Course overview
This course aims to enhance students’ proficiency in qualitative research and analysis approaches, focusing on understanding users within their social, cultural, and technological contexts through human-centred design techniques. The content covers methodologies for developing new products, systems, and services, emphasising user needs and experiences at each stage of the development process. Students are expected to gain skills in qualitative research, user analysis, and human-centred design, enabling them to create innovative and effective design solutions. This course aligns with the overall Program goals by integrating theoretical and practical human-centred design knowledge, fostering ethical and professional responsibility, and developing cognitive, technical, and creative skills essential for solving complex design problems.
- Understanding Users And Contexts
- Analysis And Synthesis
- Designing Solutions
Course learning outcomes
- Evaluate qualitative research methods to understand user needs within various social and cultural contexts, under guided research conditions, and demonstrate this through a comprehensive research outcome assessed for depth of analysis, relevance, and coherence
- Synthesise and apply human-centred design principles to develop innovative design solutions, given real-world design scenarios, and present these solutions in a design outcome that is evaluated based on creativity, usability, and alignment with user needs
- Formulate and justify ethical considerations in design practices within the context of professional industrial design projects, demonstrating these through reflective practice assessed for ethical understanding, depth of reflection, and practical application
- Design and prototype novel products, systems, or services through iterative development and user testing, under project-based learning conditions, and demonstrate the effectiveness of the design through a final presentation that is assessed for functionality, user feedback incorporation, and overall design quality
- Collaborate and reflect on professional industrial design practices within diverse team settings, under collaborative project conditions, and demonstrate this through group work and individual reflective practice assessed for teamwork effectiveness, ethical awareness, and accountability in various roles and contexts