Exercise: Design a simple 3d model of your project (depending on your project, it can be a product, a situation, an exhibition, an intervention in public space). The 3d model must be in scale of a small puppet – for example lego or playmobil. Take a camera and document the interaction between your puppet (the…
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An essential part of each design project (both academic and professional), is the managing of the design process. In order to lead a process from initiation to completion, a designer must have insight into the planned progress of all project phases. The designer must be able to anticipate how much time is needed to complete…
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An effective design question has an idea-finding potential. It offers the chance to answer the question in a variety of ways. It invites many new ideas, possibilities and actions. It frames the topic, problem and the aim, but gives a lot of freedom for innovative thinking.
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Ladder of abstraction is one of my favourite methodes, that I use with my students on a regular basis. This method can be used to: explore a still unknown subject, argue a design statement, break through designers’ blocks, and give new directions for further design research. Ladder of abstraction is a method that allows you…
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I teach the 2nd, 3rd year students and accompany the 4th year graduation projects. My focus lies on tutoring and supervising of projects from the conceptualisation to implementation. The lessons and activities are build on the five steps of design thinking: Empatize Visualising own design process. Considering the phasing of the projects, what will be…
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There are various methodologies that I frequently use in my lessons, that help students to develop ideas for a project theme. Some methods have a more analytical approach, and some are based on direct intervention and experiments. Research current Topics The most obvious source of inspiration can be the newspaper. Search for current topics (science,…
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Introducing storytelling and various storytelling-methodologies plays an important part in the lessons and workshops I give. You can see every design as a story, because we experience it over time. A building or interior is a sequence of physical spaces through which you walk; An exhibition takes the visitor literally on a curated journey through…
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Usability testing is of great importance in the design process. During a course, I ask students to facilitate at least two usability tests – an intern test with fellow students playing the user, and a second test with the real user. By testing a design, the designer can easily evaluate the prototype by its’ communication,…
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