More Teaching Design

William Oakes

Crismond (2007) draws from many sources in his definition of design as “’goal-directed problem-solving activity’ (Archer, 1965) that initiates change in human-made things (Jones, 1992), and involves optimizing parameters (Matchett, 1968) and the balancing of trade-offs (AAAS, 2001) to meet targeted users needs (Gregory, 1966).”

Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and informed designers: One representation of learning progressions in engineering design.

EPICS BalanceService-learning is a balance of the

learning of design and the service we contribute the communities through completed designs and support

Service• To our partners,

meeting needs in the community

Learning• Becoming good

designers, professionals & active citizens

Complimentary goals that enhance each other

The EPICS Design Cycle

Specification Development

Detailed Design

Production

ServiceMaintenance

RedesignRetirement

Problem Identification

ConceptualDesign

Disposal

Why is design difficult?Engages different types of thinking

Requires designers to manage so many ideas and aspects

Addresses different types of problems

Different Problem Types

Logical Story Decision- Diagnosis- DesignMaking Solution

Algorithmic Rule- Trouble-CaseUsing shooting Analysis

Well-defined Ill-structuredMore abstract context Real-worldSingle, correct answer Multiple

solutions Constrained

Information Provided Many unknownsSource: Jonassen (2000). Toward a Design Theory of Problem Solving.

Nature of Design

Sciences Humanities Design

Phenomenon of study

The natural world Human experience The artificial

world

Method of inquiry

Controlled experiment,

classification, analysis

Analogy, metaphor, evaluation

Modelling, pattern-

formation, synthesis

Values

Objectivity, rationality,

neutrality, and a concern for

‘truth’

Subjectivity, imagination,

commitment, and a concern for ‘justice’

Practicality, ingenuity,

empathy, and a concern for

‘appropriateness’

Cross, N. (2006). Designerly Ways of Knowing. London: Springer-Verlag.

Developing Design Expertise

Novice

Expert

Characteristics of Designers

Good designers have the ability to:Tolerate ambiguity that shows up in

viewing design as inquiry or as an iterative loop of divergent-convergent thinking

Maintain sight of the big picture by including systems thinking and systems design

Handle uncertaintyDym, Agogino, Eris, Frey, and Leifer (2005)

Characteristics of Designers

Good designers have the ability to:Make decisionsThink as part of a team in a

social processThink and communicate in the

several languages of design

Dym, Agogino, Eris, Frey, and Leifer (2005)

Designer’s challenge: Not exhibiting the “Novice concepts of design”

Newstetter and McCracken (2001, p. 67-68) list five, but I would like to challenge you on three of them!

Design arrogance – Students do not place their designs in the context of the environment in which the design will reside. The “arrogantly” ignore the constraints of the user (whether that is a machine or a person). They often design for themselves.

Designer’s challenge: Not exhibiting the “Novice concepts of design”, cont.Design shutdown – Students tend to focus

on single point solutions to problems once beyond the ideation stage. In other words, once they have an idea, they stop considering alternative and focus all their energy on that one solution regardless of its feasibility.

Design routinization – Students act as though designing is a serial/linear process. The way they deal with design problems resembles the linear parsing of the algebra problem. Iteration, revisiting past decisions and evaluating alternatives is not in their process model.

I. Explore the ChallengeContrasting

Strategies TitleWhat Beginning

Designers DoWhat Informed Designers Do

Tools

Premature / Delayed Decision Making

Treat design as well-structured and make premature design

decisions

Delay making decisions in order to explore challenge, learn about critical

issues

Functional descriptions,

Problem Scoping

Skip / Do Research & Info Searches

Skip doing research and information searched,

and instead start generating design

solutions immediately.

Do research and information searched about the problem,

includeing materials, prior art, users,

product histories, etc.

Studying prior art, Product history and analysis, Researching

users

Confounded/ Valid Investigations

Do few early investigations or conduct

confounded tests that build little understanding of the design problem.

Do valid investigations to help them learn

quickly about design variables, users, materials, & how

things work.

Product dissections,

Product comparisons

Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and informed designers: One representation of learning progressions in engineering design.

II. Generate, Build & Communicate IdeasContrasting

Strategies TitleWhat Beginning

Designers DoWhat Informed Designers Do

Tools

Idea Fixation / Idea Fluency

Fixate on first design ideas, which they

won’t let go of, and work depth-first in

developing a single plan.

Practice idea fluency via brainstorming, sketching,

and rapid prototyping, and use gestures, words,

& artifacts to communicate these ideas

Brainstorming, Constraint Relaxation & “Dream Designing”, Database Searches, Rapid Prototyping, Task Sequencing

Surface / Deep Drawing & Modeling

Describe & sketch surface features of

device that would not work if built.

Make drawings and models that show how

parts connect and interact well, and models

that test key features.

Alternate Sequencing for Sketching, Discussions &

Annotated Sketches, Gestures and Artifacts

as Stand-ins for Drawings

Unfocused / Diagnostic Vision

Have a generalized unfocused way of viewing tests and

troubleshooting their ideas.

Use diagnostic vision to focus their attention while

troubleshoot critical areas of the design plans

and products.

Cognitive Training, Teaching Modeling &

Coaching

Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and informed designers: One representation of learning progressions in engineering design.

III. Test & Evaluate Solutions, Reflect on Practice

Contrasting Strategies Title

What Beginning Designers Do

What Informed Designers Do

Tools

Ignore / Balance Benefits &

Tradeoffs in Making Decisions

Ignore or pay too much attention to constraints

and focus on + or – aspects of ideas

without also thinking of benefits and tradeoffs.

Balance systems of benefits and tradeoffs when making design decisions, and use

guidelines and rules-of-thumb to make these

choices.

Design decision charts, Design Guidelines,

Heuristics & Rules-of-Thumb

Haphazard, Linear /Iterative,

Managed Design

Design in a haphazard ways, working on

whatever problems emerge, or treat design as a set of steps to be

done once in linear order.

Do design as an iterative process, improving ideas based on feedback, and

use strategies in any order, as needed, in a

managed way.

Project & Time Management, Design Process Knowledge

and Support

Tacit / Reflective Thinking*

Do tacit designing when they think with little self-reflection &

monitoring of actions.

Practice reflective thinking by keeping tabs on design

work in a metacognitive way.

Design Notebooks and Portfolios, Computer-supported structured

reflections

Source: Crismond, D. (2007). Contrasting strategies of beginning and informed designers: One representation of learning progressions in engineering design.*Self-monitoring is associated with higher levels of design performance and product quality (Adams & Atman, 2000).

ActivityWhat are places to integrate

development of good designers into the high school curriculum?o How can EPICS be a leverage point?

Communication is key to successful design!!o With community partnero With each othero With the artifact that you are designing

Design Review Templates

Good design… Good designs involve diverse perspectives

and expertise IDEO – industry leader in design and

innovationo Design thinking is a crucial business asset—one

that can, indeed, move a company forward and improve the bottom line. To optimize this impact, (we) advise thoughtfully structuring the innovation process. They stress working on projects that improve people’s lives..

- Ryan Jacoby and Diego Rodriguez, Innovation, Growth, and Getting to Where You Want to Go, Design Management Review Vol. 18 No. 1

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Sustainability in design

Lecture Notes: pg 62-73

Name as many “resources” as you can

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Renewable Resourcesliving resources (trees and soil)hydroelectric power, solar power, windwater

Non-Renewable Resourcescoal,oilnatural gas

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why sustainability?Designing for increasingly limited and

expensive resources:• water• nonrenewable materials

The Triple Bottom Line Traditional bottom line is economic Consider two other bottom lines:

o Social costs and benefits o Environmental costs and benefits

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tools for thinking design: footprint

Year

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tools for thinking design: footprint

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What goes into your energy footprint today?

lighting: wattage, hours on, heat lossheating: hours on, temperature changefood: growing, transportation, packaging,

storage, cooking, disposalself care: water transportation, heating,

treatment; cleaning products production, transportation, treatment

tools for thinking design: footprint

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What goes into your energy footprint today?

tool use: o food preparation: tool construction,

transportation, cleaning, disposalo clothing: material production, construction,

transportation, cleaning, disposalo entertainment: production energy costs

etc., energy during useo transportation: material production,

construction, transportation, use, disposal

tools for thinking design: footprint

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tools for thinking design: footprintWhat goes into your energy footprint over your life?big choices as well as little Will you live close to or far from work and family? How often will you travel by car, train, or plane? Where will you stay when you travel? How many kids will you have? What appliances will you buy for your home? -

energy and resource efficient? or cheaper now? made locally or shipped from another country?

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why sustainability?Engineering is “optimization under

constraints”Good design now requires life-cycle

consideration

“cradle to cradle” designMcDonough & Braungart 2002(www.mcdonough.com)

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http://www.interfacesustainability.com/

case study: cradle to cradle

Interface Carpet

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tools for thinking: systems design

supplier producer processing plant

distribution center

grocery store

www.rprogress.org

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tools for thinking: systems design

supplier producer processing plant

distribution center

grocery store

fertilizers

pesticidesseeds

machinery

truck

machinery

truck

machinery

truck truck

food waste

freezer freezer freezer

packaging

www.rprogress.org

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tools for thinking: systems design

supplier producer processing plant

distribution center

grocery store

fertilizers

pesticidesseeds

machinery

truck

machinery

truck

machinery

truck truck

food waste

freezer freezer freezer

packaging

www.rprogress.org

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tools for thinking: systems design

supplier producer processing plant

distribution center

grocery store

fertilizers

pesticidesseeds

machinery

truck

machinery

truck

machinery

truck truck

food waste

freezer freezer freezer

packaging

fossil fuels

fossil fuels hydroflurocarbonsfossil fuels

irrigation renewable energy

fossil fuels

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tools for thinking: systems design

supplier producer farmer’s market

compostseeds

machinery

truck truck

cover crops

fossil fuels

fossil fuels

renewable energy

www.rprogress.org

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energy balances:• how much energy does product use?• how much energy to construct product

from available materials?• how much energy to transport materials

from collection site to production site? or transport product from construction site to user?

• how much energy to produce materials?• how much energy to recycle/reuse product

at end of life?

tools for thinking: systems design