Design education : an investigation into how it improves idea generation

Abstract

Design education develops a range of skills thought to be life-long relevant, and valuable for the design industry. The ability to generate ideas is one of the fundamental skills that is also fostered by design education. The exact pedagogical approaches of how this happens in design schools are not well documented or understood. It has been found that educators believe that encouraging design learners to expand their experiences and engaging in critical conversations improves the ability to generate ideas. On the contrary, utilising a supportive learning environment and implementing an empathic teaching approach does not appear as effective. Three traits are perceived to correlate with the capacity to produce ideas; these are: able to see relationships, Highly curious, and independent of thought. This study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, with three separate studies: two surveys (n=104, n=167) and a series of semi-structured interviews (n=24). A multilevel research triangulation design allowed the data from one study to be used by another, combining the data into one overall interpretation. Finally, this dissertation concludes that various teaching strategies can influence several personality traits that influence the ability to generate ideas. Moreover, the teaching strategies examined in this dissertation have varying degrees of influence.