Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/design

Introduction

# Course Review: Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society **Course Overview:** “Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society” on Coursera is an engaging and comprehensive course that aims to elevate your design skills by combining theoretical concepts with practical applications. Perfect for both aspiring and experienced designers, the course unpacks the design process through a multifaceted lens, spanning various domains including architecture, graphic design, apparel, and product engineering. By integrating weekly design challenges, the course encourages learners to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems, effectively bridging the gap between theory and practice. **Week-by-Week Breakdown:** **Week 1: Introduction to Design** This module serves as a foundational cornerstone for the course, introducing the integral design process and emphasizing the importance of user needs. Learners will engage in critical exercises to pinpoint problem gaps, allowing them to kickstart their design journey. The emphasis on peer feedback fosters a collaborative learning environment, which is invaluable for personal growth. **Week 2: Customer Needs and Drawing Solutions** Focusing on customer needs, participants will conduct interviews and compile a comprehensive list of user requirements. A unique feature of this module is the emphasis on drawing as a design communication tool, equipping learners with essential skills to present their ideas clearly and effectively. **Week 3: Design Concepts** Continuing from user needs, this module trains students to transition from problem identification to solution formulation. The ability to deconstruct designs for evaluation is a critical skill learned here, allowing students to refine their concepts based on both past successes and failures. **Week 4: Concept Selection and Prototyping** This week delves into the methodology behind selecting the right design concept for prototyping. Learners will be introduced to evaluation techniques such as the selection and scoring matrix. By the end of this week, students will have tangible prototypes, marking a significant leap in their design process. **Week 5: Aesthetics** With the foundations in place, this module shifts focus to aesthetics. Understanding how design principles can affect user perception and engagement is vital, and students will get to apply these principles to their prototypes, enhancing appeal and usability. **Week 6: Final Project Submission** The culmination of the course, this module allows students to showcase their final projects and gain constructive feedback from peers. This closing exercise not only imparts confidence but also prepares learners for future iterations of their designs. **Recommendations:** This course is highly recommended for anyone interested in the field of design. Whether you're a novice looking to jumpstart your career or a seasoned designer wishing to harmonize theory with practice, "Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society" offers a rich, immersive learning experience. The structured weekly breakdown ensures that you build upon your skills incrementally, while the emphasis on peer feedback fosters a sense of community and collaboration. In addition to honing your design skills, you will emerge with practical experience in customer needs assessment, concept development, and prototype creation. Each module is rich in content and offers numerous opportunities to practice skills in realistic scenarios. Overall, this course can be a significant stepping stone in your design career, providing the tools and insights necessary to excel in the evolving landscape of design.

Syllabus

Week #1: Introduction to Design

This module was designed to introduce you to the design process and to reinforce the critical role that user needs play in good design. You'll learn that design is conceiving and giving form to artifacts that solve problems, and also how to recognize and identify a gap in a problem. You'll explore what defines what users need, as well as ways to use those needs toward product design. By the end of this module, you will have begun your own design process by identifying 10 problem gaps and submitting them for feedback from your peers. You will also do a "5 Whys" exercise to help you determine the best design problem for you to solve in your final design project.

In this module, you'll deliver your customer needs and learn the basic principles of drawing for product design: a necessary skill for any designer. The module begins with another peer review, this time on customer needs. This assignment requires you to conduct interviews with potential customers, and to come up with a list of at least 30 user needs. Given the time-intensive nature of this assignment, we suggest you begin it as soon as possible. As you conduct your interviews and begin your list of user needs, you can start watching the drawing videos, which will guide you through the processes of presenting your design in a clear, easily accessible format. By the end of this module, you'll be able to identify the main customer needs your design will address, and also be able to present your design as a drawing which employs the best practices of drawing for design.

The goal of this module is to move from defining the problem to designing a solution. You'll begin by learning about the exploration phase, and you will exit this phase with a number of design concepts for peer review. You'll also learn how to decompose a design to evaluate its overall function, and essential process in creating good design essential to the life of your design. Finally, you'll learn how to critically examine past design artifacts to inform your current concepts so that you can sensibly differentiate your product. By the end of this module, you'll have created 10 solid design concepts, and you will have received feedback on those concepts so that you can move to the next phase of the design process: prototyping.

This module was created to help you understand the selection process so that you can choose one design for prototyping. You'll learn key techniques for evaluating your design concepts, including the selection matrix, and the scoring matrix. And once you've selected some designs, you will also learn the uses and value of prototyping. You'll explore how prototypes are used to answer questions, to communicate and to distinguish milestones in the design process, and you will also work through the prototyping process so you can begin building your own, which you will submit for peer review. By the end of this module, you'll have selected one or more design concepts for prototyping, built prototypes, and received feedback on them from your peers. You'll also get to see some of your peers' designs as well.

Now that you’ve identified what concept you want to explore, this module will explore the aesthetics of design so that you can refine your prototypes to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible. You'll learn how aesthetics are used in design, and how they motivate reactions toward artifacts overall using a real-world example. You'll also learn how you can apply these aesthetic principles to your own prototype, so that you can make your prototype more appealing and pleasing to potential customers. By the end of this module, you'll be prepared to implement aesthetic changes to your existing prototype so that you can be ready to submit your final design project for review in the following module.

In this module, you will submit your final project for review. You'll then evaluate the work of five (5) of your peers and receive feedback which you can use for the next iteration of your design. By the end of this module, you will have created a reasonable prototype, and received critical feedback on how to redesign your prototype so that you know which directions to purse should you continue working on this project after the conclusion of this course.