Reframing Design Problems

TASKS

In Outcome 1 you will address the Discover & Define stages of the double diamond design process. 

OUTCOME 1 PART A

TASK 1: Identifying conceptions of 'Good Design' - 4 Folio Pages 

• Document examples of Good Design within the 4 Design Fields in your folio: One example of good design per field, and one example of bad design per field. Annotate to exaplain selections. Annotations should refer to Dieter Rams' principles of Good Design.

• Extend - Additional pages: Good Design: Disability Inclusion. Using the Premier's Design Awards as a point of reference, identify a key work of design which responds to needs of users with innovative design. Analyse how the design meets the criteria of Good Design, including key references to the innovative aspects of the design work. 

• Extend - Additional pages: Good Design: Cultural Inclusion. Source the work of a First Nations designer. Document it in your folio, annotating using conceptions of Good Design, and outline how their work in design fosters inclusivity and understanding of culture through their approaches to design. 

• Extend -  (Optional) Additional pages: Good Design: 'Icons of Design'. Identify one key work of design from design history. Analyse it applying conceptions of Good Design in annotations, consider Dieter Rams' 10 Principles, and criteria from the Victorian Premier's Design Awards. 

TASK 2: Identifying & Defining Design Problems - One folio page

• Design problem diary: Document 3-10 design problems you have encountered in daily life. Micro (impacts you directly) or macro (impacts a whole community)

• Identify a human-centred approach to researching (defining) the problem, or gathering information towards solving part of the problem. 

• Add definition: Review the structure of a Design Brief to outline areas that could be used to further define a design problem. Select one of your identified problems to flesh out further. 

OUTCOME 1 PART B

TASK 3: Selecting a Targetted Design Problem & Identifying Parts of the Brief

• Select one of the below design problems at School for this year:
  a) Magda House needs a visual identity and mascot to use in communications for house events.
  b) Mirka House needs a visual identity and mascot to use in communications for house events.
  c) Mabo House needs a visual identity and mascot to use in communications for house events.
  d) McGorry House needs a visual identity and mascot to use in communications for house events.

• Apply the Define stage of the design process to fully flesh out the design problem. Identify areas of The Brief that require input from the client, input from the target audience, and input from the designer to construct an effective Brief. 

TASK 4: Conducting Human-Centred Research - Group/Pair Task 

• Determine key methods of human-centred research to carry out to meet the needs of The Brief: Empathy Map, Survey, Interview, Focus Group. 

•  Conduct additional research into selected design need to determine key questions to inform human-centered research. 

• Review your data sets: Empathy Map, Interview, Surveys. Print copies. Using methods such as highlighting, circling, and annotating to extract or make clear key information.
  Use annotations to link key information to sections of The Brief.
  Use annotations to identify interesting or useful information & findings from your research.

• Visualise your data: Create a graphic of your Empathy Map, with select information that demonstrates key findings from your research.  Refer to this Loom video to guide you on a method that you might use. 

• Visualise your data: Create a second data visualisation that represents a useful or interesting data point. Refer to this Loom video to guide you on a method that you might use. 

TASK 5: Constructing a Brief

Write a draft brief that addresses all key areas, and defines the problem. Draft each section of the Design Brief, starting with bullet points. Submit draft for feedback. 

TASK 6: Completing a Brief

Apply the feedback given to you on your Draft Design Brief. Print as a single A3 page, or 2 A4 pages in the folio, ensuring you have a place for the designer signature, client signature, and date. Remember, the Design Brief  is a contract between a  designer and their client.

Key knowledge

·        conceptions of good design across a range of design disciplines and contexts

·        the role of visual language in producing good design outcomes

·        the Discover and Define stages of the VCD design process

·        techniques for effective collaboration in reframing human-centred design problems and identifying communication needs

·        human-centred research methods including ethical design research practices

·        strategies for convergent and divergent thinking

·        techniques for the presentation of human-centred research findings

·        the contents of a brief and its role in reframing ill-defined design problems

·        design terminology used in research, analysis and evaluation.

Key skills

·        identify and analyse past, present and personal conceptions of good design across various design fields

·        formulate ideas about good design in future contexts

·        use conceptions of good design to identify human-centred design problems

·        collaborate with others to explore and reframe design problems using human-centred and ethical research methods

·        apply the Discover and Define stages of the VCD design process

·        present human-centred research findings

·        compose a brief identifying a communication need

·        use appropriate design terminology in research, analysis and evaluation.