Communication in Design

The design discipline is inherently interdisciplinary and requires ongoing communication with all stakeholders involved in the design process. The role of the designer is to facilitate this process and build consensus by incorporating insights from participants and communicating them. In design, communication occurs at multiple levels: between the product/service and the user, between the designer and stakeholders, and between design concepts and the broader public. This course introduces students to communication theory and practice, how to prepare and lead workshops, and how to use visual media to express ideas and inspire meaningful discussions.

• co-creation, co-design, participatory design
• workshops as communication and design research method
• visual communication
• key design skills: workshop, Adobe, Autodesk
• communication theory in design practice
• communication with different stakeholders in design process
• products and services communication
• prompting and probing in design
• influence of design media on communication
• exhibitions and communicating/disseminating ideas with the wider public

Language of instruction: English

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has:

• gained an understanding of key theories in the field of communication as they relate to design, along with insight into different approaches to communication across various contexts and disciplines
• developed an overview of the current research front in communication as it relates to design and visualisation
• acquired an overview of various visualisation techniques and principles
• attained knowledge of methods for applying communication theory in design practice and visualisation
• gained the knowledge to analyse communication content in text and visuals
• a foundation for planning and conducting workshops with multiple participants for data collection, data analysis, and co-creative group processes
• knowledge of how to facilitate a conversation in a group setting
• knowledge of how communication media, social and spatial-temporal contexts can influence communication itself
• knowledge of communication processes in branding
• knowledge of ethical concerns in relation to communication in design

Skills

The student has skills in:

• applying knowledge of communication and visualisation as a dimension of (co) designing
• communication and dissemination
• visual communication and the ability to create visual prompts (or probes) to mediate and facilitate discussions and interactions
• interaction and co-design processes with multiple participants representing interests, stakeholders and those affected by design solutions
• the basis for data-gathering, exploration, analysis and co-creation with multiple participants to attain new shared insights

General Competence

The student:

• can facilitate interdisciplinary co-design projects
• can critically reflect on communication and visualisation as integral dimensions of design, co-creation and ethical practice

Lectures, demonstrations, discussions, group work, presentations.

None.

Individual project report. Maximum 3000 words.

The examination result can be appealed.

No restrictions on examination resources.

All resources are permitted as long as the rules for source referencing are followed. The student is required to indicate if and how AI has been used to answer the exam.

Scale A-F.

Two internal. External examiner is used periodically.