Course Syllabus
Product Design & Development H SP20
Dr. Vina
Room 136
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will provide an overview of the process and tools used for design thinking and examine their application in business/organizational situations. Design thinking is a method of creating novel solutions to challenging problems. Everything from the Swiffer to the Apple Watch are the results of design thinking. In this course, students will research and understand the complexity of systems, explore the psychology behind how people act, apply various design processes, assess the effectiveness of a solution to a problem, and explore different mediums for sharing what was learned and engaging others in the process.
Essentially, class participants will take a journey through and assess the current reality of case-based product development situations (What is?), envision a new future (What if?), develop some concepts to tap new opportunities (What wows?), test out some solutions and report back on the results (What works?), and how these results would inform future steps (What’s next?).
Note: This is an honors-level course.
RECOMMEDED TEXT:
Luchs, M., Swan, S., Griffin, A., & Product Development & Management Association. (2015). Design thinking: New product development essentials from the PDMA.
Norman, D. A. (2013). The design of everyday things. London: MIT.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gkP6z_KaYhyG5nEppu5agQ1C-vSQey1k/view?usp=sharing
Course Objectives
- identify how design thinking can be applied in a wide range of contexts, from personal to global applications
- investigate and think creatively about design problems and opportunities
- develop visual literacy to explain design decisions
Units of Study
Introduction to Course
A Brief Introduction to Design Thinking
Part I Design Thinking Tools
The Design Brief
Personas
Experience Mapping
Conceptual Design
Design Heuristics
Stories & Prototyping
Part II Design Thinking
Fuzzy Front End of Innovation
Early Stage Ventures
Challenge Teams Face
Culture of Design Thinking
KM and Breakthrough Tools
Embedding Design Thinking
Part III Design Thinking for Specific Contexts
Services that Sign & Dance
Radically New Products
Business Model Design
Human-Centered Disruptive Innovations
Part IV Consumer Responses & Values
How form influences evaluation
Product characteristics and consumer perceptions
Practical Implications
Drivers of Aesthetic Response to Product Design
Designing for and with Future Consumers
Part V Special Topics in Design Thinking
Richer Product Experiences
Intellectual Property Protection
Design for Sustainability
Final Project Experience
Grading
Students will be graded on the basis of their class participation, class work, reflections and unit project work (including the final project experience).
Student Conduct and Honesty
All academic work must meet the standards contained in the WHS Academic Integrity Policy Each student is responsible to inform him/herself about those standards before performing any academic work. Any form of academic dishonesty is unacceptable.
Note: This syllabus is not a contract and may be changed at any time for any reason by the faculty member. In other words, please note that this syllabus is a general plan for the course.
Course Summary:
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