I am using the QFT to lead up to the design challenges of which my students would do at the end of the course which involve logo design, advertising, package design, typography and publication design. Before they do the actual challenges, students will use the QFT to ask questions about designing with restraint. The purpose of the project is get the students to ask questions concerning how design is a mindset not a set of tools and technology can be a willing partner in the production of great design.
My Qfocus statement(s) will deal with freshmen in an art school environment who are debating graphic design as a major in sophomore year. The eventual project will be the students doing design challenges without any technology and the point is how to extend the idea of design thinking in the current and future design curriculum as was done in the past before the advent of technology in graphic design. How do we make todays young designers visual thinkers using technology as a tool not a mindset as we can with creating future curriculums in design and educators, students working to building up the future of design foundations in education.
The Qfocus statement: “Great design can be done without computers.” 15 students broken up in groups of 3 begin with questions such as “how can design be done without computers?” “but technology does that for us, right?” “Do you mean before computers took over?” Now we want the students to think about the basis of the statement in its context, what do we mean by “without computers.” So now we want the students to improve their questions. The students need to turn their open-ended questions into close-ended questions and vice versa to then choose their three most important questions. This is where the students use their divergent and convergent thinking combined to produce better, more concrete questions to get to how to tackle the challenges.
Another Qfocus that goes to the heart of the argument about the need for design thinking could be: “Great design is a mindset not a toolset” so students can really ask of themselves what are they missing in their design education and will this qfocus prompt them to ask questions about the purpose of photoshop and it was made to do all the work in this bottom line society of meeting deadlines, etc. so we don’t have to. “Aren’t we already using design thinking by using the tools?” “But the toolset makes it look good, isn’t that design thinking?” If it means that your convincing a student through the statement that they are missing out on something or something needs to be done about their dependence on technology now and future classrooms, make them ask those metacognitive questions, have them think about their own learning and how these design challenges stir up whats already there and needs to be utilized.
Changing the Qfocus statement to get students to ask questions that pertain to these challenges and that visual/design thinking is a toolset to be used in all areas beside design will prepare them to ask questions to get answers to solving these design problems.
Chris Parham is a Graphic Designer, graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and has worked in field of design for 13 years. He is currently in the process of applying to the Harvard Extension School graduate program next spring 2015 in Information Technology with a focus on Digital Media. Chris Parham is studying instructional design and was born and raised in boston and currently residing in Belmont, MA