Design Principles - SPDA3350

This class challenged students with an introduction to understanding human perception; translating meaning-making into design while explaining human intuition in design. It gives the designer a way to communicate with their ideas to the customer or audience and defend the choices that have been made for their designs.

Fall 2021

Design principles were introduced to PDA Cohort 2 in conjunction with Clinton Purtell, instructor for the SPDA3120 Problem Analysis/Solving class to create a portfolio project case study.

This project put the students in teams to work with our project partner, Jonathan Saffian, Product Manager of Innovation at Sam's Club, to explore the steps in the Design Thinking framework from intial research and brainstorming to storyboard prototypes.

Design Thinking Tasks & Activities for Sam's Club project

In addition to studying the Balanced Scorecard, students decided which Design Thinking Framework activities needed to be explored to help their group create solutions for the midpoint review and final presentations.

Class Activities

Sams Club visit photos

In Week 2, students were led on tours of the club by our partner, Jonathan Saffian, for their initial research and question opportunity for the project.

Journey Map

The user journey map is used to break an experience with a product down into discreet stages and tasks. This allows the team to make sure they understand the end-to-end user flow and identify specific pain points and opportunities in context.

Storyboards

These panels illustrate the solution to an identified challenge that solves the User or Consumer problem. They prototype an experience that leads to a happy conclusion.

Principles in Practice example

Students find examples in the real world of the principles and create a presentation that helps them visualize all principles together.

Sketchnotes Mural Boards

Sketchnotes are a visual and kinesthetic way to retain the principles by interpreting the highlights through hand-drawn interpretations.

Final Sams Club Case Studies

The students final presentation was to the Sam's Club Innovation Team and our faculty.

Simonne Cudmore: Personal Shopping

Brandon Williams: Sam's Connect

Sophia Richardson: Sam's Digital Card

Kush Aggarwal: Digital Membership

Ciara Castro: Personalized Shopping

Steven Judson: Personalized Shopping

Spring 2022

For this semester PDA, BAAS and APDA students were brought together to research local restaurants, companies and brands they wished to reimagine. The class culminated with individual case studies to explore how and why a brand identity could change and improve using the design principles they've studied in the class. Initial competitive category research of juried logos were from Logo Lounge.

Final Brand Standards Guides

This class project is to take an existing brand and re-fresh it for a newer audience. Students focused on local businesses that could use an exploration of new ideas. The project starts by deconstructing the brand's background and advances to extensive logo exploration before finishing with a completed brand presentation. Emphasis on demonstrating logo usage as well as applications on appropriate elements and spaces for brand usage.

Dylan Conklin: Love Sushi

Carlos Marquez: Blaze Pizza

Jaime Garcia: China Wok

Iyke Ifeji: Ricky's Hot Chicken

Darius Barrientes: Sparkling Ice

Ethan Ortiz: Pizzeria Testa

Hannah Abraham: Kung Fu Tea

Class Activities

Initial Logo Board Research and Exploration Mural Board

Weeks of sketches are explored using ‘forced connection’ ideas along with the design principles explored.

Group Critique Photos

Students use the framework I like..., I like..., I wonder..." to give positive, actionable feedback to classmates for their individual assignments

Final Logo Exploration Mural Board

The final logos go through rounds of revisions and again are reviewed by the class in groups on a weekly basis while final presentations are being built.

Syllabus