University of Technology Sydney

89109 Design Prototyping

6cp; 3hpw, lecture and practical workshop, online
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Postgraduate

Description

Prototypes bring design concepts to life in low-risk scenarios. They are very important forms of communication in the design process, and integral to practices of user-centred research. Design prototyping helps designers to communicate their ideas to other designers, understand assumptions about who they design for, and to gather input on their design propositions in a generative research process. As a provisional design form, prototypes are generally constructed from low-fidelity materials, such as paper and cardboard and ready-to-hand props, which are brought together in ‘informative performances’ that portray the fundamental empathy of designing.

In this workshop-based subject, students acquire knowledge of different techniques of prototyping: investigating physical properties of object-human relationships; exploring the experiences of different users through prototyping personas and scenarios; and designing for social and cultural change through the development of narrative prototypes. Students learn about the history of prototyping as it has emerged in user-centred design, how to make design prototypes, and techniques of design storytelling to activate prototypes in social settings.

Typical availability

Spring session


Detailed subject description.

Access conditions

Note: The requisite information presented in this subject description covers only academic requisites. Full details of all enforced rules, covering both academic and admission requisites, are available at access conditions and My Student Admin.