Human-Centered Design Research
CM 178, Winter 2018
Classes: MWF 2:40-3:45 PM
Location: Kresge 327
Instructor
Office: E2 371
Office Hours: By appointment
Teaching Assistant
Office: E2 309
Office Hours: By appointment
Course Description
This course is designed to take students through a rigorous ideation and iteration process that touches on skills and principles in human-centered design research. The course is highly collaborative—90% of work will be conducted in small teams. After receiving a framing brief offering several potential opportunity spaces for design, students will be invited to generate new ideas and to engage with target design audiences to shape viable and interesting project concepts and prototypes. Project teams will give several presentations with group critiques and a final project presentation to an audience of invited guests, faculty and students.
Course Objectives
- Learn about design research methodologies through readings and discussion.
- Engage these methodologies in a term-long group project.
- Refine skills in group work and presenting.
- Present the results of the term project with a final poster and prototype session.
- Reflect upon the strengths and drawbacks and potential applications of design research methods.
Course Structure
This course combines lecture and discussion with readings, in-class exercises and a term-long group project.
Readings
This course does not have a primary textbook. Material will be uploaded into course website (this site).
Course Requirements
Students are expected to complete readings, participate in class discussion and exercises, and to do a good job of the main class project, including all milestone presentations and deliverables.
Assessments
Final project: 50%
Group presentations = 20%
Final presentation = 20%
Report and other documentations = 10%
Assignment Submission
Unless otherwise noted, all assignments are to be submitted via email to the TA with [CM178] included in the subject line.
Academic Integrity:
Please read the University’s interim policy on student conduct: http://deanofstudents.ucsc.edu/student-conduct/student-handbook/pdf/100.0-code-of-student-conduct-interim.pdf. All assignments should be completed without the uncredited use of others’ words and work. The first instance of plagiarism or any other form of cheating will be punished with an ‘F’ on that assignment. The second will be punished with an ‘F’ for the course as a whole.