Research for Design

Machine Learning for Design

by Alessandro Bozzon

Few technologies throughout human history have had a transformative impact on society. Machine learning, a form of Artificial Intelligence, can be one of them. If designers want to help shape a better future, they should master this technology. This course seeks to make that possible.

The purpose of this elective course is to enable design students to mingle, manipulate, and play with machine learning as a digital design material.

Through a hands-on approach, learn about the capabilities and limitations of state-of-the-art machine learning methods. Create prototypes, lowfidelity concepts, that use machine learning technology to enable the functionality of a product, service, or system. Think of an intelligent home appliance operated through movement or voice. Consider systems like cities or government and how algorithms play a role in their work. Machine learning can also support the design process: imagine automatically coding thousands of user interviews and opinions to get insights into how people use a product or a service.

This course aims to equip design students with the skills required to meaningfully interact in teams working with machine learning technology. Ultimately, it’s about designing humane technology that can lead to a better digital society.

“Machine Learning will play an increasingly important role in our lives. My wish is to empower design students with the knowledge that will allow them to drive our transition towards a digital society, by applying their design skill to the design of intelligent products, services and systems.”

Observing and drawing Photography

Storyboard

Design Communications & Visualisations

by Jan Willem Hoftijzer

Being able to visualise something that does not yet exist is crucial for designers. Because in design, ideas are communicated through drawings and visual representations. This course deepens skills and techniques aimed at creating and communicating designs. It’s about building visual literacy and helping you develop a signature for yourself as a designer.

Effectively communicating thoughts and concepts to clients and project team members is essential in the world of design. This elective course centres on learning the language and skills needed for running and communicating design processes and projects.

Study the theory behind visual communication techniques. Learn about generative communication, how to use visualisation techniques to create a design, through the exploration of sketching. Delve into explanatory communication, learning how to convey to others what your design is about through applied techniques like animation, virtual reality or graphic design. Develop the ability to visualise and communicate both concrete and abstract elements of a design situation or process. Build an understanding of the consecutive stages of the design journey as well as the complex relationships within a system. Learn how to analyse and tackle problems and then develop solutions using visual communication. Extend your own visual library through the development of a portfolio of sketches and visualisations, preparing for the bachelor’s final project and the next steps of your journey.

“Coming from design practice, I can tell you that the language you use as a designer is visual. If you want to talk to someone about a proposal or idea, I would say do that visually, it’s better, more concrete. For a designer it’s one of the essential tools to work with, both in the generative and the explanatory sense.”