Project Methodologies

Code:

MP301

Acronym:

MP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
CNAEF	Design

Instance: 2019/2020 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Design
Course/CS Responsible:	Communication Design

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
DC	43	Plano Oficial do ano letivo 2017	4	-	3	30	81

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

* The objective of this curricular unit is to present, discuss and practice different methods of User-Centered Design: UCD, useful in different phases of project development, in an approach methodology of "Design Sprint".

* At the end of UC, students should understand the different stages innerent to the Design Sprint methodology, identifying and applying terminologies, methods, and tools focused on User-Centered Design, allowing them to establish and refine their own work processes.

Learning outcomes and competences

* Understand the different stages of the Design Sprint methodology using methods of User Centered Design.

* Recognize, manage and put into practice UCD methods addequate to support different stages of the project under development.

* Typology of UCD Methods:

• Behavioral / Attitudinal;
  
  
• Qualitative / Quantitative;
  
  
• Innovative / Adapted / Traditional;
  
  
• Exploratory / Generative / Evaluation;
  
  
• Participatory / Observational / Self-Reportable / Revisable by Design Specialists / Procedural

Working method

Presencial

Program

* This curricular unit focuses in the understandment and practice of the Design Sprint methodology and methods of User Centered Design, taking the form of a discussion forum, sometimes in a PBL approach: "Problem-Based Learning" and student project monitoring that will be framed in the Research and Development contexts in which the professor are working on.

* The UC assumes the partnership in different contexts of the University of Porto (Laboratories; Units; PhD Projects) and respective actors (other teachers and researchers) where the teacher participates in R&D, allowing students to contact with different academic and research realities, motivating then choose one of the contexts to submit a work proposal, with project deliverables scheduled with the R&D team.

* Subject matter:

• Exposure and implications of the Design Sprint methodology  user centered;

• Exposition of User-Centered Design Methods, identification of its typology, characteristics and applicability in different contexts and design phases;
  
  
• Analytical structuring of a project: "Work Breakdown Structure" (WBS).
  Identification of phases, tasks, objectives (milestones), deliverables;
  
  
• Gantt Schedule: Dependencies, Critical Path;
  
  
• Application of the previous points to the students' design practices, in the R&D projects presented.

Mandatory literature

Dubberly, Hugh, ed.; How Do You Design? – a Compendium of Models, Dubberly Design Office, 2005
Lupton, Ellen; Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming, Princeton Architectural Press, 2011
NOBLE, Ian; BESTLEY, Russel; Visual Research - An introduction to research methodologies in graphic design, Ava Academia, 2005

Complementary Bibliography

Ambrose, Gavin, & Harris, Paul; Basics Design 08: Design Thinking, AVA Publishing SA, 2009
AUDREY, Bennett; Design Studies: Theory and Research in Graphic Design - A Reader, Princeton Architectural Press, 2006
Boden, Margaret A.; The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms, Psychology Press, 2004
Merton, R K, E Barber, and J L Shulman; The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity: a Study in Sociological Semantics and the Sociology of Science, Princeton University Press, 2011
Van Andel, Pek; Anatomy of the Unsought Finding. Serendipity: Orgin, History, Domains, Traditions, Appearances, Patterns and Programmability, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 1994
Weinschenk, Susan; 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People, Pearson Education, 2011

Teaching methods and learning activities

Presentation, analysis and discussion of relevant materials in order to establish a permanent discussion forum among the student working teams.

Setting in place the idea of the creative lab as a space of experimentation and exploration, individually or collectively developing projects in order to implement scientific contents and methodologies in design research.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	10,00
Trabalho laboratorial	45,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	45,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Frequência das aulas	30,00
Trabalho laboratorial	15,00
Elaboração de projeto	15,00
Estudo autónomo	21,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Final grade equal or superior to 10 points.

Calculation formula of final grade

* The final grades will be calculated from the mean average of every project evaluation, and its articulation with a qualitative evaluation of the students' attendance and contributions in class and in all the remaining curricular activities;

* Non delivered projects will be scored with a 0 (zero);

* Projects that are not duly monitored won't be evaluated;

* Projects delivered beyond the established deadlines will be penalized in its score by 20%.

* The lack of attendance by more than 25% of classes will be cause for reprobation.

Classification improvement

Considering the distributed training and evaluation approach, the UC is not subject to one-time evaluation.

The improvement of the classification may be carried out by attending the UC in the subsequent school year.