(For IDE Master students, fall 2017 electives: Wednesday in Q1)
Why? People don’t think as logic-machines, but follow other paths which have worked well to get us where we are, evolutionary, but sometimes cause problems or opportunities. For example, the way the decision for becoming an organ donor or not was phrased left Germany with 12% donors, Austria 99%, just because a box had to be ticked or not.
What? There is abundant academic literature about how people make decisions. Some of that is inspiring and informative for designers. There are also some popular sources of tips and guidelines. In this elective, you will learn read some key academic and popular sources, discuss how they affect design, and apply them on design examples. We will use decision situations on ‘managing your future life from the MyFutures research project as examples of design challenges.
How? The DeepDive electives have group meetings and individual preparation. The group meetings consist of prepared presentations by staff and students, critique of existing designs, and explorations of solutions. Homework involves reading key articles, finding design examples, and design exercises.
For Whom? Master students who are interested in deepening their understanding of how real-world everyday and professional decision-making can be supported. You should not be afraid of reading a book, of taking a position, and of discussing existing and proposed designs.
By Who? The course is taught by prof. Pieter Jan Stappers (TU Delft) and prof. Quan Zhou (visiting researcher from Metro State University, USA)
Questions? Ask p.j.stappers@tudelft.nl
Too curious to wait? Here are some key references:
- Gladwell, M. (2007). Blink: The power of thinking without thinking. Back Bay Books.
- Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan.
- Klein, G. (2013). Seeing what others don’t: The remarkable ways we gain insights. PublicAffairs.
- Cognitive Biases poster (see here)