Rita Assoreira Almendra

Inclusive Design: A New Approach to Design Project

All human beings are entitled to human dignity on equal terms. This principle must dominate the development of a society open to everyone, which leads to Inclusive Design concept.

Boosting innovation and growth through the use of design

The question underpinning this study is: would the incorporation of design throughout every dimension of a companys business pursuing innovation result in higher levels of growth and competitiveness? The paper begins with a brief theoretical approach to the concepts of creativity, design and innovation and identifies some of the traditional company growth strategies. This paper provides, in the context of design management, a first empirical analysis on the relationship between company growth and the investments in design along the value chain, stressing the importance of the phase in which design gets applied for the first time (“momentum”). The empirical analysis was based on data captured from an online questionnaire on the Portuguese manufacturing industry. The multivariate data analysis focused on the analysis of variance and factor analysis. The pa- per has the merit to conclude that the companies growing more sharply apply design from generating ideas to processes and production and extending into the marketing phase.

REFLECTING ON THE EMPLOYABILITY ADEQUACY OF COMPETENCIES TAUGHT IN DESIGN HIGH EDUCATION SYSTEM

This paper exposes a clear reflection about design competencies, addressing the ones academia finds necessary to be acquired by design students and the ones the market requires from designers. Besides the identification of those competencies an analysis is done considering the similarities and the differences between these two worlds. Finally, the paper proposes a set of recommendations on how to work into education a set of competencies that better match the needs both students/designers and the markets.

Managing Design and Ergonomics at the Macro Level – The Design Policies

This paper brings an overview of a part of a proposed Course of Managing Design and Ergonomics (from macro to micro levels that we assume to be a desirable elective course to the Design Doctoral Program at the Faculty of the author, from the University of the author. Thus, the paper will explore specifically the approach to be done to the management of Design and Ergonomics within it at the Macro level. The knowledge on these issues allows students to have a broader perspective on its management, one that includes the design (and within it ergonomics) participation and impact in terms of national and global strategies. Until know the academic approach to these issues is done by Design Management and ergonomics management as separated issues that are strictly focused on the business level and sometimes it expands themselves to the project management (what is known as “operational level” at the business design management stage). With the proposed approach to the curricular unit we hope to enrich students’ perception and knowledge about design and ergonomics influence in the world and the way it can be planned, monitored and evaluated at distinct stages of its intervention. The main reasons behind the choice of this topic are: (a) the fact that the contents to be taught in this context normally are not disseminated in Design Education; (b) the circumstance that this is a PhD course in which broader approaches and understandings are necessary to support better framing and critical perspectives about the Design discipline its relationship with ergonomics and its intervention in the world.

Autochthonous Materials and Traditional Manufacturing Methods: Analysis Based on Cultural and Historical Features

In Brazil, there is an abundance of materials resource. Immensely, natural resources, native materials and traditional manufacturing techniques form them. However, the lack of articulation among producer community, companies, development policies in association with a poor projectual speech implies reduced use of local resources and, consequently, results in losses of opportunity to add value to local resources and developing local economy. Discuss and propose strategies for adding value to territories is very important for practitioners and researchers that work in the area of product design. Starting by the question – could a material or manufacturing method enable recognition of places and empathy by users? – We made use of a survey based upon questionnaires, answered by 60 people to find evidences of aspects involved in this relationship. They indicated products or brands made by materials or manufacturing methods they judge related to a place. This paper presents the result of analysis by historical and cultural perspective view based on documental review.

‘Sketching’ the new designers - going wide, going deep and doing it together

Abstract This paper presents the work developed in a ‘social’ service design course from the 3rd year of an undergraduate course in Design (a generalist one including product design as well as communication design). The course appears in the last semester of the course and students see it as a very thought-provoking one. That occurs since it enrols students in a transformation process that implies a philosophical conscience and activation, an ethical commitment to sum up with the need to display and make use of several critical abilities such as personal skills, interpersonal skills. The demand for the stimulation and use of student’s emotional intelligence and for their critical view regarding their behavior and attitudes as human beings towards the others disclose a kind of ‘revelation moment’. The critical presentation of the structure of the course, the work developed and its results as well as the assessment made by students to it in our view do contribute to the enrichment of knowledge in the design education field. This type of courses allow us to participate as teachers in “sketching” of new designers, ones that act in broader and deeper ways in a collaborative manner.

Materials & Manufacturing Methods selection in product design: Experiences in undergraduate programs

Abstract This paper presents the results of an exploratory analysis about the existence and nature of ‘materials and manufacturing methods’ contents into the curricula of product design undergraduate programs in Brazil. Materials selection has great impact on the manufacturing of products and can support more sustainable design. This study is the first phase of a research about the implications of choosing autochthonous materials and traditional manufacturing methods for design of local products and, consequently, adding value to local resource and its origin. The main case study was conducted in Brazil that is an immense country and owns vast natural resources. Moreover, Brazilian ancestry communities developed a lot of traditional manufacture methods. Neither native materials nor traditional manufacturing methods are presented for design students as alternative for adding value to local resources. Aiming at illustrate possible strategies for M&MM education, three innovative initiatives in Europe are presented.

The end of the “briefing” and “the client” in graphic design.

Abstract In design teaching, “the client” is a very distant figure, that edits a briefing and stays waiting for the answer that should be delivered before the “deadline”. The problem is: this professional scenario does not exist. So, part of the education of a designer should be in awaken future practitioners to the need to identify possible opportunities matching their skills. The “brief” is not a “to do” job. Is a problem to be solved. According to our study, professional designers acknowledge clients to be a very significant part of the final work produced and see them as co-authors. Students should be enrolled in task with a high degree of complexity. Led to analyze data, understand the environment, discover problems and opportunities. There should be no briefing but an open call for action in a certain area or context.

Inclusive Design for Children at the Master Education

This paper aims to present two projects developed at the level of master education both in the areas of product and communication design. Through them the authors emphasize the empirical studies that supported the results exposing the methodologies used and underlining the importance of user’s participation in the process of developing a solution. Furthermore as a result of the analysis of the projects the authors suggest a matrix that relates contents to be taught with competences to be acquired at this level of design education.