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Design Thinking
ART 310
Spring 2015
Mondays + Wednesdays
9:0010:50 am
A+D 107
Course Materials
A More Beautiful Question, W. Berger
Universal Methods of Design, B. Martin + B. Hanington
Compass will be used for additional readings, videos,
supplementary content, posting projects, grades, and
as a space for sharing ideas.
About the Course
Divergent thinking is the ability to make lots of ideas. This
class will cover techniques for coming up with new, novel and
useful ideasbasic creative abilityand how to implement
these ideas through empathy for a problemdesign thinking.
This course will explore the methods and processes of
creativity as made manifest through design thinking. Through
learning techniques to enhance creative skill development,
students will understand the role of questioning, creativity,
idea generation, and problem solving in daily life, across
disciplines, and in the global context. We will look at design
challenges through the lens of interaction: how interactions
are designed, manipulated, impact daily life, and how
ideas are a method of interaction.
Challenge-based design projects will explore how to
articulate problems encountered within universal facets of
life, and to arrive at a novel, needed and elegant solution
through design strategies. The idea generation process
will explore parallel interactions such as games and play,
cultivating empathy, and sensory perception engagement.
This course satisfies the General Education criteria for a
Literature + the Arts course.
Instructor
Mrit McCluske
marit@illinois.edu
Art + Design 131
Office Hours
By Appointment
Teaching Assistants
Magic Ma
sizema2@illinois.edu
Sylvia Ding
jieding2@illinois.edu
Structure
This course will utilize a variety of methods to explore the
intersection of design, creativity and interaction:
Lectures + case study discussion
In-class exercises
Creative design challenges
Research study
Readings/multimedia content
Quizzes
Objectives
This course aims to:
Explore how to design effective questions to identify,
define, and solve problems
Promote the development of individual creativity and
foster divergent methods of thinking
Provide a framework of tools, strategies, and
methodologies for solving problems in novel and
needed ways that can be applied across disciplines
Explore challenges encountered across personal,
social, and global spheres through the lens of interaction
Student Outcomes
At the end of this class, students will:
Understand what makes an idea new, novel and useful
Understand how empathy, interaction, perception and
play can affect creative skill and idea generation
Be able to apply various design research methods and
strategies to tangible problems across disciplines
Evaluation Opportunities
7 Quizzes @ 10 points each (35% total grade)
1 Innovation Research Team Challenge @ 10 points (5%)
4 Creative Design Challenges @ 30 points each (60%)
Total: 200 points = 100%
Extra credit opportunity: each Creative Design Challenge (CDC) will be presented in small interdisciplinary peer
groups. Each project voted best of in the group will earn +3 points. All best of projects will be presented on
the final day. The project voted top design challenge by the entire class will earn +6 points.
Evaluation Content
Quizzes Book, article, audio and video assignments; lecture and class exercise content
Innovation Research Team Challenge Teams based on aligned interest areas will research, analyze and predict the
process of an existing innovation and its future within that field. Teams will engage in a short, interactive presentation.
Creative Design Challenges
Each challenge will involve a given prompt with a specific set of constraints to work within. Your task will be to follow
the design methods structure to question, ideate, and implement. Each challenge will incorporate the research, testing
and iteration methods found in Universal Methods of Design. Each challenge project will consist of:
Written post to compass, about 300 words stating your design problem, challenge question, research methods
and techniques used and how they were applied, the iteration and implementation process, and the outcome.
Project prototype or visual mockup, presented in class to peer groups.
Documentation of implementation/prototype usage posted to compass.
Challenge #1: Food, Clothing, Shelter (human factors and interaction)
When faced with an extreme constraint, financial, material access, or product waste, how could you adapt?
How can you change the way these things are consumed?
Challenge #2: Sensory Swap (perception, connection + interaction)
What if you had to communicate one sense via another? How can you redesign for an entirely different perception?
Challenge #3: Communication System Redesign (manipulation of behaviors of interaction)
Why do we have phones? How might communicating emotion over thoughts improve interaction?
Challenge #4: Discipline directed
Attendance
Being present and participating is an important component of the learning process of this class. Attendance, including
working in class, is required. Attendance will be taken in various forms throughout the course (quizzes, exercises, etc). Four
or more absences (for any reason) will result in a grade deduction by 10%. (e.g. A to B). More than six absences can result
in failure. Excessive tardiness (more than 15 minutes late) can also result in lowering of grade, as each tardy will count as
one third of an absence. The school of Art and Design does not excuse absences as a matter of general policy. In general,
no incompletes will be given.
Work Policies
Late work will not be accepted except in cases of dire, documented emergency. No quiz makeups will be given without
documented proof of emergency, in which case make up quizzes must be arranged and completed ASAP.
Grading Scale
A+ = 9799
A = 9396
A = 9092%,
...full B range is 8089%.
...full C range is 7079%.
...full D range is 6069%.
...full F range is 059%.
Grade Explanations
A-level = Exceeding expectations; high level of engagement in course content and discussions; work always completed on time; excellent attendance. B-level = Meeting expectations; performance embodies aspects of both A and C descriptions. C-level = Meeting
expectations at times; inconsistent; apparent engagement in course content; excellent
attendance. D-level = Below expected performance and engagement; performance
embodies aspects of both C and F descriptions. F-level = Unacceptable performance;
missing work; disconnected from course content and class discussions; poor attendance.
Schedule
Subject to change due to weather, leprechauns and other unforeseen mischief. Consult the compass site for articles and
other media supplementary to the textbooks. Methods refers to the design method number associated with a topic to be
discussed that day in Universal Methods of Design. All readings and deliverables are to be completed by the date listed.
Week
Activity/Topic
Read/Watch/Listen
Methods
Review Methods
Creativity Crisis
CPS METHODS
1 W 1/21 Introduction
SENSE + EMOTION
4 M 2/9
Design + Sense Engagement, Interaction Mapping 13
W 2/11
Idea Generation + Material Use, TASK
99 PI: DIY spacesuit
44
5
M 2/16
Creative Design Challenge work, iteration peer review
W 2/18Sensory
Association, Quiz 2
99 PI: The Fancy Shape
6 M
2/23
Creative Design Challenge #1 due
W 2/25
Levels of Design Appeal, Design Mixtape
Berger ch. 3 (long)
70+75
26
8 M 3/9 Behavior vs Attitude, Motivation Alternate Perceptions
W 3/11
Creative Design Challenge work, iteration review
How to Kill Creativity
9 M
3/16 Creative Design Challenge #2 due
W 3/18
Scaling Up for Social + Global Challenges, Quiz 4
Berger ch. 4
10
44+45
64+58
DESIGN + EMPATHY
7 M 3/2
Empathy + Human Factors, Gift Giving 27
W 3/4 Connective
Inquiry, Quiz 3
Really Big Questions: Giving
Break!
12 M 4/6 Interaction with Information + Learning, Consequences 95
W 4/8 Innovation
research work, Quiz 5
Berger ch. 5
13 M 4/13
Innovation Research Presentations
W
4/15
Designed Environment, Wayfinding
15 M 4/27 Prototype + Iteration, Method Analysis
W 4/29 Creative Design Challenge work, iteration review + refinement
16 M 5/4 Recap, Creative Design Challenge #4 due
W 5/6 Recap, best of presentations, Quiz 7
DESIGN APPLICATION
14 M 4/20 Creative Design Challenge #3 due
W 4/22
Quiz 6
11 M 3/30 Play and Creativity, Marshmallow Challenge
W 4/1
Designing through Game Theory, Gamestorming 94
Lego + Creativity