Project Process Cards: a Self-Evaluation Tool for Design Studio

Abstract

Industrial design education is about process rather than product. Design education requires students to follow particular paths for learning design practice during their journey to proposing design solutions. A design studio course is characterized by hands on learning, learning by doing, collaboration, trial and error, peer learning and constructive criticism. Generally, evaluation of student performance is associated with the evaluation of the final design solution. However, the process that generated the final design solution is as important and useful as the final design solution. With project process cards (PPC) we aimed to collect students’ self-reflection during the design process. The gap between students’ self- evaluation of their performance and instructors’ expectations from the students creates confusion in both parties. Project process cards are weekly self-reports that are borrowed from user experience research studies. A digital report template with two main sections, activities and reflection, is provided by the teaching staff. During the study we utilized PPC in 3rd and 4th year industrial design studio courses with a total of 101 students and the students prepared 563 cards. We received positive feedback and acceptance on students’ side, as they used the tool for self-reflection. On the instructors’ side, PPC served as a documentation and communication medium to increase the quality of communication between the students and the instructors.