IMPROVING OUTCOMES IN STUDENT DESIGN COURSES THROUGH QUALITATIVE USER RESEARCH AND CONTEXTUAL IMMERSION

Shifting from the course-based mindset into the real-world context of the user is a challenge that students often face during design courses. This can result in designs and proposed solutions that do not fully meet the technical and business needs of the client. This paper proposes a greater use of qualitative methods, paired with a deep immersion in the user environment, and highlights the value in design education through a case study example. A focus on qualitative user-studies in the discovery phase of design helps to give students perspective on the unique characteristics of users and the design context. The Engineers in Scrubs Program, in collaboration with the Uganda Sustainable Trauma Orthopaedic Program (USTOP), at the University of British Columbia is highlighted as one such example.