Through the design studios taken every semester, students obtain a hands-on opportunity that brings together the major curricula. The design experiences range over a breadth of problems, from larger systemic problems to smaller focused problems, so that students have broad exposure to all the different applications of design practice. Some fall and spring semester studios are taught as a sequence to give students experience with the design process from beginning to implementation. The studios also develop students’ skills in using computers and other advanced tools and techniques, as well as in drawing, visualizing, communicating, and working together. In short, the program’s design aspects provide the elements necessary to put students’ creativity to work as leaders of design and innovation, whether it is in a multinational business at the cutting edge of the global market or in a smaller business that creates an unusual solution to a local problem.
Studio Sequence
The following studio sequence defines the existing sequence of courses. The objectives have been developed by the faculty steering committee with input from students in the program. Although the studios are continually being improved and developed, the basic studio sequence and series of goals will remain in place with the new curriculum. No new courses will be developed.
Studio Focus Area | Skill Sets | ||
Design | Technical | Social | |
Studio 1 Interdisciplinary Design | creativity, conceptual design, design iteration, presentation boards, note-books, modeling, portfolios | representational drawing, PowerPoint, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Excel | needs finding & assessment, design research, gender & equity, design critique |
Studio 2 Product Development | design process, problem definition, concept evaluation, product testing | concept representation/CAD, manufacturing feasibility & prototyping, engineering analysis | interviewing, user observation, object history, social values analysis |
Studio 3 Industrial Design | form & aesthetics, professional design reports, design presentation boards | Rhino solid modeling, rapid prototyping, environmental impact assessment | market & product research, social and consumer trends, usability analysis |
Studio 4* Intro to Engineering Design | engineering design process, product development cycle, scheduling, teamwork | engineering analysis, prototyping & modeling, technical communications | professional audience analysis, presentations, needs analysis |
Studio 5 User-centered Design | participatory design, cognitive interface, cultural design | electronic hardware & software, advanced prototyping | ethnographic research, cultural probes, evaluation design, social justice & user identity. |
Studio 6 Design Entrepreneurship | moving idea from concept to market, advertising design, sustainable design | new product / production economics, distribution planning, financial modeling | predicting social effects, risks & safety, market potential, consumer trends analysis |
Studio 7* Capstone Design | design integration, systems design | engineering analysis for real-world problems | designer-client relations, adv. technical presentations |
Studio 8 Option Inventors Studio | advanced creativity, iteration | engineering analysis, patenting | legal dimensions / IP, technical presentations |
* Studios 4, 7, and 8 vary by students’ dual-major area. Examples provided in this table are for students who elect the DIS/mechanical engineering dual-major program.