ID501 GRADUATE DESIGN STUDIO I

Course Code:1250501
METU Credit (Theoretical-Laboratory hours/week):3 (2.00 - 2.00)
ECTS Credit:9.0
Department:Industrial Design
Language of Instruction:English
Level of Study:Graduate
Course Coordinator:Prof.Dr. ÇAĞLA DOĞAN
Offered Semester:Spring Semesters.

Course Objectives

The course aims to foster:

  • Understanding of the current, emergent and future directions of production and consumption, as well as the emerging roles and competencies of designers, their collaborators, and users in the design process,

  • Recognition of the steps to be taken to reach a ‘desired’ future through a cross-disciplinary perspective,

  • Skills and experience for planning design and research activities that target specific issues and contexts of use,

  • In-depth understanding of and critical reflection on possible designerly interventions for transitioning towards desired futures from a socio-cultural and environmental perspective.


Course Content

A graduate design studio course adopting a practice-oriented approach with a specific emphasis on the use of research to inform and respond to problem areas in design. Students carry out research as an integral part of a design project. Design research methods and techniques relevant to the course include literature reviews and field studies, including ethnographic research, participatory design, generative and co-design sessions, and design proposal evaluations. Course topics are chosen by the instructor from amongst contemporary and cross-disciplinary problem areas.


Course Learning Outcomes

On the completion of this course students will be able to:

  • Build empowering future visions through the analysis of the state-of-the-art in various disciplines,

  • Identify their roles in the future of the profession and recognise their capacity as agents of change,

  • Identify the paths to ‘desired’ future visions and the societal and technological changes affecting the paths through a participatory approach,

  • Transform findings and insights from the literature and design research into design explorations through a critical socio-cultural and environmental perspective, and

  • Critically reflect on (un)intentional socio-cultural and environmental aspects of design process and outcomes. 


Program Outcomes Matrix

Level of Contribution
#Program Outcomes0123
1Identifying research areas in distinct and contemporary topics and formulating research problems;
2Being competent in the research process, process planning, managing, analyzing data, and correctly interpreting findings;
3Transforming knowledge in the field and research results into strategies, politics, methods and/or decisions;
4Transferring research findings into design education and practice;
5Disseminating generated knowledge, making publications and presenting them;
6Having general knowledge in the field of design, having covered the literature and developing expertise in specific topics;
7Having responsibility towards own research, respecting and practicing research ethics;
8Having work discipline and skills in time planning;
9Having skills in oral, written and visual communication;
10Open to continuous education and self-development, having high professional motivation;
11Open and willing to share knowledge and skills with stakeholders;
12Being critical, able to make self-criticism, reflecting objective and unprejudiced thinking into their own work;
13Synthesising knowledge from different disciplines to use in one?s own field and using it for generating new knowledge.

0: No Contribution 1: Little Contribution 2: Partial Contribution 3: Full Contribution