insights to improving lives
- mission of design thinking

“…to translate observations into insights and insights

into products and services that will improve lives...”
By Tim Brown in Change by Change

“… Observations > Insights > Opportunities > Concepts >

Products and Services > Improve Lives...”
End notes

. Newton
. Archimedes & others

. Why Newton? or Archimedes?

Discovery
. Problem > Definition or Brief

. Worldview > Research & Understanding

. Context > Users, Environment

. Mental Map > Problem Space Visualisation

. Connection > Insights & Design Opportunities

How is design Learnt?
 Design Studios instead of Classrooms

 Week long Modules instead of hourly classes

 Learning based on Demos, Case studies, Examples

 Creative Problem Solving - Project Based Learning

 Experiential Learning – ‘do it and learn’

 Design process - Knowledge Gathering,

Analysis, Discovery, and Conceptualisation
 Design Work Funda..s
- attitude behind ‘design’

. Interdisciplinary team effort

. Group enquiry and ideation
. User participatory design
. Iterative design process
. Problem Space Visualisation
. Create project spaces
. Involvement and conviction
 Design Takeaway’s
- being a conscious designer

. be part of designing the future?

. be inquisitive?

. be creative?

. refine your sensories? experience life?

. what do you want to learn?

Talk Objectives

. Developing a design point of view

. Exposure to different factors of creative

design methods and innovation

. Developing a innovative system/process for

identifying, analysing and solving problems
Thank You
Nomenclature - terminology

- Creativity- Innovation – Design Methods

- Experience Design - Human Centered Design

- Information Structuring - Order & Heirarchy

- Concept Visualisation - Idea Prototyping

Thanks Again