Presentations – Doing Design Thinking

March 21, 2018 adorland Presentations

Experiential Learning and the Design Mindset: Developing a Signature Pedagogy at the University of Calgary

I recently had the great honour of presenting my doctoral research work (the Doing Design Thinking study) to the University of Calgary Board of Governors - this was both terrifying (this board helps guide the strategic direction of the University! eek!) and exciting at the same time, as most worthwhile knowledge mobilization efforts are. But … Continue reading Experiential Learning and the Design Mindset: Developing a Signature Pedagogy at the University of Calgary

The Doing Design Thinking Study is headed to #SSHRCStorytellers 2017 Top 25!

I'm so thrilled and honoured to be a part of the SSHRC Storytellers Top 25 Competition this year - I really believe that developing a better understanding of the ways that designers solve complex and critical problems will help us connect creativity and innovation in Canada's future, and I'm so excited to share the research … Continue reading The Doing Design Thinking Study is headed to #SSHRCStorytellers 2017 Top 25!

January 17, 2017April 13, 2017 adorland Presentations

Tell Me Why You Did That: Learning “Ethnography” from the Design Studio – EPIC 2016

My recent presentation of research at the EPIC 2016 conference (Minneapolis) is available at https://www.epicpeople.org/learning-ethnography-design-studio/. A full PDF of my presented paper is available here: epic2016_3-1dorland https://vimeo.com/199881299

Recently, attention has been drawn to three key shifts in the field of design – fundamental changes in what designers do in their daily practice, in the definitions of who a designer is, and what their role in society should be, and in our collective expectations of what counts as a design solution.

This research study investigates the connections between these three key shifts in the field of design, and the professional identity and practices of branding, graphic, service and digital designers. It seeks to understand how professionals think in action – in the face of changes to the profession of design, what emerging forms of practice are coming to define the work of designers? Are designers aesthetic masters, or agents of change? Is their social role different than it used to be? If so, how are they adapting and adopting new practices in their work to continue to evolve alongside the changing social definition of designing?