Outline

Overview

This unit of study provides an overview of a human-centred approach to the design of products and systems. It introduces students to design thinking and how it can be productively applied to different design situations. The theoretical concepts, methods and tools for the key stages of interaction design are covered including user research, ideation, prototyping and user evaluation. It provides students with the principles, processes and tools for working collaboratively on design projects in studio. Students learn to build empathy with users, identify and reframe the problem space, develop value-driven design concepts and persuasively communicate design proposals with an emphasis on the user experience through visual storytelling. This unit is a foundational core unit in the Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts program.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Design Lab
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Joel Fredericks, joel.fredericks@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Joel Fredericks, joel.fredericks@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Online task	Online quizzes MCQ	20%	Ongoing	10
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research report Proposal	30%	Week 08	15 pages
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Design proposal Proposal	40%	Week 14 (STUVAC)	25 pages
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Recorded presentation Oral presentation	10%	Week 14 (STUVAC)	5 minute video presentation
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Self-reporting diary: Students will submit a self-reported diary study, documenting their reflections on the use of one piece of technology used repeadedly everyday, i.e. something that is either digital or used with a digital object.
Research report: Human-centred research should be conducted to understand the target users’ perspectives on the problem space outlined in the design brief. This should be supplemented by background and literature research. The aim is to devise a set of user needs and requirements that can be later used as a basis for ideation.
Design proposal: Working individually the primary aim of this assessment is to develop collaborative design skills. Students will follow a user-centred design process to iteratively develop, prototype and evaluate a design proposal that meets the design brief, and is based directly on the research from Assessment 2.
Project presentation: Working individually students will deliver a 5-minute recorded presentation of their design proposal. Students are required to record a selection of pages from their visual report as a slide-deck for the recorded presentation. The recorded presentation should focus primarily on describing the final result and how it responds to the original design brief and the findings from Assessment 2.
Online quizzes: Students will complete 10 online quizzes (each consisting 1-4 questions) with approximately two weeks to complete each quiz online.

Detailed information for each asssessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Work of outstanding quality, demonstrating mastery of the learning outcomes assessed. The work shows significant innovation, experimentation, critical analysis, synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or exceptional skill.
Distinction	75 - 84	Work of excellent quality, demonstrating a sound grasp of the learning outcomes assessed. The work shows innovation, experimentation, critical analysis, synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or superior skill.
Credit	65 - 74	Work of good quality, demonstrating more than satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes assessed, or work of excellent quality for a majority of the learning outcomes assessed.
Pass	50 - 64	Work demonstrating satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes assessed.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction: what is design thinking?	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 01	Observation and defamiliarisation	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 02	1. Self-reporting; 2. Introduction to assessment 1 and 2	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 02	Interview and interpreting data	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	User research	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 03	Sketching as a thinking tool	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	Representing users	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 04	Creating value driven personas	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	1. Design for experience; 2. Introduction to A3 and A4	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 05	Discuss your project progress with your tutors	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	Ideation, and visual storytelling	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 06	1. Ideating; 2. Discuss your concepts with tutors	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 07	Prototyping	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 07	Experience prototyping	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	Design principles	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 09	1. Creating storyboards for the project; 2. Performing persona-based walkthrough on concepts	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	UX principles and evaluation	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 10	1. Evaluation (usability, observation, think-aloud); 2. Plan evaluation with your tutors	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	TBA	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 11	Discuss your evaluation plan with tutors	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 13	Project presentations	Lecture (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: The School’s requirement of 90% attendance is waived. Participation in this unit is required via online components

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. appreciate the role of design thinking in traditional and cross-disciplinary contexts
LO2. select and apply human-centred interaction design methodologies, methods and tools
LO3. generate ideas, concepts and designs, informed by user and background research, to innovate interactive technology solutions to complex problems
LO4. be aware of design processes and cognition in collaborative, inter-disciplinary teams
LO5. apply persuasive oral/visual communication techniques for design communication to specific audiences
LO6. discuss and critique designs from a professional perspective.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The assessment guideline was reviewed and refined.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

IDEA9106: Design Thinking

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect