Thing-Centered Design
IDE Design Master Class for Professionals
A New Approach to Designing with the Internet of Things
As objects around us begin to collect and exchange data, it is possible they may begin to suggest ecosystems and enable designs we could never think of. Thing-Centered Design (TCD) is a new way of researching and designing in partnership with objects, data and algorithms that looks into the creative possibilities of post-industrial design. TCD offers a toolbox of concepts and unconventional design methods that complement human-centered design skills and expand designers’ ability to frame and solve problems.
Date
9-10 October 2019
Group size
10-16 participants
Location
Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft
Deadline
30 September 2019
Curriculum
Contemporary things (from connected products to intelligent personal assistants to smart contracts) can “sense” and “think” in ways that previous industrially produced objects could not. A fresh perspective is needed to fully understand how things will take part in design and use next to us. This fresh perspective is Thing-Centered Design.
Learning Objectives
During this master class you will:
- understand what is a thing in the post-industrial era;
- apply thing-centered design in ways that complement human-centered design;
- select and devise thing-centered tools and techniques for expanding your imagination and capabilities by enlisting things as co-ethnographers and co-designers;
- select and devise thing-centered tools and techniques in design practice.
Content
- Thing-centered design theory and methodology;
- Methods and tools of thing-centered design;
- Cases and examples of thing-centered design
Speakers
Programme
| 9:00 | Registration and welcome drinks |
| 9:30 | Introduction and overview Overview of the master class, aims and structure, expectations and background of the participants |
| 10:00 | Lecture – Fundamentals of Thing-Centered Design Overview of TCD as a framework to help designers understand complex ecosystems of people, services and products, and to better frame problems that could be solved using the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence. Examples. |
| 11:00 | Break |
| 11:30 | Workshop I - Interview with Things Introduction to Interview with Things - how to frame and reframe a design problem by considering the agency of things |
| 13:00 | Lunch at the Porceleyne Fles |
| 14:00 | Workshop II – Thing Ethnography Introduction to Thing Ethnography and related data collection methods – how to gain access to data worlds and trajectories unattainable with traditional design methods. |
| 15:30 | Break |
| 16:00 | Workshop II – Thing Ethnography (continued) |
| 17:00 | Wrap-up and conclusive thoughts |
| 17:30 | End of the first day |
| 9:30 | Reflections and adjustments |
| 10:00 | Demo - Doing Thing Ethnography with sensors Lecture and demo on how to use sensors for Thing Ethnography |
| 10:30 | Case Study - Using machine learning for Thing-Centered Design Discussion of a case study. Benefits and challenges of using machine learning for Thing-Centered Design |
| 11:00 | Break |
| 11:30 | Warm-up exercise - Speculative job ads |
| 12:00 | Workshop III - Mindful Future Work Assistant Using insights from Thing Ethnography to derive design requirements, ideation and prototyping. |
| 13:00 | Lunch at the Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering |
| 14:00 | Workshop III - Mindful Future Work Assistant (continued) |
| 15:30 | Break |
| 16:00 | Discussion Application of main insights to participants' own practice. |
| 17:00 | Wrap up and conclusive thoughts |
| 17:30 | Drinks and closing |
Practical Information
How to prepare?
No preparation required.
Materials
Hand-outs of all lectures will be provided with space for personal notes. All materials provided are included in the course fee.
After the course
After the course, a pre-set consultation timeslot will be offered to all participants to share experiences and ask questions to the IDE Master Class. The format and the timing will be discussed with the participants during the IDE Master Class.
Costs Master Class
| € 950 | standard |
| € 850 | for members of BNO, KIVI IO, HumanFactorsNL |
| € 750 | for IDE alumni |
Courses are VAT-free
Lunch, drinks, material and book are included
Reduction
| € 100 | for each additional Master Class per organisation in 2024 |
| € 100 | if you register before 01 February |