OCAD UNIVERSITY
100 McCaul Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5T 1W1
T: 416 977 6000
F: 416 977 6008
WWW.OCADU.CA
COURSE OUTLINE
INDS 3B25
CONCEPTUAL TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
Faculty of Design Suite 500, 100 McCaul
Program Assistants
Advertising, Graphic Design, Illustration x 352
Environmental, Industrial Design, Material Art & Design x237
Curriculum Stream: Industrial Design
Credit Value: .5
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This studio course reviews state-of-the-art approaches to generating, developing and
communicating conceptual directions for products, services or experiences. Ideation
tools such as concept fans, provocation techniques, mind mapping and storyboarding
techniques are explored. Development of communication style, research modules, and
critical and conceptual modules are also taught.
COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
The industrial Design program at OCADU provides students with a framework of sixteen
unique design competencies. A competency is defined as the knowledge, skills and
behaviors a student must master in a specific content or performance area.
Each competency has five levels of expected learning outcomes. As a student, you are
expected to master and integrate all competency learning outcome levels in order to
successfully complete your education at the Industrial Design program.
The competencies are clustered evenly into four thematic domains. Each domain
features a series of courses that provide students with the opportunity to develop their
competency levels progressively, from one course to the other.
The section ‘learning outcomes’ and ‘competency levels’ in this syllabus document
provide detailed information on this course’s competency domain and the specific
competencies and learning outcome levels this course requires you to achieve.
Each course instructor will frame course assignments consistently using the Industrial
Design Process and an ID toolbox of design methods. The details of both process and
toolbox are documented on the Industrial Design website.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course is part of the 'Thoughts' competency domain. In the domain ‘Thoughts’
students develop the ability to articulate their role, contribution and value as a designer
within a larger socio-cultural, economical and historical context. Students will become
able to work and think interdisciplinary and use creativity techniques and future
thinking methods to chart out opportunities for design. The 'Thoughts' competency
domain comprises four competencies. Each competency has five levels that are
developed progressively across successive courses. Each level has specific learning
outcomes.
This course develops the following competency levels:
Competency: Scope and Context of Design
Students learn to think about the social, cultural and historical context of design
(research ethics, meaning of objects). This course enables students to develop the
'Intake' and 'Grasp' competency levels.
Competency: Thinking Typologies
Students acquire access to different thinking ways in design (e.g. intuitive, analytical,
systemic, holistic, abstract, synthetic, rational) and how to bridge to other disciplines’
ways of thinking. This course enables students to develop the 'Intake'and 'Grasp'
'competency levels.
Competency: Conceptual Thinking
Students acquire the use of creativity techniques (i.e. generative and evaluative thinking
tools, lateral thinking methods, scenario building, concept mapping and visualization,
story boarding, concept visualization techniques, system diagrams). This course enables
students to develop the 'Intake' and 'Grasp' competency levels.
Competency: Future Thinking
Students learn to identify future design opportunities using trend analysis, design
scenario planning and strategic design tools. This course enables students to develop the
'Intake' and 'Grasp' competency levels.
The next section provides a detailed overview of the competency learning outcome levels
students are expected to develop.
COMPETENCY LEVELS
Scope and Context of Design competency level: Intake
Students gain a cursory understanding of the socio cultural and historical context of
design. Students learn the principles of how a professional design practice operates.
Scope and Context of Design competency level: Grasp
Within well-defined instructions students are able to evaluate their design projects
within a socio cultural & historical context. Students are able to express their (desired)
role as a design practitioner.
Thinking Typologies competency level: Intake
Students are able to recall different thinking ways in design and how stakeholders in
other disciplines (i.e. business, engineering, public sector) think.
Thinking Typologies competency level: Grasp
Students start to grasp some of their thinking styles they employ these in some stages of
the design process. Students start to understand how to relate to other stakeholders
thinking.
Conceptual Thinking competency level: Intake
Students can recall most creativity tools and techniques and can explain where in the
design process these tools and techniques are used.
Conceptual Thinking competency level: Grasp
Within well-defined exercises students are able to apply some conceptual tools and
techniques within given (group) design projects.
Conceptual Thinking competency level: Use
With some instruction, students are able to apply most conceptual tools and techniques
in given (group) design projects.
Future Thinking competency level: Intake
Students can recall future design tools and techniques and are able to explain where in
the design process these tools are used and what specific benefits the outcome has for a
client.
Future Thinking competency level: Grasp
Within well-defined exercises students are able to apply some future design tools and
techniques within given (group) design projects and jointly identify and articulate design
opportunities for a client.
COURSE METHODOLOGY
Studio work, seminars and lectures provide the foundation of this course.
TEACHING METHODS & DELIVERY
The variety of formats used in the class includes project work, discussion, presentations
and lectures. The teaching methodology is concerned with ingraining theoretical
knowledge through practical experience. Teaching methods and delivery will include a
combination of lectures, demonstrations, critiques, individual and group discussions,
student presentations and in- class work.
STUDENT COURSE LOAD
Class Time: Three hours per week. This class meets once a week for a three hour
session.
Prep Time: For every three hours spent in class, a minimum of four hours per week on
average will be spent completing assignments outside class time.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/RECOMMENDED TEXTS
This list is for reference only. Additional reading material will be posted on CANVAS.
Required Readings:
Tom Kelley. The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading
Design Firm.2002. Profile Business
Edward deBono. Serious Creativity: Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to Create New
Ideas. 1995, HarperCollins.
Service Design Tools:
http://www.servicedesigntools.org/
Towards a new era of creativity and growth by Josephine Green, download from:
www.design.philips.com/shared/.../democratizing-the-future-14324.pdf
Recommended Readings:
Stein, Suzanne. and Goodman, Lizbeth “Meaningful Foresight….” Leonardo Journal
In Strata and Nokia. “Foresight in Major Organizations”
Roam, Dan. Back of the Napkin (visualization)
Tricks of the Trade (ethnography – how to)
Caffeine for the Creative Mind, How Books (ideation)
Krouse, Jim. Creative Spark (ideation)
Wujec, Tom. Return on Imagination (value of imagination)
Harrison, Sam. Ideaspotting (ideation)
Faculty enter any additional bibliography here. Remove red lettering.