Design Students Research Articles

Energy from Waste: Triboelectric Nanogenerators from Fully Fabric Materials for Smart Textiles. An Introductory Activity for Fine Arts and Design Students

Energy from Waste: Triboelectric Nanogenerators from Fully Fabric Materials for Smart Textiles. An Introductory Activity for Fine Arts and Design Students

Involvement of interactive educational platforms in the training of graphic design students using the Figma platform as an example

The goal is to provide a rationale for choosing the optimal prototyping and UI/UX design software for teaching design students. The purpose of writing this paper is to determine the optimal tools for teaching UI/UX design students through interactive educational platforms. The research uses the methods of cross-multiple-iteration expert ranking, personal ranking of students, and comparative cross-analysis of the results of expert and user ranking. The ranking results confirmed the choice of tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, InVision, Sketch, and Marvel. The users’ conclusions agree with the experts’ evaluations. Still, the analysis revealed a significant difference in approaches: the gap in user evaluations is 84.6% versus 32.0% for experts, indicating the influence of user empathy and the importance of UI/UX in product perception. Figma was selected as a tool for prototyping and UI/UX design with a median rating of 57.2%, justifying its use in interactive educational programs for future designers, contributing to the development of skilled digital production specialists. Further research is focused on developing detailed educational courses for design students, as well as studying the empathic component of experience for creating ergonomic interfaces.

Co-Learning Scenarios with the Community: Democratic Practices In and Out of the Design Studio

Design education is characterised by its experiential and practice-oriented approach, emphasising active engagement with projects. The pedagogical focus is on developing individual styles, professional stances, and a receptive attitude towards novel experiences, aligning with the evolving landscape of the design profession. This study explores community engagement in student projects as a means to establish a co-deciding and co-learning infrastructure in the design studio. This participative and democratic approach challenges traditional hierarchies in higher education, transforms the student-instructor relationship, and aligns educational practices with the evolving requirements of the design profession. The study investigates students' insights into co-learning with the community through scenario-building. A workshop conducted with twelve fourth-year undergraduate industrial design students and the thematic analysis of the findings revealed that educational community engagement projects employing inclusionary methods motivate students and foster a positive attitude towards shifting power relations within a democratic design studio structure. The findings also highlight the need for a clear focus, a set of principles for successful engagement, and conflict resolution in the co-learning process, as well as the generative potential of scenario-building as a method for inclusive practices.

Special section editorial

This special thematic issue of Image & Text focuses on storytelling and how selective aspects manifest in the domain of communication design. It is noteworthy that this particular special issue has arisen as a result of the landmark Stories Worth Telling retrospective exhibition1 curated by the Information Design division of the University of Pretoria's School of the Arts in June of 2023 at the Javett-UP Student Gallery, showcasing 218 book designs by final year Information Design students. Following the exhibition, this special edition of Image & Text invited scholars, educators, writers, design practitioners, curators, and critics alike to submit articles specifically on the art of storytelling through an image/text interplay that dances upon the editorial stage or other spaces. In this editorial, we highlight eight original peer-reviewed research contributions that offer unique perspectives on the role of storytelling in design, design education, and illustration as depicted in a multitude of media that run the gamut from poster design to creative writing, picture books, postcards, comics, wayfinding, and place naming. Moreover, we also provide an overview of academic contributions that discuss aspects related directly to the exhibition itself, an exhibition review, and a book review that comments on the importance of writing as a directorial storytelling tool.

Do undergraduate art and design students’ entrepreneurship skill sets influence their intention to own a business?

PurposeDrawing on a competency-based approach, this empirical study explores whether art and design students’ entrepreneurship skill sets (technical, managerial and entrepreneurial skills) influence their intention to own a business and whether gender and/or business ownership influence their entrepreneurship skill sets.Design/methodology/approachA total of 204 respondents were selected using a random sampling technique. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent sample tests and two-way ANOVA.FindingsThe independent samples test revealed interesting results regarding art and design students’ entrepreneurship skill sets, distinguishing between those who own businesses and those who do not. The two-way ANOVA analysis indicated that certain factors significantly affect art and design students’ entrepreneurship skill sets while others do not.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that higher education institutions should reconsider their curricular frameworks to better equip art and design graduates with not only artistic skills but also robust entrepreneurial competencies based on targeted training programs that could be developed to enhance the managerial and entrepreneurial skills among art and design students.Originality/valueThis study addresses a gap in the literature by empirically examining the impact of entrepreneurship skill sets on the art and design students’ business ownership and investigating whether business ownership and/or gender influence their entrepreneurship skill sets, offering valuable insights for educational institutions and policymakers.

Croí: A Process for Core and Responsible Graphic Communication Design Education

Research has shown that addressing personal values and conviction is crucial for long-lasting Education for Sustainable Development. However, there is a shortage of theory and evidence-based value-focused processes in Graphic Communication Design Education literature. This article presents a novel personal value thinking and doing process called Croí (pronounced Cree) that can be used as a precursor to Education for Sustainable Development in Graphic Communication Design Education. Croí aims to stimulate sustainable transitions by disrupting behaviour development. Over five years, five rounds of Action Research were conducted with third-level educators and students to explore how Croí could facilitate value (or core) design, with the broad aim to encourage sustainable Graphic Communication Design. The initial Croí prototype developed over Cycles One and Two is briefly summarised, with focus on Cycles Three, Four, and Five, where Croí was further developed and evaluated. Data collection included researcher field notes, semi-structured interviews, and written reflections, analysed through Thematic Analysis. Key discussion points include fundamental process elements, Croí's impact on core thinking and doing and responsible thinking and doing, and its potential to facilitate behaviour development. The research concludes that Croí promotes core and responsible thinking and core doing, increasing the likelihood of responsible doing. It offers educators an innovative way to facilitate plural, practical, and core development for graphic communication design students, potentially influencing change in the profession. Croí is not a panacea for the complex issue of Sustainable Development, but it provides a novel and meaningful foundation for disrupting behaviour.

The commodification of creativity: Integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence in higher education design curriculum

ABSTRACT The academic questions posed by the introduction of Generative AI (GenAI) into design higher education are many and reflect educators’uneasiness about its ethical use. Like any new radical technology breakthrough, GenAI straddles a pedagogical fence that divides opinion and focuses on a basic question: How can design educators harness Generative AI’s power without compromising the fundamentals of design education? This study contributes to foundational research on how to incorporate GenAI into design education without compromising and commodifying the creative process. This research examines design students’ experiences using GenAI in the context of studio practice of a second-year visual communication design course in a Bachelor of Design programme. Reflective comments are analysed and used to inform recommendations for a structured pedagogic approach for implementing GenAI as a building block for the design creative process into the curriculum.

Visiting Hannah Arendt: Reflections on the civic affordances of storytelling in design education

In this article, I consider the role of storytelling as a civic act, which is made visible through a reflection on the storytelling processes that informed the underpinning of a curriculum project showcased during the Stories Worth Telling exhibition (2023). To this end, I focus on how the stories worth telling are shaped, archived, and celebrated through participatory engagements and experiences by fourth-year Information Design students at the University of Pretoria. Underscored by Hannah Arendt's notion that storytelling serves as a bridge between the private and public realms, I highlight the civic affordances of the storytelling process that may ultimately augment the students' critical thinking and not only their technical design capabilities.

DAMPAK KORUPSI BANSOS TERHADAP KESEJAHTERAAN MASYARAKAT DALAM PANDANGAN MAHASISWA SEKOLAH TINGGI DESAIN INDONESIA

This article explores the impact of corruption on social assistance programmes and its effect on community welfare from the perspective of design students. Corruption, which is a practice that harms both the state and society, often hinders the effectiveness of social assistance programmes, which should aim to improve social welfare. Design students, with different backgrounds and approaches, produce different perspectives in analysing the impact of corruption on social welfare. Through case studies and qualitative analysis, this article shows how corruption can affect social assistance distribution, service quality, and community satisfaction. The results show that design students have an assessment of social assistance corruption cases and design students can play an important role in reducing corruption and increasing the effectiveness of social assistance, so that it can contribute to improving people's welfare.

Comparing Virtual and Real-Life Rapid Prototyping Methods for User Testing Smart City Interfaces: A Case Study

In the development of complex embedded interactive systems, a tension arises between, on the one hand, ever shorter and highly iterative design processes, and, on the other hand, the need for user testing with early prototypes to validate systems from a user-centred design perspective. This study focuses on the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) into prototyping embedded interactive systems, examining its potential to bridge the gap between rapid prototyping and user-centered design validation. Adopting a comparative research approach, we analyze a case study: the development of a cultural smart city experience. It juxtaposes in situ, low-fidelity prototype testing with VR-based testing, evaluating their realism, interactivity, functionality, presence and task difficulty. This mixed-method research design incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, engaging 27 design students in a comparative study, conducting participatory research and 8 expert interviews. These findings reveal divergent roles in field testing and VR in the new product development process, highlighting VR’s strengths in visualizing procedures and facilitating discussion. This study identifies the limitations of VR in mimicking realistic interactions and incorporating social context yet underscores its superiority over paper prototypes in its realism and interactivity. Where field testing can hold broader contextual insights, the VR prototype gives more concrete and applied insights. The main advantage of VR testing is its visualisation of procedures and its final materialisation according to the participants interviewed. According to the experts interviewed, VR can be used as a useful tool within the development process especially for visualisation and testing user flows of complex interfaces.

The Pedagogical Power of Paper

AbstractIn this research, I explore the potential of a material‐led, embodied pedagogical approach to cultivate diverse modes of thinking, knowing and becoming within a pre‐GCSE curriculum. Drawing from my experiences as both an artist and educator, I acknowledge the transformative power inherent in recognising the agency of all forms of matter, whether human or non‐human. Through the implementation of a project titled ‘To Play,’ which utilises paper as a primary pedagogical tool, I engaged Year 9 Art and Design students. Qualitative data collected over a six‐week period underpins the analysis, with a particular emphasis on understanding students' experiences with material‐led processes. The findings highlight the potential of material‐led pedagogies to empower students and challenge anthropocentric perspectives, offering valuable insights for enhancing pre‐GCSE art education and harnessing the educational potential of materials. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse in art education by emphasising the importance of embodied, experiential learning approaches that prioritise creativity, exploration and critical engagement with the world around us.

Knowledge and Skills of Senior Architectural Design Students in China: A Channel for Enhancing Future Career Readiness

This chapter presents the findings of the study regarding the assessments of senior architectural design students' knowledge and skills from the perspectives of both the students and employers. The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of the respondents’ evaluations in various domains critical to architectural education and practice. This paper adopts descriptive quantitative with qualitative data to study the knowledge and skills of architectural design students from different perspectives of architectural design students and design firms (employers) to address deficiencies in key areas of architectural education and practice. In terms of knowledge level evaluation, architectural design students and architectural design companies (employers) evaluate key areas such as design skills, technical knowledge, theoretical understanding, sustainable development awareness and communication skills, and their degree is at a medium level (I). In terms of skill level assessment, architectural design students and architectural design companies (employers) evaluated specific abilities in design skills and creativity, technical ability, project management, sustainable design, and communication and presentation skills, and their levels were at the proficient level (P). evaluate the knowledge and skills level of Chinese architectural design students and develop a corresponding professional improvement plan.

Relationship between Millinery Curriculum Content and Millinery Skills Acquired by Higher National Diploma Fashion Design Students

Relationship between Millinery Curriculum Content and Millinery Skills Acquired by Higher National Diploma Fashion Design Students

From Designing Houses to Studying Architecture: Did Those Who Study Design Share Any Similarities in Playing the Sims Game?

Wright’s famous game The Sims, and its sequels; The Sims2 (2004), The Sims3 (2009), and The Sims4 (2014) are computer based digital games that provide digital settings to simulate virtual dollhouses (Martey and Stromer-Galley, 2007). They are one of the most played games of all time, which is why it has been the focus of academic studies since its first release. Within the scope of this research, a comprehensive survey was conducted. The first phase of the survey was conducted with 54 participants and the participants who graduated from different departments were asked whether there is a relationship between The Sims game experiences, interest in playing SIMS and choosing a profession. The following phase was conducted with the focus of architects, interior architects and industrial design graduates and students, who are called design faculty members. In this study, the effects of playing The Sims on the profession and their professional achievements were questioned.

Mechanical noise for architectural students

Noise control of mechanical equipment is one of the requirements established in energy certificates (LEED, BREEAM, WELL, etc.) as well as in different design standards or national codes. At the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Madrid, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), several courses are offered to students on the design of mechanical systems, from the selection of the equipment, its location, distribution, and its integration with the architecture. Its acoustic implications are not explained in any course. During the last year of the degree, in the course "Proyecto de instalaciones", (Technical Equipment Design) students are asked to fully integrate the building services (heating, cooling, ventilation, fire safety, emergency signals...) in one building designed by their own, and for the first time a 2-hour masterclass on mechanical noise for architects has been organized. In it, the main noise sources, design recommendations and the most common ways to attenuate and control it are addressed. The aim of this work is to share the learned experiences and discuss the next steps to be taken.

First-Year Design Projects and Student Perceptions of the Role of an Engineer

First-Year Design Projects and Student Perceptions of the Role of an Engineer

Implementation of a Practical Environmental Sustainable Design Project in Interior Architectural Education: A Case Study at the University of Jordan

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to discuss the implementing of a practical project as a new learning methodology to help students develop expertise in the functional, aesthetic, and creative aspects of environmental design. Methods: The research is qualitative in design and based on a case-study approach, in which sixty-three environmental practical projects were explored. The examined design projects were conducted by interior design students at the department of visual arts of the University of Jordan as part of an environmental design course during three semesters in 2022. Results: Nine themes emerged from the study, which were interpreted based on the selecting and processing of materials (either recycled or adapted from the local environment). These materials comprised recycled plastic, recycled paper, recycled metal, recycled wood, recycled glass, recycled threads, resin, ceramic, and plants. The study also found that working with and processing local or recycled materials in practical projects within the study curriculum helped students acquire skills and gain confidence in relation to environmental practice, and increased their awareness of the different usages of materials and their advantages from both a functional and aesthetic perspective. Conclusions: The significance of the study lies in its adoption of a practical approach as a new active learning methodology within art and design educational programmes to meet the current educational standards stipulated by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Jordan. Real-world projects foster students’ development of critical creativity to achieve the ultimate principles of environmental design and prepare them to deal with real challenges within the professional job market.

Making the case for introducing generative artificial intelligence (AI) into design curricula

The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education design programmes is expanding, yet there is little formalized approach to its integration. Professionally, generative AI is starting to become an indispensable tool for ideation and prototyping, two fundamental skills taught in design’s studio pedagogy. Yet this digital leap into the future risks leaving design educators behind unless they take a proactive approach to its implementation and present its strengths and weaknesses. This study surveyed 74 design students from an Australian university, exploring their current utilization of generative AI and their projections for its future application in design practice. Findings confirm that generative AI is being used in an ad hoc way by students to speed up the ideation process tempered by a sceptical view of its creative output. A list of generative AI training for integration into the design curricula based on current research and survey results is proposed.

RÉSUMÉ AND PORTFOLIO DESIGN IN DESIGNER PORTFOLIO COURSE RÉSUMÉ EVALUATIONS

A résumé is a way for the designer to express his or her skills and experience. A creative résumé highlights the designer's unique talents and personal style. When recruiters evaluate candidates based on their résumés, a creative résumé stands out and can strike a favorable first impression. This is an opportunity to highlight the designer's creativity and design skills. Harmonious color palettes, layouts and graphic elements demonstrate the designer's communication skills. It is essential for designers to design their résumé in an informative, easy-to-read and eye-catching way, as this document is not only a job application form but also a design product. This article aims to discuss why a designer's résumé should be creative and analyzes the résumés created by students in the Portfolio Design course conducted by the researcher. In addition, the importance of the Portfolio Design course, a course in which design students learn to use their résumés to identify their career goals and highlight their experiences and skills, is emphasized.

Pearls of Wisdom from Teaching Rounds: Reconceptualizing “See One, Do One” as Social Learning

Abstract Background Experiential education is paramount to clinical instruction in medicine. During teaching rounds, faculty can assess medical knowledge and clinical reasoning while modeling evidence-based patient care and effective communication. This study aimed to describe observed traits common across faculty who contribute to favorable learning environments. Design Students completed an Internal Medicine (IM) Student Chief elective at a midwestern United States Academic Tertiary Care Center in which M4s aided Clerkship leadership in near-peer teaching and communicating with students. Chiefs participated in rounds for experiential learning in clinical teaching. For this qualitative, descriptive study, M4s were asked to provide at least three “pearls of wisdom,” on observations about teaching and learning in reflective essays during two consecutive academic years. Twenty-nine M4s participated in the elective and submitted 238 pearls. The research team undertook document review and qualitatively analyzed content of Chiefs’ reflective essays. Detailed codes were organized into primary and secondary themes by each author, and then re-evaluated until they reached consensus. Through thematic analysis, we identified faculty traits students found conducive to learning. Results Three primary themes emerged: Attributes, Autonomy, and Achieving Engagement. Conclusion Experiential educational encounters are transformative to developing new physicians. Chiefs highlighted positive aspects of teaching rounds described previously including providing clear expectations, promoting goal setting, engagement, and instilling confidence. They also valued humor, recognizing cognitive overload, displaying humility, listening skills, and mentorship. While one attending cannot replicate all described effective techniques simultaneously, faculty development that promotes refining these approaches may improve the clinical learning environment for all learners.