From Insight to Impact: Contextual Design as a Path to User-Centered Innovation - Einzelansicht

During this course, students will conduct a complete User-Centered Design (UCD) process, going through all of its four main stages while receiving relevant theoretical knowledge. This process is commonly used to gain insights into previously unattainable direct user needs and helps inform decisions for new or improved versions of a product or service by ensuring user satisfaction. The Method of Contextual Design by Karen Holtzblatt will be used here to guide the students through a whole UCD process, as Conceptual Design features a rare selection of complementing methods, specially designed to preserve as much of the gained user data and later use it to inform new-and-improved concepts. The students will work in small groups to closely emulate real-world work scenarios and will each be presented with a problem that will have to be solved by applying Contextual Design, thus generating new solutions. 

By completing this module, students will be prepared to contribute to the design and development of products or services that effectively address user requirements and enhance user experience. The students will be guided from the initial stages of research to prototyping, gaining a holistic view of the process. A key focus will be on emphasizing the importance of considering user needs and goals when designing products or services. Students will learn valuable techniques to gather rich insights. Furthermore, students will acquire the necessary skills to explore connections and relationships between collected data. They will learn to extract meaningful patterns and themes, enhancing their ability to make informed design decisions. The students will also learn to create innovative and user-centric prototypes.

Holtzblatt, K., & Beyer, H. (2016). Contextual design: Design for Life. Morgan Kaufmann.

The course is conducted as a students' "Bauhaus.Module" by Sophie Zaton (stud. MA M) and Hyesoo Jeon (stud. MA M). The mentorship lies with Prof. Dr. Eva Hornecker (M).

keine

Final presentation, final report

The course is open to all Bachelor and Master students of the faculties of Architecture and Urbanism, Civil Engineering, Art and Design, and Media. Before registering, please consult your academic advisor and clarify whether this course can be credited to your curriculum. If required, you can conclude a learning agreement before the start of the course.