Through learning by doing, School of Design (SD) students at The Hong Kong
Polytechnic University (PolyU) acquire the skills necessary for defining such
foundational project components as a design brief, or planning and managing
a design process.
A preliminary enquiry into the reality of students’ experience of initial project
development phases leading up to a formulation of a design statement and
design concept specifications has lent insight into the critical process within
student projects. It focused on the way students link design project
developmental steps, and how disruptions occur in this fundamental stage of
the project.
The project probed into the reality of SD’s desi gn methodology educational
experiences, and considered the value of Play in enriching such pract ices.
While design shapes culture, according to cultural theorist Johan Huizinga,
the latter is the outcome of Play. Hence Play appeared to be an appropriate
cognitive and experiential framework reference to structure design
methodology education.
Based on findings from this preliminary study, and an appropriate
contextualization of play elements and principles into design, a series of
models were defined to specify and produce a design education toolkit.
This paper describes how the toolkit integrates fundamental design and play
elements to better guide apprentices and professionals in their appreciation of design methodology’ s multidimensional and immanent nature. More
specifically it will describe how play narratives are intrinsically woven into
what we call the Design Continuum, in which free play and rule based play
nurture divergent and convergent design thinking cycles.
DesignED Asia 2012 Conference
