THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : Design

Undergraduate Course: Product Design: Prototyping (DESI10144)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course will focus on research through practical engagement with materials, tools and technologies that are at the forefront of Product Design. Students will explore themes through iterative prototyping processes to inform the resolution of their final year projects.
Course description This course focuses on embodied knowledge and on research through hands-on engagement with materials and technologies. Students will consolidate and extend knowledge and practice of iterative prototyping by following a personal theme (defined by students through an early proposal submitted before the start of Semester 1).

The course will be underpinned by weekly tutorials offered by the course staff. Students are nonetheless expected to exercise autonomy in researching and contacting experts and technical support specific to their theme of research. Students are equally expected to carry out independent research and selection of adequate materials, techniques, and technologies according to their personal directions and to contemporary trends and developments in product design.

This course will:

1. Consolidate understanding of practice-based exploration and research
2. Consolidate student knowledge in approaching abstract and complex issues through iterative prototypes.
3. Develop new materials and technological relationships to support research and development of self-directed project

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  0
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 1, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 16, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 6, Formative Assessment Hours 1, Summative Assessment Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 171 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Components of assessment

This course includes two components of assessment:
1. Collection of prototypes (minimum 5) that demonstrate iterative process towards a chosen concept and/or personal design manifesto, e.g. each prototype should build up on the learning acquired in the previous one.
2. Written and illustrated digital submission that documents key steps and decisions of the iterative, practical process towards exploring a chosen concept or personal design manifesto (20 -30 pages).

Learning outcomes will receive the same assessment weighting (33.33%). The first component of assessment will be marked against the first two learning outcomes, and 2nd assessment component will be marked against the 3rd learning outcome.
Feedback Formative feedback will be provided in person during group and individual tutorial meetings, and in written form at the mid-point of the semester, upon review of student's practice and deliverables.

Summative feedback will be provided in written form based on assessment of the submitted physical prototypes/models/materials and the digital documentation submitted online.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Critically explore a wide range of materials, technologies and/or practices built on traditional and forefront developments in product design.
  2. Demonstrate applied knowledge of materials and technologies through an iterative process of prototype development.
  3. Demonstrate autonomy through reflection on the decision-making process behind choices of materials, processes and concepts that are relevant to the execution of a self-directed project.
Reading List
Buxton, B. (2010). Sketching user experiences: getting the design right and the right design. Morgan Kaufmann.

Warfel, T. Z. (2009). Prototyping: a practitioner's guide. Rosenfeld media.

Eppinger, S. D., & Ulrich, K. T. (1995). Product design and development.

Sennett, R. (2009) The Craftsman - The past lives of crafts give ways of working and thinking about materials which might provide alternative ways of exploration for design.

McCloud S. (2001). Understandding Comics: The Invisible Art - Detailed look at the history of comic books and cartooning, useful for understanding and developing storyboards to explore design concepts.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Students will develop key skills in terms of the application of knowledge through using prototyping as a means of evaluation, thus also developing creative approaches to problem solving.

Learning Outcome 1 (LO1) focuses on exploration of material and embodied practice, and on carrying out experiments that include some degree of unpredictability. Students will apply a wide range of materials, techniques and skills, which are professionally adopted in product design. LO2 refers to selection of technique and narrowing down the exploratory process to specific techniques and materials. This process of material exploration, selection and further experimentation is at the core of product design innovation.

Through LO2, students will evaluate possibilities, weigh out pros and cons of materials, technologies and practices and choose appropriate means to produce and improve prototypes in an iterative process. This critical evaluation is essential in product design. While some of these choices will build on traditional methods, others will be at the forefront of current developments in the field.

In LO3, students will demonstrate ability to reflect on their own practice, providing insight into the practice of product design, which can be applied to other contexts or issues.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserMr Jonathan Rankin
Tel:
Email: Jonathan.Rankin@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Barbara Bianchi
Tel: (0131 6)51 5736
Email: barbara.bianchi@ed.ac.uk
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