Educating Designers to Sustainable Innovation. A Reflection on the Contribution of Design in Projects with Social and Environmental Impact

• Tipo: Artigo em Livro de Atas de Conferência Internacional
• Data: 2019

Autores

Adriana Fernandes (Autor) FEUP; Bárbara Rangel (Autor) FEUP; Jorge Lino Alves (Autor) FEUP; Belmira Neto (Autor) FEUP

Ata de Conferência Internacional

Título: International Conference on education and new developments 2019 (END 2019)

Páginas: 242-246

International Conference on Education and New Developments 2019 (END 2019)

Porto, Portugal, 22-24 June

Outras Informações

ID Authenticus: P-00T-JA7

DOI: 10.36315/2019v1end051

Abstract (EN): Design for sustainability is not necessarily a new subject. Research and studies about it rapidly increase, given the current conditions of the planet and the way lifestyles, production and consumption continually move towards unsustainability. The concept, which was initially treated as a design specialty with ecological concerns, has today a broad theoretical and practical scope, recognizing the important role of users, communities, and society in general. Thus, designers are increasingly expected to have more than technical skills. Existing methods and tools taught at universities, and applied to design practice, are currently challenged by the global changes that affect the planet, by transforming the role and responsibility of designers in building a more sustainable and inclusive material reality. With this scenario, universities play an important role on training professionals rather than just researchers, highlighting the need for teaching methods and processes focusing on preparing designers for the complexity of the contemporary world. In order to bring students closer to this new reality, a module was developed within the Master Program in Product and Industrial Design (MDIP) of University of Porto, in which, by applying the Project Based Learning methodology, students were confronted with a real problem and challenged to create innovative solutions on an experimental basis. The We Won't Waste You initiative, presented as a challenge to the students, is a social design project developed in the Design Studio FEUP, in partnership with the City Council of Matosinhos, which aims, through design, define strategies to transform waste into raw materials for objects to be produced by vulnerable social groups. The students, organized into teams, were responsible for all project management, and had the opportunity to share knowledge and learn from each other. The challenge of balancing the social, environmental and technical concerns was supported by the application of methods and tools suggested by the professors, who also played the role of advisors, encouraging discussions and suggesting appropriate tools. This paper presents a case study of this project, followed by a brief analysis of the applied methods and tools, and the results of a survey with the students. To conclude, the final considerations are presented, aiming to indicate new questions to be addressed, in order to encourage academia to respond to global challenges, rethinking the role of design for sustainable innovation.

Idioma: Inglês

Tipo (Avaliação Docente): Científica

Notas: http://end-educationconference.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Education-and-New-Developments_2019_Vol_I.pdf

Nº de páginas: 5