About This Course

This course continues the Interaction Design and Social Entrepreneurship Project. Students will conduct research and synthesize data relating to that research, in the context of a humanitarian and social problem space. Students will gather data through qualitative methods of contextual research, analyze that data, and begin to identify trends, patterns, insights and opportunities for design.


Core Concepts and Ideas

This class emphasizes the following main ideas, themes, and concepts:

  • Design research, applied, in order to gain empathy and understand the human needs associated with a given social problem
  • Synthesis, applied, in order to manage complexity, identify patterns, formulate hypotheses, describe insights, and identify opportunities
  • Client management, applied, to understand the economic and political issues present when attempting to intervene in large-scale social problems.

Reading List

Outcomes and Competencies

The following outcome statements articulate the competencies, abilities, and skills a student will have as a result of completing this class. Students will...

  • Be able to identify patterns and trends in the context of a particular and real large-scale social problem
  • Identify opportunities for interaction design solutions that can positively impact and affect human behavior on a large, social scale
  • Begin to identify design constraints and parameters in which to build and prototype design solutions

Course Schedule

Class In Class Out of Class
1

Lecture/Discussion: [1] Our Research & Synthesis Process

Worksheet: [A] Focus Statement Generation

Worksheet: [B] Research Plan Creation

Establish focus; build a research and ethnography plan. Begin ethnography.

Refine ethnographic plan, recruit participants.

Begin conducting ethnography with various users and constituents.

Begin foundational research.

Refine stakeholder research plan, conduct stakeholder interviews, perform site visits.

Read Exposing the Magic of Design, p76-100, 104-158

 Sun (!) 10.30
2

Guest: Gary Chou (Via Skype)

Discussion: Initial Findings

Discussion: Creating a Research Wall & Concept Map

Lecture: [2] Affinity Diagramming, Concept Map, Semantic Zoom, Temporal Zoom

Continue ethnography and foundational research.

Begin to document research (transcription)

Begin to create affinity diagram scaffold

Sat 11.5
3

Guest: Gary Chou (Via Skype)

Discussion: Research Findings & Initial Affinity Diagram

Work in Class: Research Transcription, Affinity Diagram Creation

Complete ethnography and foundational research.

Create formal affinity diagram of utterances

Create initial diagrammatic system representations, including concept map and semantic / temporal zoom

Read Exposing the Magic of Design, p164 – 168

Fri (!), 1pm 11.11
4

Guest: Zack Metzner

Discussion: Research Findings

Lecture: [3] Insight Combination

Finalize affinity diagram, concept mapping and visual representations

Identify and extract major insights

Read Theory of Change: A Practical Tool for Action, Results & Learning

Read The Logic Model for Program Planning and Evaluation

Sat 11.19
5

Lecture: [4] Theory of Change & Logic Model

Discussion: Insights

Work in Class: Identify patterns; begin Insight Combination

Formal Insight Combination

Sat 11.26
6

Work in Class: Insight Combination

Worksheet [C] Basic Financial Modeling

Complete Insight Combination Prepare Presentation

Sat 12.3
7

Guest: Mark Prentice

Discussion: Major Design Ideas Emerging

Work in Class: Insight Combination

Finalize presentation. Practice. Sleep.

 Sat 12.10
8

Final Presentations

 Sat 12.17