Study Guide 2022-2024

Course Description Design thinking is a problem solving method and a mindset underpinned by design process that is applicable not only in design problems but also in business innovation. Design thinking is often described to be composed of iterations of the five steps: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. This human-centered problem solving method is possibility-focused emphasizing divergent approaches and is hypothesis-driven as the “what if?” step of ideation is critical. In this course, students will be equipped with design thinking problem solving method and mindset through various design projects. Particularly, service design thinking, that is design thinking in the context of experience economy and service-dominant logic, will be primarily addressed.

The course will also address some cognitive aspects of designing products and services and of understanding human as consumers, users and customers as the ability to design is founded on the understanding of the internal characteristics of human. It is desirable to foster design ability with understanding of human as consumers, users, customers and with utilization of human internal aspects as designers, researchers and engineers. The objectives of the course include development of interdisciplinary design qualities based on cognition, emotion and social aspects of human using various design projects.

The core course activity includes several team-based or individual projects addressing design thinking and human understanding topics covered in lecture. The final team project would present the opportunity to combine a few topical issues discussed in the course.

Learning Outcome Students understand design thinking process and mindset as a problem solving method. Students will be equipped with basic understanding of human as consumers, users and customers as well as designers. Students can design products and services with consideration on human activities and experiences.

Design Thinking Process and Mindset Seeing – Imagining – Drawing Iterations of Visual Thinking Values (Economic, Ecological and Experience Values) Understanding Human Values, Human Activities and Experiences Context-Based Activity Modeling and Experience Evaluation Experience – Evaluate – Engage Iterations in Customer Experiences Affordances and Design for Affordances Design Creativity and Design Strategies

The course activities include a combination of lectures and workshops where specific design methods will be discussed and utilized issue by issue.

Students will conduct individual and team-based design projects as well as some assignments to support their understanding of course topics.

Handouts:

Selected parts from Kim, Y. S., Human Activities and Design for Affordances (in print) and

English translation of some parts from

Kim, Y. S., Business Innovation Service Design, 2018 (in Korean) and

Kim, Y. S., Service Design Thinking for Digital Transformation, 2020 (in Korean)

and some recent papers

The main target students are Master students in Mechanical Engineering, and the level is advanced studies. This course can also be taken by any graduate students who would like to get familiar with designerly ways of thinking and design processes as well as human-centered design approaches.

0-5

The final grade is based on various design projects and a few assignments.

English

Advanced Studies

Mechanical Engineering

Yong Se Kim

Entrepreneurship skills, Sustainable development, Open University Studies