PROJECT INTERACTION is a 10-week program where students conceptualize designs to address issues in their community through an Understanding by Design approach. Students conduct market research like interviews and surveys to understand user needs, do ethnographic research through cultural probes to study human behavior, and use participatory design techniques like co-design to engage with users. They then brainstorm, prototype, test, and refine their design concepts. In the final week, students present their pitched design proposals to an audience seeking feedback on making their designs a reality.

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PROJECT INTERACTION (an Understanding By Design approach)
EMAIL prem_chandran@hotmail.com
(Designing for Change, Innovation and Transformation)
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PROJECT INTERACTION is an Understanding by Design (UBD) approach to engaging students in designing for their communities (people) and
environments (place & space) by learning from service design, industrial design and universal (inclusive) design. Over a 10 week period, students
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will independently and in collaboration as a team conceptualise possible futures for their environment through their designs. By applying skills
learnt from interaction design, they will understand human behaviour and uncover design opportunities in their motivation to make life better.
Teams will pitch their final design concept to an audience to seek feedback on the viability of their design proposal and what can be done to
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make this a shared reality.
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“Scaffolding the Essential Question”
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Discussions with the school leaders & staff
for design opportunities to unfold within
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the school environment or with partners
outside. Photos, videos and other media
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collected are used as resources for
scaffolding the design process for the Week 1 Week 4‐5
students to conceptualise a design theme “What people say” –Market Research
PR Brainstorming and Ideation
phrased as a question. Techniques: User, Consumer Interviews Online Software : Popplet, Mindmeister
Examples: Students will learn to craft and conduct surveys Brainstorming using collated information where the students will learn to
with stakeholders to uncover their needs and categorise and create relationships between their different ideas to help in
“How can we make canteen time analyse the data for design information. ideation
more enjoyable”
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Week 2 Week 6‐7 (Prototyping Week)
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“How can we transform empty “What people do”‐Ethnography Mobile technology, CAD and Imaging software and Electronics (Arduino Simulator)
spaces around school Techniques: Cultural Probes, Ethnography. Software: Google Sketchup, Virtual Breadboard, QR codes, 3D imaging , Photosynth.
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into learning/exhibition space” Students will learn how to create cultural probes, Students will learn prototyping software to build and communicate their designs
ethnography to understand human behaviour.
“How can we make navigation Personas are used as collaborative formats to craft Week 8‐9
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around the school easier for stories around the experiences of their user, Testing and refining ideas , Video Scenarios, Presentations
new‐comers” Week 3 Teams will use their prototypes to refine the ideas with their stakeholders
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“What people make”‐Participatory Design
“Time‐Capsule‐ How can we Week 10
Techniques: Co‐Design
preserve school memories for “Pecha‐Kucha” Presentation and Reflections
Students will learn how to engage users to co‐
Teams will pitch their final designs to an audience and reflect on their
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future generations?” design with them by using image collages to better
design process with Q & A session.
understand what needs they could address.