Problem Framing

Catalog description

In the second semester of the four-semester studio sequence, we ask students to take a step back from what and how they are designing and ask the question of why they are designing it. We will teach them a rigorous process for understanding stakeholder needs and for translating those needs into implications for product design. They will begin to develop greater awareness of the personal, social, competitive and technological contexts that their products fit into, and to learn how to design for those contexts. They will develop the ability to dive into a topic and frame a design problem, and to understand the implications of how they frame the problem on what they design. Ideally, they will use this process to identify a problem or opportunity to work on for their final project. Course work will involve readings, assignments, class participation, in-class exercises, and a final submission.