Students are expected to be able to do the following:
Understanding context
Conduct user-centred research to understand design opportunities and barriers
Defining
Establish a point of view for a chosen design opportunity
Identify potential users, intended impact, and possible unintended negative consequences
Make decisions about premises and constraints / limiting factors that define the design space (such as available technology, expense, environmental impact, copyright)
Ideating
Identify gaps to explore a design space
Generate ideas and add to others’ ideas to create possibilities, and prioritize them for prototyping
Critically analyze how competing social, ethical, and sustainability considerations impact designed solutions to meet global needs for preferred futures
Work with users throughout the design process
Prototyping
Identify and apply sources of inspiration and information (experiences, users, experts, secondary sources)
Choose an appropriate form, scale, and level of detail for prototyping, and plan procedures for prototyping multiple ideas
Analyze the design for the life cycle and evaluate its impacts including the social and environmental impacts of extraction and transportation of raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, transportation to markets, servicing or providing replacement parts, expected usable lifetime, and reuse or recycling of component materials
Construct prototypes, making changes to tools, materials, and proceduresas needed
Record iterations / repetitions of prototyping process with the aim of approaching a desired result
Testing
Identify feedback most needed and possible sources of feedback
Develop an appropriate test of the prototype (includes evaluating the degree of authenticity required for the setting of the test, deciding on an appropriate type and number of trials, and collecting and compiling data)
Collect feedback to critically evaluate design and make changes to product design or processes
Iterate the prototype or abandon the design idea
Making
Identify appropriate tools, technologies, materials, processes, and time needed for production
Use project management processes when working individually or collaboratively to coordinate production. This includes setting goals, planning, organizing, constructing, monitoring, and leading during execution.
Sharing
Share progress while creating to increase opportunities for feedback. May include showing to others, use by others, giving away, or marketing and selling
Decide on how and with whom to share or promote their product, creativity, and, if applicable, intellectual property
Consider how others might build upon the design concept
Critically reflect on their design thinking and processes, and identify new design goals
Assess ability to work effectively both as individuals and collaboratively while implementing project management processes
Curricular Competencies: Applied Skills
Apply safety procedures for themselves, co-workers, and users in both physical and digital environments
Identify and assess skills needed for design interests, and develop specific plans to learn or refine them over time
Curricular Competencies: Applied Technologies
Explore existing, new, and emerging tools, technologies, and systems to evaluate their suitability for their design interests
Evaluate impacts, including unintended negative consequences, of choices made about technology use
Analyze the role technologies play in societal change
Examine how cultural beliefs, values, and ethical positions affect the development and use of technologies