Design & Research

3 units

Design research can have many meanings: learning about user needs in order to improve the design of our tools and services; designing things that enable us to learn about people and our relationship with the world around us; or even researching the process and meaning of design as a practice.This course will combine studio- and seminar-style learning to broadly explore three modes of design research: exploratory, learning about people's needs in order to frame a design brief; evaluative, using sketches and prototypes to learn about and improve an idea; and speculative, creating artifacts from fictional societies in order to question our basic structures and systems. Each component will involve readings, lectures, case studies, written reflections and exercises to be applied to an ongoing team project, enabling students to think critically about each practice while experimenting with its methods. Throughout, students will present their findings, translating research into design briefs and calls for action.