A Participative and Socially Interactive Approach to the Teaching- Learning Process in Industrial Design
Year: 2014
Editor: Erik Bohemia, Arthur Eger, Wouter Eggink, Ahmed Kovacevic, Brian Parkinson, Wessel Wits
Author: Briede Westermeyer, Juan Carlos; Mora, Marcela; Cartes, Jorge; P, Marcela
Series: E&PDE
Institution: 1Universidad del B
Section: Social Aspects of Design Education
Page(s): 135-140
ISBN: 978-1-904670-56-8
Abstract
Industrial design is concerned with meeting social needs, providing users with products that improve their quality of life. The Industrial Design program at the University of Bío-Bío in Concepción, Chile promotes this aim by offering a “User-centred design” (UCD) workshop for third-year students. The DCU workshop uses project-based learning, and employs a methodology that takes the user as its starting point, shifting the paradigm from “designing for” to “designing with” the user. In 2012, design students joined a collaborative project led by the non-governmental organization “Un Techo para Chile” (TECHO), benefitting low-income families living in state-housing projects in the Nonguén Valley. This initiative focused on developing practical solutions to residents’ needs by involving them in product design. Participation in both decision-making and co-creation provided a space of trust and confidence between design students and community members which emphasized the social responsibility of designers. This project culminated in the production of pragmatic design solutions that successfully met local needs and ultimately improved the quality of life for residents.
Keywords: Design Education, Participative approach, social integration