The way we interface and interact with our environment is rapidly evolving. Advances in technology enable us to analyse and make informed decisions in a way that has never been more accessible in human history. The rise of low-cost, ubiquitous computing, IoT (Internet of Things) infrastructure and manufacturing processes have enabled us to rapidly ideate and prototype concepts that can have immense social, environmental and economic benefits.
Our duty as designers and entrepreneurs is to understand the possibilities and lead this change through a critical lens defining the future reality of life within our homes and cities.
This course will help students develop skills required to deliver positive, valuable and ethical system focused solutions for our homes and cities. Students will undertake a concept development journey starting with a critical analysis of selected United Nations Social Development Goals. Subsequently, they will identify problems and opportunities for impact at a product or experience scale.
Operating as teams in a studio environment, the output for this course will be an innovative solution in response to an identified opportunity and presented in a real-world context.
Topics and activities include:
- System analysis and identifying opportunities: Using a wicked challenge grounded in the UN Sustainable Development Goal No 12, the semester will begin with an in-depth analysis of an existing system within the context of Aotearoa. Students will subsequently identify opportunities for intervention and positive impact.
- Scoping technologies: Operating in transdisciplinary teams, students will research relevant technologies and processes to achieve a baseline understanding of the possibilities and limitations.
- Prototyping and testing: Students will take an iterative design approach to test rapidly and validate various design options in relation to self-derived criteria.
- Feedback and critique: Students will share their work in progress for feedback and critique from their peers using a prescribed online platform. Alongside informal peer-reviews, students will also receive feedback from staff and field experts in a studio environment.
- Design proposal: Operating in teams, students will ideate, prototype, document and pitch a design solution that is grounded in a real-world scenario.