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2013/14 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

DESN3715 Design for 21st Century Societies

20 creditsClass Size: 50

Module manager: David Bromilow
Email: d.bromilow@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2013/14

Module replaces

DESN3610

This module is not approved as an Elective

Objectives

The objective of this module is to provide students with a critical understanding of design thinking and the ability to apply it to develop creative responses to complex business, environmental and societal challenges.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students should have provided evidence of:
- conceptual understanding of design thinking as a structured process;
- awareness of the social, economic and cultural context within which design operates;
- ability to initiate and carry out an extended project which applies design thinking to generate creative responses to real world issues.

Syllabus

Throughout history, creative solutions to complex problems have enhanced society. In the Twentieth Century, design academics strived to develop a robust understanding of design as a process and this gave rise to the term 'design thinking'. Diego Rodriguez, Professor of Design at Stanford D-School has described design thinking as 'treating design as a verb, a process, a way of approaching challenges which designers and non-designers alike can learn to use to create positive change in the world.' As the Twenty-First century progresses, the issues which design thinking is increasingly relied on to solve become ever-more complex. The rise of online communities of like-minded designers who see design as a means of addressing issues in society, encouraging greater innovation in business and acknowledge that this must happen in a sustainable manner has led to an expansion of possibilities for design. This has been expressed either through grass routes 'design activism' or adopted as a approach used by forward thinking design consultancies to encourage clients to think of addressing issues beyond the usual confines of design.

This module explores the principles of design thinking and introduces some current issues where its application may yield significant benefit to society and environment. Students will select one of these themes and apply design thinking to develop an innovative response to their chosen issue.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	10	2.00	20.00
Seminar	1	2.00	2.00
Tutorial	11	1.00	11.00
Private study hours			167.00
Total Contact hours			33.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Students will be expected to use their private study time in:
- Reviewing academic literature on design thinking
- Developing a thorough understanding of the issue to which they propose to apply design thinking
- Generating a robust proposal for their project
- Designing a presentation for their proposal
- Project work
- Presenting their final outcome

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student attendance on the module will be monitored and non-attendance will be followed-up.
Progress will be monitored informally through in-lecture discussions
The submission of a project proposal, literature review and presentation of ideas at the end of Semester 1 provides a formal monitoring point.
Tutorial sessions with project supervisors throughout semester 2 provide opportunities for monitoring progress and compliance with timeplan.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2,000 word individual review of current practice and literature	40.00
Report	500 word outline project proposal with timeplan	5.00
Group Project	Comprising of 3 x A3 presentation boards of design outcome; 1 x 3,000 word project report, describing rationale and method	50.00
Presentation	10 minute presentation of design problem identified	5.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 20/03/2014

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