Strategic Design Futures

Catalog description

Designers are increasingly addressing more strategic and long-term situations, while non-designers are increasingly interested in using design approaches to address diverse challenges. Strategic design is a practice that focuses on formulating strategies (problem setting) rather than only implementing strategies (problem solving). Strategic design is closely related to contemporary and emergent design practices such as user experience design, design thinking, service design, speculative design, behavioral design, and co-design, which are increasingly explored, adopted and adapted in projects and organizations. Students understand and practice a variety of strategic design methods and mindsets with the aim of changing and envisioning futures. With hands-on activities and real-world context, students use and develop core strategic design skills such as visualization, sensemaking, synthesis, speculation and facilitation. Some design tools that may be used include storyboards, user flows, journey mapping, participatory ideation, visioning, service blueprints, prototyping-testing. Includes seminar discussions and hands-on activities with a 'live project.'