Gemini

[With the same prompt but adjusted to ask for activities to be given in sentences rather than bullet points.]

Year 9 Design Unit: Designing for Inclusivity

Overall Theme: Students will explore the principles of inclusive design by addressing accessibility challenges for specific user groups. They will learn to navigate complex, ill-defined “wicked problems” and develop provisional solutions, embracing change and iteration as core components of the design process.

Design Challenge: To develop products, tools, or systems that address accessibility issues for specific user groups such as the elderly, the differently abled, young children, or refugees.

Duration: 12-14 weeks (1 hour per lesson)

Introduction to the Unit: Becoming a Designer (Weeks 1-2)

Lesson 1: Artists vs. Designers & The Wicked Problem

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Begin by facilitating a discussion comparing and contrasting the roles of an artist and a designer. Encourage students to articulate their current understanding based on their Key Stage 3 experiences.
  • Introduce the concept of “wicked problems” in design – complex, ill-defined challenges with no single right answer, often involving incomplete or changing information. Use real-world examples of accessibility issues (e.g., public transport for wheelchair users, packaging for elderly people, learning tools for children with dyslexia).
  • Present the overarching design challenge: “Designing for Inclusivity.”
  • Explain the “design agency” structure: students will work in pairs or small groups (3-4) to form their own agencies, and the teacher will act as “The Client.” Emphasize that in this environment, things will change, and they will need to adapt their thinking and solutions.
  • Students form their design agencies and begin brainstorming initial user groups (elderly, differently abled, young children, refugees) and potential accessibility issues they might address within those groups.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will be able to articulate key differences between artistic and design practices.
  • Students will understand the concept of a “wicked problem” as it applies to design.
  • Students will identify potential user groups and initial accessibility challenges for investigation.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide visual aids and simple definitions for “wicked problems.”
  • Offer a pre-selected list of user groups and broad accessibility themes for students who need a starting point.
  • Encourage more confident students to research and present their own initial examples of “wicked problems.”
• Resources: Whiteboard or projector, markers, large sheets of paper for group brainstorming, images/short videos of inclusive design examples.
• Contextual Knowledge: Introduction to the distinction between art and design; initial understanding of inclusive design.

Lesson 2: Empathy & User Research

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Each design agency selects a specific user group and narrows down an accessibility challenge within that group to focus on for the term.
  • Introduce empathy mapping as a tool to understand user needs, feelings, thoughts, and pain points. Agencies will create an empathy map and a user persona (imagined or based on preliminary online research) for their chosen user.
  • Agencies begin researching existing solutions to their chosen accessibility challenge, identifying their strengths and, more importantly, their shortcomings.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will develop empathy for their chosen user group.
  • Students will identify specific needs and pain points related to their chosen accessibility challenge.
  • Students will analyze existing solutions and identify areas for improvement.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide structured templates for empathy maps and user personas.
  • Guide students to reputable online sources for research (e.g., disability charities, government accessibility guidelines).
  • Challenge advanced students to consider multiple user perspectives within their chosen group.
• Resources: Empathy map and user persona worksheets, internet access (desktop computers/tablets), sketchbooks for notes and initial sketches.
• Contextual Knowledge: Introduction to user-centered design principles; understanding the importance of empathy in design.
• Designer Reference: Introduce Patricia Moore, a pioneer in inclusive design, who famously disguised herself as an elderly woman to experience accessibility challenges firsthand, highlighting the importance of deep empathy.

Ideation & Concept Development (Weeks 3-6)

Lesson 3: Defining the Problem & The Design Brief

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Design agencies refine their understanding of the “wicked problem” they are addressing.
  • They will then articulate a clear design brief for their project. This brief should outline the specific challenge, the target user, the desired outcome, and any initial constraints.
  • Agencies will then present their initial design briefs to another agency for a structured peer critique session. Focus on clarity, specificity, and how well the brief addresses a “wicked problem.”
  • Agencies will use the feedback to refine their design briefs.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will be able to articulate a clear, well-defined design problem.
  • Students will understand the essential components of a design brief.
  • Students will give and receive constructive criticism on design proposals.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide a checklist for a strong design brief.
  • Model effective critique language and provide a feedback rubric for peer assessment.
  • Encourage students to consider the ethical implications of their design brief.
• Resources: Design brief templates, peer critique guidelines, sketchbooks.
• Skills: Critical thinking, clear communication, active listening.

Lesson 4: Ideation – Brainstorming & Divergent Thinking

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Introduce various divergent thinking techniques (e.g., SCAMPER, Crazy Eights, mind mapping) to help agencies generate a wide range of initial ideas for products, tools, or systems that address their design brief.
  • Agencies will engage in rapid sketching exercises, focusing on quantity and variety of ideas rather than perfection. Encourage wild and unconventional ideas.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will generate a diverse range of design solutions.
  • Students will effectively utilize brainstorming techniques to foster creative thinking.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide visual prompts or word associations to stimulate ideas.
  • Allow students to work individually for a portion of the ideation before sharing with their agency.
  • Challenge students to think about solutions that blend different technologies or materials.
• Resources: Sketchbooks, large paper, markers, handouts explaining brainstorming techniques.
• Skills: Lateral thinking, rapid ideation sketching.
• Designer Reference: Discuss the culture of innovation at IDEO, a global design firm renowned for its human-centered design approach and emphasis on rapid ideation and prototyping.

Lesson 5: Concept Development & Selection

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Design agencies review their generated ideas from the previous lesson. They will discuss the feasibility, originality, and potential impact of each concept, aligning them with their refined design brief.
  • Agencies will select their top 2-3 strongest concepts to develop further. This involves creating more detailed development sketches, annotating them to explain functionality and features, and considering initial material choices.
  • Agencies will present their selected concepts within their agency, justifying their choices.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will critically evaluate their initial design ideas.
  • Students will develop selected concepts with greater detail and clarity.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide a simple rubric for concept evaluation (e.g., innovation, feasibility, user impact).
  • Facilitate structured group discussions to help agencies make informed decisions.
  • Encourage students to consider how their concepts might integrate with existing systems or environments.
• Resources: Sketchbooks, colored pencils/markers, digital cameras (to document sketches).
• Skills: Critical thinking, visual communication through drawing and annotation.

Lesson 6: Minor Disruptive Intervention & Re-Ideation

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Minor Disruptive Intervention: “The Client” (teacher) introduces a new constraint or piece of information that directly impacts the agencies’ chosen concepts. Examples:
    • Context Crossover: “Your solution must now also be adaptable for use in a completely different environment, e.g., a bustling public space instead of a quiet home.”
    • Reduction in Scope: “Due to unforeseen manufacturing challenges, the size/complexity of your product must be reduced by 50%.”
    • New User Need: “Recent feedback from the target user group indicates a new primary need that was previously overlooked, e.g., ‘portability is now crucial,’ or ‘it must be usable with only one hand.'”
  • Agencies must immediately adapt their chosen concepts or re-ideate entirely based on this new information. This will require quick thinking and flexibility.
  • Facilitate a class discussion on how to embrace change and uncertainty in the design process, emphasizing that this is a common occurrence in real-world design.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will learn to adapt to changing project parameters and unexpected constraints.
  • Students will understand that design is an iterative and flexible process, requiring constant re-evaluation.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide specific guiding questions for re-ideation to help students pivot their thinking.
  • Offer one-on-one support for agencies struggling to pivot, helping them brainstorm new directions.
  • Challenge students to articulate why the intervention makes their original idea problematic and how their new idea addresses it.
• Resources: Whiteboard for new constraints, sketchbooks, prototyping materials (if initial mock-ups are desired).
• Skills: Abductive reasoning, problem-solving under constraint, adaptability.

Prototyping & Iteration (Weeks 7-10)

Lesson 7: Low-Fidelity Prototyping

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Based on their refined concepts after the minor intervention, agencies will create low-fidelity physical prototypes or detailed 2D digital mock-ups. The focus is on demonstrating core functionality, user interaction, and scale, not aesthetic perfection.
  • Encourage the use of readily available and recycled materials for physical prototypes. For digital mock-ups, students can use simple drawing software on tablets or computers.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will translate their refined concepts into tangible forms.
  • Students will understand the purpose and value of low-fidelity prototyping in testing ideas quickly.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide a wide range of accessible materials (cardboard, paper, foam, pipe cleaners, fabric scraps).
  • Offer simple tutorials for basic digital mock-up tools.
  • Challenge students to think about how their prototype will be tested by a user.
• Resources: Cardboard, paper, tape, scissors, glue, recycled materials, craft knives (with supervision), tablets/computers with drawing software, digital cameras.
• Skills: Model making, digital drawing, spatial reasoning.

Lesson 8: Peer Feedback & Critique

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Design agencies will present their low-fidelity prototypes to other agencies for a structured peer critique session.
  • The critique should focus on: How well does the prototype address the design brief? Is the functionality clear? Is it user-friendly? How does it respond to the accessibility challenge?
  • Agencies will document the feedback they receive, identifying key areas for improvement.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will give and receive constructive criticism effectively.
  • Students will identify specific areas for improvement in their designs based on peer feedback.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide a clear feedback rubric for students to use during critiques.
  • Model effective and empathetic critique language.
  • Encourage students to ask clarifying questions during the feedback session.
• Resources: Critique forms, whiteboards for note-taking, digital cameras to document prototypes.
• Skills: Critical thinking, communication, active listening, reflection.

Lesson 9: Iteration & Refinement

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Design agencies will analyze the feedback received during the critique session. They will prioritize the most important areas for refinement and begin iterating on their prototypes.
  • This might involve significant changes to the design or minor tweaks to improve functionality or aesthetics.
  • Students will document their changes and the rationale behind them in their sketchbooks.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will apply feedback to significantly improve their designs.
  • Students will understand the iterative nature of the design process, where solutions are continuously refined.
• Differentiation:
  • Guide students in prioritizing feedback and developing a plan for iteration.
  • Provide additional materials or digital tools as needed for refinement.
  • Challenge students to consider how their design could be scaled or adapted for different contexts.
• Resources: Prototyping materials, digital tools, sketchbooks.
• Contextual Knowledge: Discuss the importance of iterative design, referencing designers like Dieter Rams and his principles of good design, which emphasize usability and continuous improvement.

Lesson 10: Major Disruptive Intervention & Pivoting

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Major Disruptive Intervention: “The Client” (teacher) introduces a significant, fundamental challenge that requires agencies to re-evaluate their entire direction, potentially leading to a complete pivot or drastic simplification. Examples:
    • Function Reversal: “We’ve discovered that the core assumption your design is based on (e.g., ‘users can use their hands’) is incorrect for a significant portion of the target group. You must reverse this assumption and design for users who rely on other means of interaction.”
    • Radical Reduction in Scope: “Due to a sudden shift in funding, your solution must now be entirely open-source and easily replicable globally with minimal resources, meaning complex manufacturing or specialized materials are out.”
    • New Ethical Consideration: “A new ethical concern has emerged regarding data privacy for your target user group; your solution must now incorporate robust privacy features, even if it means simplifying functionality.”
  • Agencies will engage in a rapid brainstorming session to respond to this major intervention. They must decide whether to drastically modify their current prototype or pivot to an entirely new, simpler solution.
  • Emphasize that in “wicked problems,” solutions are often provisional or imperfect, and the ability to adapt is key.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will experience and respond to a ‘wicked problem’ with unpredictable and significant change.
  • Students will develop resilience and adaptability in their design thinking, understanding that radical shifts are sometimes necessary.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide direct support and brainstorming prompts for radical re-thinking.
  • Reassure students that a “provisional or imperfect” solution that addresses the new constraint is a successful outcome in this context.
  • Challenge students to justify their pivot (or lack thereof) in detail.
• Resources: Whiteboard for new major constraint, sketchbooks.
• Skills: Abductive reasoning, lateral thinking, problem-solving under extreme pressure, decision-making.

Refinement & Pitch (Weeks 11-12/14)

Lesson 11: Final Prototype Development & Presentation Planning

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Design agencies finalize their prototype/concept based on the major intervention. This might be a physical model, a detailed digital mock-up, or a comprehensive set of annotated drawings. The goal is to clearly communicate their final proposed solution.
  • Agencies begin planning their final pitch to “The Client.” They will consider how to effectively present their problem, their design process (including how they navigated the interventions), their final solution, and its justification.
  • Students can use digital tools (e.g., Google Slides, PowerPoint) or large paper for their presentation visuals.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will produce a refined design solution that responds to all project parameters.
  • Students will plan an effective and compelling design pitch.
• Differentiation:
  • Provide resources for effective presentation design (e.g., simple slide templates, tips for public speaking).
  • Offer guidance on structuring a compelling narrative for their pitch.
  • Challenge students to anticipate potential questions from “The Client” and prepare responses.
• Resources: Prototyping materials, digital tools for presentation, large paper for storyboarding the pitch, digital cameras.
• Skills: Application of prior learning, visual communication, verbal communication.

Lesson 12: Pitch Day – Presenting to The Client

• Description of Activities & Options:
  • Each design agency will formally pitch their final solution to “The Client” (teacher) and their peers.
  • The pitch should clearly explain:
    • The “wicked problem” they identified and their chosen user group.
    • Their design process, highlighting how they responded to the minor and major disruptive interventions.
    • Their final proposed product, tool, or system, explaining its functionality, design choices, and how it addresses the accessibility challenge.
    • Justification of their solution based on function, user engagement, and cultural factors.
  • A Q&A session will follow each pitch, where “The Client” and peers can ask questions.
• Learning Objectives:
  • Students will effectively present and defend their design solutions.
  • Students will reflect on their entire design journey and the learning gained from navigating “wicked problems.”
• Differentiation:
  • Allow students to use cue cards or notes during their presentation.
  • Provide positive reinforcement for effort, adaptability, and the quality of their thinking, regardless of the final “perfection” of the solution.
  • Encourage all students to ask thoughtful questions during the Q&A.
• Resources: Projector, presentation space, feedback forms for peers/teacher.
• Skills: Presentation skills, critical thinking, reflection, argumentation.

Assessment Practices

This unit will utilize a combination of formative and summative assessment to evaluate both the design process and the final outcomes.

• Formative Assessment:
  • Sketchbook Development: Regular checks of sketchbooks for evidence of research, empathy mapping, ideation, prototyping, iterations, and written reflections/annotations. This assesses abductive reasoning, critical thinking, and the cyclical nature of their process.
  • Group Work & Collaboration: Observation of student participation, contribution, and problem-solving within their design agencies.
  • Participation in Critiques: Assessment of students’ ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
• Summative Assessment:
  • Design Portfolio/Sketchbook (Process): A comprehensive submission demonstrating the entire design journey, from initial research and problem definition through ideation, prototyping, and responses to the disruptive interventions. This will be the primary evidence for assessing:
    • Responding effectively to identified needs in defined social contexts.
    • Identifying challenges or opportunities in new/imagined settings.
    • Recognising and responding to ‘wicked problems’ and unpredictable changes.
    • Application of prior learning.
    • Critical thinking processes (brainstorming, reflection, critique).
    • Capacity for abductive reasoning.
  • Final Prototype/Concept: The quality of the developed solution, its functionality, aesthetic appeal, and how effectively it addresses the design brief and the chosen accessibility challenge. This assesses:
    • Evaluating solutions based on function, design, user engagement, and cultural factors.
  • Design Pitch: The clarity of the presentation, the justification of design choices, the ability to articulate the problem and solution, and how the agency navigated the “wicked problems” and interventions. This assesses:
    • Communication skills.
    • Identifying follow-up challenges or extensions.

Key Art and Design Skills & Techniques Acquired

• Research Skills: Conducting visual research, contextual research, and simulated user research (empathy mapping, persona development).
• Drawing & Sketching: Observational drawing (of users/environments), rapid ideation sketching, detailed development drawing, technical drawing (explaining functionality).
• Model Making: Creating low-fidelity prototypes using a variety of materials (card, foam, recycled materials) to test concepts.
• Digital Design: Using desktop computers and tablets for mood boarding, digital sketching, creating simple 2D mock-ups, and designing presentation slides.
• Annotation & Reflection: Developing comprehensive annotation skills to document ideas, processes, decisions, and critiques within their sketchbooks.
• Presentation Skills: Developing verbal communication skills to articulate design processes and justify solutions, complemented by visual presentation design.

Contextual Art and Design Knowledge Learned

• Understanding of Design Thinking: Exposure to the phases of empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, and how they form a cyclical process.
• Inclusive/Universal Design Principles: Understanding how design can be made accessible and usable for the widest range of people, regardless of ability or age.
• The Nature of “Wicked Problems”: Recognizing real-world challenges that are complex, ill-defined, and have no simple solutions.
• Role of the Designer: Understanding the designer’s responsibility to respond to needs, solve problems, and consider user experience and social impact.
• Iterative Design: Appreciating that design is rarely a linear process and often requires multiple cycles of refinement based on feedback and changing conditions.

Diverse Artist/Designer References

Throughout the unit, students will be introduced to designers and organizations that exemplify the principles of inclusive and socially responsible design:

• Patricia Moore (Industrial Designer & Gerontologist): Known for her groundbreaking work in inclusive design, particularly her immersive research into the challenges faced by the elderly.
• IDEO (Global Design Firm): A leading example of a design agency that champions human-centered design and design thinking methodologies, emphasizing collaboration and rapid prototyping.
• Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design (Royal College of Art): A research center dedicated to inclusive design, focusing on how design can improve people’s lives, particularly in areas of aging, disability, and healthcare.
• Design for America (DFA): A national network of student-led studios that use design thinking to create local and social impact, providing a relatable example of youth engagement in design.
• Open Style Lab: An organization that designs accessible and stylish clothing for people with disabilities, showcasing how design can address very specific, often overlooked, needs.
• Local Community Organizations: Encourage students to research local charities or community groups that work with their chosen user group (e.g., Age UK, local disability support groups, refugee aid organizations) to understand real-world needs and existing initiatives.

Remember that AI is not sentient. These responses are the result of an algorithm and may be wrong or subject to bias. You must always use your judgment about the appropriate use of these AI generated responses.