The diploma at the Institute of Design is the final project in the Master programme. The Institute takes a broad approach to the design profession that includes products, services, systems and interactive experiences. The education brings together aesthetics and technology, creativity and design methods, culture and research. The programme has roots in Industrial Design, but today also includes Interaction Design, Service Design and Systems Oriented Design. This is reflected in the width of our students’ diplomas, and the broad range of themes that they address.

The diploma concludes our five-year Master in design and is done in the final semester. The diploma is a self-initiated and self-organised project that takes place over 18 weeks. The students develop and define their own project-descriptions (the diploma programme) in a pre-diploma’ course, in the semester leading up to the diploma. During the diploma project the students have a main supervisor at the Institute, but can also seek additional input and guidance form across AHO and externally. Diplomas are typically done as individual projects, but can also be done in groups.

The diplomas at the Institute of Design are characterised by variety and breadth. The diploma projects are typically initiated and developed by the students, and they are free to explore different themes and formats. These can be creative explorations, product development and theoretical projects, or collaborations with commercial companies, public services or researchprojects. Diplomas can also be discursive design projects that seek to raise questions or challenge societal or cultural issues. Often our diplomas are ‘hybrids’ that bring together different methods and actors, or span across our different design specialisations.

The purpose of the diploma is multi-layered. The students have to bring together what they have learned throughout their education to define and develop their own project. A challenge here is how the project is followed through, how it is developed and how it is executed as a design project. In the scope of the Master, the diploma is a relatively large project that demands that the student is self-driven, organised, structured and creative. At the same time, the diploma is a possibility for the student to explore his or her own identity as a designer, to research topics she or he finds interesting, or to challenge the students acquired skills and methods. The diplomas should therefore be understood holistically as projects where the students get to choose their own themes, approaches and processes, but where the challenge is also about organising and developing the project itself. Defining and developing the scope and plan for the project is done both in the project-description (diploma programme), as well as throughout the process.

It is important to note that in doing a holistic evaluation of the diplomas, the focus should be on the project itself rather than how closely it follows the initial description or diplomaprogramme.

Technoform is an advanced course in industrial design dealing with the interaction between new technology and advanced form generation. The course builds on the legacy of industrial design both in Norway and Scandinavia, aesthetic approaches are explored in a cultural context within a technological frame. This is approached through two extensive iterations. First an incremental viable solution that builds on and refine solutions already available. Then a more radical proposition within the same theme that requires an even more creative and inventive process. The outcome of the course will be physical products.

Interaction Design 1 - launches students into the world of interaction design by focusing on core skills and materials used in designing physical and digital interactions. The course embraces and explores the creative opportunities made possible by recent developments in physical computing, sensor technologies and mobile devices, to consider physical everyday objects (embedded with switches, sensors and microcontrollers) as augmented interfaces for controlling digitally mediated experiences.

We focus on how humans interact with such objects and materials, and how their functionality, meaning and usage can be extended. The course provides students with the possibility to take part in an exploration of new social interaction patterns, to conceptualise and design demonstrators and working prototypes that address a unique set of design problems. This is a practice-led course, and will also provide students with a broad toolset of skills and techniques relevant across the board in interaction design, starting with a series of short workshops dealing with a range of physical interaction technologies and approaches that lead into larger projects.

Students will have the opportunity to work with Arduino microcontrollers, smartphones, Processing code and a broad range of sensors for prototyping and design-testing. The practical aspects of the course will be complemented by a series of lectures/talks and workshops by a range of practitioners and specialists in the field. Course tasks will focus on specific areas of application for tangible interaction; in previous years this has included museum exhibits, toys and musical installations.

Most students will then proceed to Interaction Design 2, where the skills learnt here will be applied to information and data analysis and presentation, using other interactive and audiovisual platforms – for example public, multitouch screens, ubiquitous and mobile devices.
 

The course has two main sections, both developed by means of projects. The first project is intended to be an applied introduction to the concepts, methods and resources used for the design of services; the second one is a broader project for a partner (private company or public organization), where the students will work as professional Service Design consultants.

The course’s orientation is essentially practical, it builds on the idea that the best way to develop skills is by means of projects and practical experiences, and by exposing the students to different experiences and feedback from multiple observers.

The course is suitable for all design topics including architecture, urbanism and landscape architecture. The course ranges from micro to macro scale and students can develop and choose their perspective. The course has a main theme but even individual programming is possible. The course well suited as preparation for the diploma.

Design for a complex world

Designers today are confronted with an increasing complexity. Constantly new fields and tasks are opened up for designers and the importance of design increases. Complex socio-technical, problems are addressed by designers, both in the development of design solutions and the development of processes for complexity. To be better prepared for this development, we as designers must learn to handle greater complexity, understand larger contexts, learn more about the consequences of our choices, both for businesses, customers, individual users as well as and society.

Systems thinking

A deeper understanding of processes and entanglements of systems is called systems thinking. In Systems Oriented Design (SOD), we have developed an approach to systems thinking that is especially developed for practicing designers. It is the designerly approach to systems. We follow in the footsteps of many great SOD projects that have opened up new fields and which has given the design profession extra weight and more substance.

SOD is part of a larger movement with many approaches called Systemic Design (systemic-design.net). This movement was started by SOD teachers here at AHO and other people mainly from Canada and the US.

Read more on

www.systemsorienteddesign.net

www.systemic-design.net

Focus theme: Design for Democracy

We are experiencing major unrest in the world, democratic values are at stake, people fleeing from their homes and from war. Many nations are heading to democracy but it is a cumbersome way forward. Even established democracies are struggling, examples we have from the European Union and the United States. Norway is not an exception when it comes to the need for better participation and accountability of voters and citizens in general. The democratic systems' inherent short term perspectives together with the complexity of the driving processes makes it very difficult for citizens to voice long-term considerations and to know how to claim participation. Local democracy is underdeveloped compared to the major tasks that communities are confronted with. These range from sustainability to economic development and integration.

On the other hand, design has a long tradition of developing processes from a democratic perspective. Universal Design and Participatory Design processes are examples of this. Also designer have been involved in democracy in designing voting processes and information distribution for a long time. But design for democracy can be developed further. Can we, through design, envision and describe a future that supports a balanced distribution of power, values, and resources? Can we contribute to building democratic cultures and lowering the threshold for participation in democratic processes? Can we design processes that make it easier to think long term and through this encourage sustainable development? Can we, through the design of our surroundings help the emergence of democratic organizations?

The theme Design for Democracy seeks innovation to support democratic processes in small and large scale. Democracy is under pressure and there is no guarantee that democracy will prevail without a comprehensive effort to protect and develop democratic processes. This effort for developing democracy may in many ways be perceived as a design process, and designers have a lot to contribute.

In our age where the Internet has made it possible to reach out with ones opinions and where Democracy 2.0 has been relevant for a while, it is important with an effort to find out how designers can help.

The theme may involve a number of areas and issues where design can be a crucial factor:

How to convey democratic history?

How to help people to vote for their long-term interests?

How to make discussions of sustainability more accessible?

How to vote on behalf of others, your children, grandchildren, future generations or others who cannot vote? (Agency)

How Designing voting process as an interactive service?

How Reveal / uncover and communicate processes that undermine democracy?

How to fight for democracy? (Activism) What is the role of digital media in the ongoing popular uprisings?

How to build democratic cultures?

How to design our environment, cities, architecture and nature in democratic processes and democratic expression?

How designing new democratic arenas? - Networks, Technology and mobile phones as the venue for Democracy 2.0.

Design for variety, tolerance and integration.

Crowd Sourcing. (Self-organizing systems)

How can design fight oversimplified solutions and populism?

How can design make economic processes transparent?

The course is open to all students at AHO and it endeavors to think in transdisciplinary perspectives and to develop new perspectives or take positions that are not covered by the AHO disciplines. Examples include organizational design and design for action (action design) or entirely new perspectives.

The course should obviously be interesting for service and interaction design but also for product design, where one can think of many approaches that could lead to democratic products. Just think of the refinement of social signals and separation embedded in automobile design. On the systems level it is a big problem with today's mass production, which can be socially destructive and oppressive, and where there are big challenges when it comes to sustainability. Another interesting issue in the realm of products is the current development of 3D print technology. While general main steam commercialization tends to streamline and drain cultural expression, how might distributed manufacturing influence a growing diversity and new opportunities for individuals to express themselves? The tolerance for and thriving of diversity is a hallmark of democracy.

Architects are encouraged to apply. Architecture has a long history in serving the establishment and power. Today ethical discussions and an awareness of social responsibility increases. A deep knowledge of the process mechanisms, economics, cultural drivers and ethics in this is crucial. There is great frustration in parts of the Norwegian population of many of today's development projects and the accompanying processes. Participatory design processes should be explored.

The course is also relevant for urbanism and urban development as well as landscape and nature management. Participation in place development is statutory by Norwegian law but "we have bad processes for participation" (Geir Vikan, Councilman Tønsberg Municipality)

ProtoHype is an advanced course in industrial design dealing with new tools for developing, prototyping and conveying design solutions. Primacy is given to new contexts and themes that rather require radical than incremental solutions. The course is organized around two extensive main iterations and phases. The first phase is based on a foresight a few decades ahead and then, as a second phase, the result of the first phase is back-casted in time and designed for a more contemporary context. The outcome of both phases will be physical products conveyed by both digital media and physical models.

The course focuses specifically on the active use of various forms of physical and digital prototypes that supports the innovation process. Traditional sketching and model building will therefore be blended with 3D modelling, video-sketching, VR and other forms of conveying a rich variety of different design concepts. Independent of what technology is used, emphasis will always be on the core competences traditionally found in industrial design.

The second part of the interaction design programme focuses on the complex connected world we now live in, where visual interfaces are increasingly prevalent (from mobile phones to large public information systems, to multiuser and multitouch) and presenting designers with fascinating, complex and highly relevant challenges. The course explores how these interfaces can be effectively integrated into networks and spaces; the information they contain and the messages they impart; and how we, as users, engage and interact with them.

New digital technologies, and the internet in particular, have changed the ways of production and consumption of information. The internet itself has undergone a sea-change in recent years, from primarily static and closed systems to infrastructures where openness, information sharing, collaboration and creativity are key ingredients. Users have become both producers and consumers of content and information. Massive information datasets and structures need to be presented in dynamic, user-friendly and accessible ways, allowing for easy navigation, providing an overview as well as detailed analysis.

These sophisticated design challenges will be explored in a range of workshops and projects.The course will provide students with appropriate practical skills, design methods and design thinking tools, enabling them to tackle advanced screen-based design issues, and leading to the creation of engaging, informative and effective interfaces.

The semester is a compilation of several smaller modules and workshops to introduce the students to the new and more screen specific methods, processes and tools that will form the core of the term. This will be followed by one final project, where students will develop more in-depth conceptual frameworks.

Service Design 2 has a research by design focus. This course builds upon Service Design 1 but goes deeper and broader.

• Deeper, by focusing on specific aspects of service design.
• Broader, by addressing larger service design issues that influence the design of service experiences.

It will use the methods that the students have already learned and will allow them to gain more experience by using these methods in the framework of Design Research. In addition, it will give the opportunity to learn new approaches and areas for Service Design and to begin finding an own focus within the field. The semester will be closely linked to the research that AHO is doing together with the Centre for Service Innovation (CSI), and the Centre for Connected Care (C3).

The PreDip course aims to help students to develop a solid launch pad for their diploma projects, one that will allow them to start their design/research process from a knowledgeable and critical position and with a clear plan. The choice of theme is primarily in the hands of each student, and the direction in which this subject is to take is mainly the result of consultations between each student and their supervisor, the institute leader, and the course staff. The course is organized in two main phases. The first phase focus both on the individual student’s own skills and interests and the choice of the actual theme of the project. This first phase will be presented and assessed at a midterm-presentation (after app. 1 month). The second phase deals with designing the actual project with a feasible project proposal as its main and final delivery.