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Unit of study_
DESN1000: Principles of Design
2025 unit information
This unit of study allows students to develop an understanding of the foundation of human factors upon which much successful design is based. Students learn about the basic physical and cognitive principles (ergonomics, heuristics, human-centredness) incorporated in successful designs across a wide variety of different sectors. Students are provided with the tools to evaluate existing designs according to widely accepted design principles. They learn to apply these principles in practice in order to improve the usability, clarity and overall quality of their own designs. Through a series of academically researched case studies they reflect upon how these principles are applied in existing designs. To further develop their understanding of the design principles, they then complete a small re-design exercise. The case studies are chosen to cover a range of different domains, including products, systems, organisations, and services.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Design Lab |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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None |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. demonstrate the effective usage of oral, written and visual means to critique, negotiate, create and communicate understanding
- LO2. practice design skills reflectively
- LO3. demonstrate increased fundamental knowledge of guiding principles.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
