Open Design at Duke and Beyond
Aria Chernik + Kevin Hoch | Fall 2019 + Spring 2020
When we hear the word “design,” we often think about a product: the features of a technology, the look of a space, the integrity of a structure. But design also refers to a process that can be used by teams to solve deeply complex, real-world problems. And because the design process (sometimes called design thinking or a variation referred to as human-centered design) asks us to learn and demonstrate essential 21st-century skills – like collaborating with stakeholders, communicating across media, analyzing data and iterating forward, thinking boldly and creatively in the face of uncertainty – more people are thinking about how a design mindset can be integrated into educational contexts.
This Bass Connections linked project offers students a rare opportunity to help ideate and build design experiences at Duke. Students will gain content knowledge about design thinking and human-centered design, plan and execute a one-day design learning summit, build educational resources for use at Duke and beyond and help design Duke’s new Design+ Durham program. Given Duke’s commitment to interdisciplinary thinking and inclusive action, the team will build a design framework that is dedicated to an open ethos, to a design process that values and promotes access to information, inclusion, diversity, transparency and meritocracy and to collaboration and community. We call this brand of design “open design.”
