Critical Reflections
Featured Designed BY not Designed for: (dis)Ability Design Studio View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Deana McDonagh, Eunmi Moon
Focusing on the members within our communities who are often overlooked and underserved (e.g., aging and disability), can lead to a higher level of innovation for the designer. This paper discusses the newly established (dis)Ability Studio based in a traditional scientific and engineering institute, which provides a unique environment that supports individuals as contributors to knowledge rather than only research subjects. This studio supports diverse abilities and is underpinned by the goal that products, environments, services, and policies, need to be designed by rather than designed for if we acknowledge that the more typical abled-bodied designers can often miss the opportunity to integrate the 'voice' of the user. This discussion highlights an emerging design and disability community that enriches design education and design research projects. Two research projects are discussed (1) an omnidirectional hands-free self-balancing ballot chair and (2) an 'aging in place' housing system for life-long living. As a community let us go beyond the convenient sample to ensure we enable user-inspired innovation.
From Archetype to Algorithm: Utilising AI to Modernise Consumer Personas in Design Education View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session David Lee, Joselyn Sim
Rooted in Carl Jung's theories and popularised by Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson, brand archetypes have long been foundational in developing compelling brand narratives. However, advancements in consumer psychology research, data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) have significantly transformed the field. Traditional brand archetypes now require updating to maintain their relevance. This paper explores the application of AI in evolving archetypes, utilising machine learning, large language model processing, and data analytics to enhance design students' understanding of consumer personas and profiling within contemporary design curricula. Bridging the gap between tradition and technology, this paper introduces a practical matrix as a case study designed for design students in higher education. This novel, systematic approach, grounded in Jungian archetypes, is modular, dynamic, and customizable for specific design briefs. The matrix facilitates the transition from a traditional demographic market model to a more nuanced psychographic and behavioural segmentation based on shared interests and values. It also incorporates generational cohorts and other consumer research theories. In a dynamic landscape where consumers continuously redefine their identities and personas, this paper discusses the effectiveness of this case study when applied by design students to their research methodologies. Moreover, the paper underscores the critical importance of integrating AI into design practice pedagogy, advocating for design students to use AI and technology responsibly and confidently.
The Impact of Multidisciplinary Curriculum on Design Students View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ipek Kastas-Uzun
Due to the intertwined nature of design-related fields such as architecture, landscape architecture, and interior design, it isn't easy to draw firm boundaries between them. Based on this idea, the educational structure of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design (FFAD) at Izmir University of Economics is designed in such a way that students from all five departments of the faculty start their design education together and take core courses such as Art and Design Studio, Drawing and Representation, and History of Art and Design together in the first year. As the departments continue their curricula separately after the first year, this multidisciplinary approach continues with certain common compulsory and elective courses. The common courses in the curricula and the collaborative projects enable students to study, work, and learn together in this faculty. This paper discusses the role of multidisciplinary education in design-related fields with some examples of courses and projects where students from different departments work together. Through the multidisciplinary structure of the faculty, the paper highlights two important discussions. Firstly, including students from different disciplines in the same course and the opportunity to work on group projects with peers from different disciplines help broaden students' perspectives on problem-solving skills and increase students' success rate through cross-learning experiences. Secondly, while projects that require group work increase students' peer learning experiences, factors such as different knowledge backgrounds and different course schedules can create obstacles that need to be overcome for a successful outcome.
