CDI1: Case Studies in Design Informatics 1

Welcome to Case Studies in Design Informatics 1

Design Informatics is a new field where design thinking and methods are used to explore the application of computational and data technologies on products, services and systems. In this course we will explore case studies of where design, emerging computational technologies and societal challenges are coming together.

The course is organised around a series of case study domains, which are introduced via lectures. Wherever possible, examples are taken from the ongoing or recent research at the University of Edinburgh. The case studies will be discussed in groups with lecturers, tutors and fellow students in relation to theory, methods and their legal, ethical and social dimensions. There will be an individual assignment focused on critically appraising a design informatics case study. Through these you will learn about design thinking and design methods and how these get used in examples of projects. You will also learn about examples of the use of "design thinking" in the creation of new data-driven technologies in a range of contemporary contexts - like sustainability, ageing, creativity. At the end of the course, you should be able to critically appraise case studies of design informatics, and be able to conduct a small research study using a design research method we introduce to you.

There will be 6 tutorials during the course, where a tutor will introduce to you key skills related to finding and reviewing literature, analysing case studies, and in developing materials for a design research based study. You will also meet with a teaching assistant, who will support you in refining your assignments.

Formative feedback will be through class interaction.

For more details, please see the course handbook here. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, you should be able to: 
  1. understand the research and design processes behind Design Informatics projects
  2. describe, with examples, the practical limits of current technologies and theories of relevance to design informatics
  3. understand contemporary examples of application areas and problems relevant to technology design, and suggest potential solutions which combine computational and design thinking
  4. learn what is needed to conduct ethical research in design informatics
  5. critically evaluate research literature in the field of design informatics, taking into account legal, social, ethical or professional issues
 
How to navigate this site
Take some time at the start of the year to familiarise yourself with the content on this course site.
 
The most important section, to begin with, is that called "Course Materials". Here you will find the important resources and materials we will use each week in the course. This is also where we will upload slides each week. This area also has a folder of "Course Information" materials, where the whole structure of CDI1 is explained. Please take a look at it!

Files

cd1-coursehandbook-2425-v1.pdf
License
All rights reserved The University of Edinburgh