The following research group descriptions are archived because they are no longer offered, the faculty member is on sabbatical, or the group is taking a break. Please contact the faculty member or an advisor to learn more about these groups.
- Teaching Teamwork Through Game Design
- Dear Design
- Design Awareness App: Research and Testing
- Dear Design
- “Dear Design”: Developing design awareness by representing everyday design processes
- Dear Design:" Capturing, representing and interpreting everyday design processes
- Making and mapping: learning to laser-cut and visualizing our making experiences
- CoDesign of Introductory Sewing Project for CoMotion MakerSpace
- Examining Self-Directed Learning through Material Inquiry: Developing an Introductory Sewing Project For the CoMotion MakerSpace SewingArea
- Material Inquiry and Resource Design for Informal Making in CoMotion MakerSpace
- Design Learning Pathways in Makerspaces
- “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind”: Mapping Future Discovery to Current Learning
- Teaching and Learning Engineering Design Reading Seminar
- Designing Your Personal Design Process
Winter 2024
Teaching Teamwork Through Game Design
Our teaching team is running a Winter 2024 DRG to make a teaching tool for teamwork concepts through game design. This is a DRG for students specifically interested in teaching tools, education, and game design.
This DRG will develop a kit to help future students in Organizational Teamwork (HCDE 322) as early as this Spring 2024 quarter.
Winter 2022
Dear Design: Defining Your Ideal Design Signature
Human Centered Design and Engineering Interdisciplinary Seminar/DRG
- Grace Barar, Post-bac Research Assistant, HCDE
- Yuliana Flores, Graduate Student, HCDE
- Cindy Atman, Professor, HCDE
The Basics:
Seeking 12 to 14 interested students (juniors & seniors) from a cross section of majors
Description:
Every time you engage in a design activity, formally or informally, you create a tracing of your design process activities that you could call a “design signature”. Design signatures vary across different types of design projects, with different goals, constraints, and deliverables. Your “ideal design signature” represents a tracing of the design process you aspire to in your design projects. It can also serve as a personal reminder that can guide you to become a better designer. In this Directed Research Group (DRG)/Seminar we will explore broad aspects of the design process and you will have the opportunity to discover your own personal ideal design signature.
Design is everywhere -- it can be the five minutes you spend planning your bus route before leaving your house, it’s cooking, it’s drawing and writing, in addition to more traditional product and graphic design. Inspired by the book “Dear Data”, we will investigate everyday design processes through visual representations. We will explore research on design process expertise and the concept of design awareness. These explorations will enable you to develop your “ideal design signature” that can be used as a roadmap for future design experiences.
Specifically, you will:
- Capture your design processes in everyday design activities
- Respond to a set of weekly prompts to create visual representations of your design processes in the form of a postcard
- Synthesize and reflect across visual representations through group discussions and personal reflections.
- Give feedback for a website we are developing comprised of the Dear Design postcards and seminar materials
Expectations:
Students will be expected to attend a virtual 2 hour meeting each week during the Winter quarter. It is expected that each student will spend between 3 to 4 hours of time outside of the meetings working and reflecting on seminar materials and assignments.
Logistics:
This is a 2-credit (Credit/No Credit) research group offered to undergraduate and masters students of any major. For HCDE students this is a 2-credit DRG offering. Group meetings will be held on zoom. Enrollment is limited to twelve/fourteen students. This DRG is no longer accepting applications.
Winter 2021
Design Awareness App: Research and Testing
Led by:
- Grace Barar, Senior, HCDE
- Rylie Sweem, Senior, HCDE
- Jordan Yoon-Buck, Senior, HCDE
- Shiva Rithwick Anem, Post-bac Research Assistant, HCDE
- Khadijah Jordan, Post-bac Research Assistant, HCDE
- Nicole Washington, Post-bac Research Assistant, HCDE
- Advised by Cindy Atman, Professor, HCDE
The basics:
Seeking up to 8 to 10 interested students
Open to BS and MS HCDE students
Expectations: This group will meet for 2 hours each week during the quarter. It is expected that each student will also spend between 3 to 4 hours of time outside of the class meeting.
DRG Description:
Design awareness can be seen as a state of being in which a designer is attentive to and reflective about their current design behavior. It embodies the practice of being cognizant of the steps one is taking in a design process to enable the designer to make more informed decisions about next steps. Design awareness can help you overcome common design roadblocks like not knowing where to start, or when you have done enough research, what to do next, or even how to know when you are done.
We have developed an app to help people track and reflect on their own design process, with the goal that they become aware of their design process and ultimately become better designers. We are looking for students who are interested in learning more about their own design processes in addition to helping us test our app. After learning about Design Awareness, students will have the opportunity to work with the designers and developers to suggest improvements to the Design Awareness App and begin to gain insight into their own process.
Specifically, in the quarter, students will:
- Participate in formal user testing
- Complete several passes of design activities with various ways to capture design process
- Engage in individual and group design activities
- Visually represent design processes
- Complete weekly reflections on design and recording experiences
- Understand and personalize their own ideal design process
Dear Design
Led by:
- Cindy Atman, Professor, HCDE
- Kathryn Shroyer, Graduate Student, HCDE
- Khadijah Jordan, Post-bac Research Assistant, HCDE
The basics:
- Seeking up to 12 interested students
- Open to BS and MS HCDE students
There are many research results from the design research community about effective practices of expert designers that could be useful for design practitioners to know about. In this DRG, we will explore the potential of learning about a set of design research findings through the concept of design awareness. Students will be developing design awareness through the doing, documenting, representing, and reflecting on everyday design activities.
Specifically, in the quarter, students will:
- Capture their own design process in an “everyday design task” (e.g., baking, making a portfolio)
- Respond to a set of weekly prompts to create representations of their design process
- Synthesize across the representations in group discussions
- Reflect on what they are learning with respect to their understanding of design processes
Inspired by the book “Dear Data,” the responses to the weekly design prompts will be via a physical postcard that will also be uploaded to a google slide deck. Each week students will discuss the representations created the previous week, as well as the task for the following week. We will have several cycles of data collection and representation through the quarter. In addition to the representations, throughout the quarter students will write brief reflections at the end of each weekly session and will write a final reflection at the end of the quarter.
Expectations: This group will meet for 2 hours each week during the quarter. It is expected that each student will spend between 3 to 4 hours of time outside of the class meeting.
Logistics: This is a 2-credit research group offered to HCDE students in the BS or MS program. Enrollment is limited to twelve students. Meetings will be held on Tuesdays in the afternoon. A final meeting time will be decided once students have been enrolled.
“Dear Design”: Developing design awareness by representing everyday design processes
Cindy Atman, Professor, HCDE
Kathryn Shroyer, Graduate Student, HCDE
The basics:
Seeking up to 12 interested students
Open to BS and MS HCDE student
Description: There are many research results from the design research community about effective practices of expert designers that could be useful for design practitioners to know about. In this DRG, we will explore the potential of learning about a set of design research findings through the concept of design awareness. Students will be developing design awareness through the doing, documenting, representing and reflecting on everyday design activities.
Specifically, in the quarter, students will:
Capture their own design process in a “everyday design tasks” (e.g., baking, making a portfolio)
Respond to a set of weekly prompts to create representations of their design process
Synthesize across the representations in group discussions
Reflect on what they are learning with respect to their understanding of design processes
Inspired by the book “Dear Data,” the responses to the weekly design prompts will be via a physical postcard, that will also be uploaded to a google slide deck. Each week students will discuss the representations created the previous week, as well as the task for the following week. We will have several cycles of data collection and representation through the quarter. In addition to the representations, throughout the quarter students will write brief reflections at the end of each weekly session and will write a final reflection at the end of the quarter.
Expectations: This group will meet for 2 hours each week during the quarter. It is expected that each student will spend between 3 to 4 hours of time outside of the class meeting.
Logistics: This is a 2-credit research group offered to HCDE students in the BS or MS program. Enrollment is limited to twelve students.
Dear Design:" Capturing, representing and interpreting everyday design processes
Cindy Atman, Professor, HCDE
Kathryn Shroyer, Graduate Student, HCDE
The basics:
Seeking six interested students for this exploratory DRG
Open to BS and MS HCDE students
Date & Time: Winter Quarter
Number of credits: 2 credits
Application process: Apply via email by Nov. 26 – see below for details
Description: There are many research results from the design research community about effective practices of expert designers that could be useful for design practitioners to know about. In this DRG, we will explore the potential of learning about a set of design research findings through the lens of the doing, documenting and representing everyday design.
Specifically, in the quarter, students will:
Capture their own design process in a typical “everyday design task” (e.g., baking)
Respond to a set of weekly prompts to create representations of their design process
Synthesize across the representations in group discussions
Reflect on what they are learning with respect to their understanding of design processes
Inspired by the book “Dear Data” (dear-data.com), the responses to the weekly design prompts will be via a physical postcard, that will also be uploaded to a google slide deck. Each week students will discuss the representations created the previous week, as well as the task for the following week. We anticipate that we will have two to three cycles of data collection and representation through the quarter. In addition to the representations, throughout the quarter students will write brief reflections at the end of each weekly session and will write a final reflection at the end of the quarter.
Expectations: This group will meet for 2 hours each week during the quarter. It is expected that each student will spend between 3 to 4 hours of time outside of the class meeting.
Making and mapping: learning to laser-cut and visualizing our making experiences
Winter & Spring 2019
This DRG is part of ongoing research that examines how students might learn design informally through interest-driven physical fabrication projects. We will focus on the laser-cutter as a digital fabrication tool. Guidance and mentorship regarding laser-cutter use and project work will be provided throughout. A goal of this work is the development of tools to help individuals better understand what range of things they can make and how they might make then.
- DRG members will develop a project that utilizes a laser-cutter as the main tool. Project work may be carried out in pairs or individually.
- Members will journal about their experience and design process.
- In weekly team meetings we will co-develop visualizations to map our evolving understanding of laser-cutting as means of fabrication.
This research group will be led by PhD students Meg Drouhard and Kathryn Shroyer, with guidance from Professor Cindy Atman.
CoDesign of Introductory Sewing Project for CoMotion MakerSpace
Spring 2018
Expectations: 3 hour meeting + outside analysis each week
Experience: No experience needed with sewing or research, just be willing to participate, be collaborative, and learn.
This DRG is part of ongoing research that examines how students can learn design informally through interest-driven physical fabrication projects. The ultimate goal is the design of learning environments and tools that help people see the space possible designs and skills they can achieve and map their progress through these spaces.
To design such tools, we first must identify what resources beginners need to carry out a particular project and begin to see the design pace. This DRG centers around an introductory sewing project, the construction of a basic bag, to be deployed in the CoMotion MakerSpace. DRG participants will engage in co-design of methodology for capturing and analyzing information and co-design of the beginning project itself.
By the end of the quarter we will produce a number of artifacts related to this 2 - 3 hour introductory sewing project: 1) a sewn bag, 2) journey-map of experience throughout project, 3) collection of resources (knowledge, skills, tools, materials, ….) needed to complete the project, and 4) prototypes of new instruction sets or tools that embed these resources.
Students will work in pairs or as a group for most of the quarter. No sewing skills necessary. No previous research skills necessary.
This research group will be led by PhD student Kathryn Shroyer, with guidance from Professor Cindy Atman.
Examining Self-Directed Learning through Material Inquiry: Developing an Introductory Sewing Project For the CoMotion MakerSpace SewingArea
Winter 2018
Background
As design tools and rapid prototyping technology become more publicly available in informal setting like makerspaces, the availability of these tools (sewing machines, 3D printers, lasercutters, etc.) increases. However, accessibility to these tools and the resources needed to learn to use them does not necessarily follow.
General Description
Throughout the quarter, we will investigate self-directed learning and scaffolding of learning resources in the CoMotion MakerSpace SewingArea (CmMsSa) using qualitative research techniques (material inquiry, ethnographic field notes, class discussions, and design inquiry)
You will work in pairs to complete a specific sewing project (a simple bag). Over the quarter you will complete your own version of the project but will work with a partner to capture and analyze that process. As a group we will analyze self-directed learning, respond to potential designs for scaffolding learning in the space, and generate ideas supporting important learning resources in the space.
Requirements and Interest
- 2 units
- Weekly research meeting: time TBD based on schedules
- 4 hours outside of weekly meeting engaging in work on project and documentation of project in pairs
If you are interested please fill out the survey linked above. You are not required to have any previous experience with qualitative research, sewing, or the CoMotion MakerSpace.
This research group will be led by PhD student Kathryn Shroyer, with guidance from Professor Cindy Atman.
Material Inquiry and Resource Design for Informal Making in CoMotion MakerSpace
Autumn 2017
Background:
As design tools and rapid prototyping technology become more publicly available in informal setting like makerspaces, the availability of these tools (sewing machines, 3D printers, lasercutters, etc.) increases. However, accessibility to these tools and the resources needed to use them does not necessarily follow.
Overview:
During the fall, this DRG will examine the resources (skills, materials, tools, knowledge, aspirations, processes, etc.) needed to support informal fabrications processes in the Co-Motion Makerspace through autoethnographic research (journaling) and material inquiry. A subsequent winter DRG will use this knowledge uncovered to develop, prototype, and test means of supporting making in these spaces.
This research group will be led by PhD student Kathryn Shroyer, with guidance from Professor Cindy Atman.
Research Questions:
In the case of a small group of students working in the Co-Motion makerspace on quarter long sewing projects.
What resources are needed to carry out the projects? (materials, tools, knowledge, skills, aspirations, attitudes, space, processes, etc.
How does the space support/or not the acquisition of these resources?
Methodology:
Project (material inquiry): You will select a sewing project of their choosing and work on this project throughout the quarter using co-motion resources and whatever other resources needed.
Journaling (data collection): While carrying out this project you will document your process and the resources you discover that you need, want, and/or use.
Weekly Discussion: (Analysis) The research group will meet weekly to discuss our projects and analyze the data we are collecting through journaling,
Expectations
1 weekly meeting (2hr) (Time TBD based on schedules)
4 hrs outside of meeting working on your project and collecting field notes
Design Learning Pathways in Makerspaces
Spring 2017
Led by PhD student Kathryn Shroyer
Background
We have seen the recent emergence and growth of the “Maker Movement” and along with it the growth of “makerspaces”. While there is no agreed upon definition of a makerspace, they are generally physical spaces that support communities of people who gather together to create, invent, and learn through the accessibility of tools and fabrication resources. While many of these spaces did not begin with the explicit goal of "education", they have been imported into formal and informal educational institutions around the word (Universities, K-12 school, libraries, and museums) with the promise of expanding informal and hands-on learning experiences. As a growing number of Universities are designing and implementing makerspaces on their campuses, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how these spaces support student learning, especially with regards to learning design and systems thinking.
Description
This Directed Research Group will begin to look at student learning in makerspaces through participant observation in the Co-Motion makerspace, and other spaces on campus and in the community. Students will work throughout the quarter to make observations, record field notes, open code, memo, and analyze insights. We are looking for 4-6 upper level undergraduates or graduate students. A small amount of reading will be assigned and discussed at the beginning of the quarter, but the bulk of this DRG will consist of weekly observation and analysis of field notes, and a weekly meeting to discuss and share insights. Meeting time will be determined based on schedules.
This research group will be led by PhD student Kathryn Shroyer, with guidance from Professor Cindy Atman.
Credits: 2 credits
Expectations
1 weekly meeting (2hr) (Time TBD based on schedules)
4 hrs outside of meeting conducting observations and field notes
Qualifications
Looking for upper level undergraduates or grad students interested in learning participant observation techniques and/or interested in informal learning in fabrication spaces.
“Chance Favors the Prepared Mind”: Mapping Future Discovery to Current Learning
Winter 2017
“Chance favors the prepared mind”
- Louis Pasteur, 1854
“Inspiration is for amateurs — the rest of us just show up and get to work.”
- Chuck Close, 2003
Louis Pasteur famously said, “chance favors the prepared mind.” This is interpreted to mean that discoveries happen when your brain is able to recognize when an observed circumstance does not conform to learned expectations. Artist Chuck Close, is saying that creating anything, first and foremost, requires being present.
In this Directed Research Group students will conduct a set of exercises to…
- examine their goals for the future
- choose an area that they would like to enable a “future surprise” or “discovery”
- and develop a plan to help them be ready to make that discovery
- develop skills used in qualitative research such as the ability to deal with ambiguity, uncertainty and situations where constraints are unknown.
Specifically, students will
- think about what they want to be prepared to do in the future
- identify a set of 6 or 7 concepts or areas, that they think will enable a future discovery
- develop a “bookshelf” representation of those concepts (using “My Ideal Bookshelf” as a model https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/11/13/my-ideal-bookshelf-jane-mount-thessaly-la-force/)
- develop a learning plan to acquire this knowledge
- create a “memory aid” that will be useful to both learn the concepts, and remember them into the future.
Activities during the quarter will be informed by research on learning, reflection, and appreciation for the adaptive capacity each of us needs as we navigate through the events that will unfold in our lives.
Throughout the quarter students will discuss their individual responses to each activity and also discuss how each activity contributes to their learning.
Logistics: This is a 2-credit research group offered to undergraduate HCDE students. Enrollment is limited, so please send me an email (atman@uw.edu) as soon as possible with a few sentences saying why you are interested in this group and how many quarters you have been in the HCDE program.
Teaching and Learning Engineering Design Reading Seminar Co-directed by David Farkas and Cindy Atman This reading seminar-style research group will focus on research relevant to engineering education, with a focus on design. Examples of topics related to teaching and learning engineering design include the following:
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undergraduate conceptions of design
-
expertise in design
-
representations of design process
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approaches to teaching and assessing design
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consideration of problem context during design
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sustainability and design
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theoretical frameworks for engineering education research