Prototyping
DSGN 100
For more details related to this quarter's offering of DSGN 100, students should log into Canvas.
This studio course introduces students to the basic practices of interaction design through a focus on visual, physical, and digital prototyping. We follow a human-centered design process that includes research, concept generation, prototyping, testing, and refinement. Students must work effectively as individuals and in small teams to create visual designs, information systems, physical devices, and other interactive experiences. Assignments approach design on three levels: specific user interactions, contexts of use, and larger systems. Students will become familiar with design methodologies such as sketching, storyboarding, wire framing, user testing etc. No coding is required. This course serves as a requirement for the cross-department Design Minor.
In the land of design consultancies, designers never have enough time or resources to do their work. If you feel a bit overwhelmed by the pace of the class and the amount of worked assigned, then you are right where you should be. A big part of this class is to gain a visceral feeling for what designers experience everyday. We want you to work fast and to bring an attitude of play and playfulness to the classroom.
Learning Objectives
Students who have successfully completed this course will be able to do the following:
give and receive feedback in a constructive way during critiques
use visual hierarchy to prioritize information and optimize interactions
sketch as a means of visual exploration and ideation
give form to design ideas through prototyping
realize designs through making with physical and/or digital materials
effectively test, assess, and iterate on designs
interpret content in order to meet the needs of multiple stakeholders
make decisions that build on existing design patterns
select appropriate methodologies for engaging in a human-centered design process
understand how designers think in order to collaborate on interdisciplinary teams
communicate design ideas to a variety of stakeholders
Course History
DSGN 100 Prototyping was developed in Spring 2017 as one of the upper-level requirements for the Design Minor at UC San Diego. The course continues to evolve as additional instructors make refinements and contribute knowledge. The list below documents the instructors of record for each quarter of the course's history:
Spring 2017 (Prof. Dow)
Winter 2018 (Prof. Dow)
Winter 2019 (Prof. Scott)
Spring 2019 (Prof. Dow)
Spring 2020 (Prof. Dow and Prof. Xia)
Summer 2020 (Prof. Rill)
Fall 2020 (Prof. Xia)
Winter 2021 (Prof. Scott)
Spring 2021 (Prof. Dow)
Summer 2021 (Prof. Rill)
Fall 2021 (Prof. Xia)
Winter 2022 (Popovic)
Spring 2022 (Popovic)
Summer 2022 - session II (Prof. Rill)
Fall 2022 (Prof. Dow)
Winter 2023 (Prof. Rill)
Summer 2023 - session I (Palani)
Summer 2023 - session II (Barbosa)
Fall 2023 (Prof. Dow)
Winter 2024 (Prof. Rill)
Summer 2024 - session II (Xu)