From Industrial to Strategic Design: The Changing Value of Design
GSD 2315, Lecture, Fall 2007

What is Design? What is the value of Design?
The course seeks to address these fundamental questions by examining the evolution of design from the birth and rise of Industrial design to today's changing landscape of challenges and opportunities. One of the primary premises of the course is that the value of design has shifted from an object oriented endeavor to a strategic planning oriented endeavor.

Industrial Design
This first half of the course establishs a broad framework for design: from the birth and rise of industrial design to its changing competitive value over the decades. It seeks to evaluate legacies of the practice by examining specific case studies that illustrate fundamental principles. Spanning the last 150 years it establishes a broad historical context within which issues of innovation, technology and social value are further elaborated and questioned: from Thonet's innovation in furniture design and manufacturing, to Piaggio's Vespa in postwar Italy. Ultimately it seeks to ask the question of "interest" and "value" in products and the ideological implication of their design.

Strategic Design
After having tracked the evolution of design from product identity, to brand identity, to national identity, the second half of the course explores design within today's changing global context and needs. In particular the course introduces the idea of Strategic Design: applying the process of design synthesis to help solve society's 'big picture problems'. To bring depth to this notion, the course focuses on Healthcare and explore design's ability to produce innovation and social benefit within this area. We examine current work in the Stroke Pathways Project—a Harvard Design School led strategic system design project in Healthcare. The project provides a framework for a design-based methodology, role, and research model that is applicable to other complex problems and questions. In addition to this specific focus, the course explores the broader landscape of today's design challenges and opportunities.

Case study presentations from guest lecturers complement the range of issues discussed. The course also includes a few discussion-based sessions between industry leaders and students. Students are expected to assume an active role in discussions and debates. Assignments include weekly readings, a mid-term paper and an informal in-class project.

Past guests to the course have included:

Dana Cho, IDEO "Smart Space"
Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School
Antonio Citterio, Antonio Citterio and Partners
Jonathan Hayes, Hayes Design
David Laituri, Brookstone
Brian Matt, Altitude
Augie Picozza, Sunbeam
Stephen Randall, nVend
Darrel Rhea, Cheskin
Elizabeth Teisberg, Darden Business School
Dan Williams, Motorola
Gianfranco Zaccai, Design Continuum

Product Design: Industrial Design
GSD 2315-M1, Lecture, Fall 2006

This first lecture module focuses on the historical aspect of product design. It seeks to evaluate the legacies of the practice by examining specific case studies that illustrate fundamental principles. Spanning the last 150 years it will establish a broad historical framework within which issues of innovation, technology and social value are further elaborated and questioned. Key case study presentations punctuate this broader discussion: from Thonet’s innovation in furniture design and manufacturing, to Piaggio’s Vespa in postwar Italy. Ultimately it seeks to ask the question of “interest “ and “value” in products and the ideological implication of their design. Assignments include weekly readings and informal product presentation.

Product Design: Industrial Design
GSD 2316-M2, Lecture, Fall 2006

Following up on 2315-M1, this second module focuses on contemporary issues of product design. We examine emerging technologies, design opportunities, and the interrelation between architecture and product design. Case study presentations from leading guest lecturers complement the range of issues discussed. The course also includes a few discussion-based sessions between industry leaders and students. Students are expected to assume an active role in discussions and debates. Assignments include weekly readings and an informal product based project with Motorola.

Design Research in Product Design
GSD 9206A, Seminar, Spring

What is design research? What are its criteria of success?

The seminar/workshop investigate design research methods from two perspectives:

1. the Industrial Design/ Architecture interface.
2. a process of synthesis and visualization of Complex Problems.

The seminar defines "design" as a process of synthesis, visualization, and inquiry, in the pursuit of identifying significant opportunities.

The course is structured as follows:

First half of the semester
The first half of the course introduces and defines "comparative research" and "integrated research" through two workshop projects: a first on materials and a second on fabrication.

Second half of the semester
The development of independent student proposals in response to a Complex Problem: a problem that ties architecture, organizational models, business strategy, and products together.

The course is an "Independent Study" mode course. As such it requires active participation including a significant component of independent student work.

Introduction to Building Technology
GSD 6111-M1, Lecture, Workshop, Fall 2002

This course introduces the basic materials and methods used in building construction through a weekly lecture and related hands-on workshop. Material qualities are described in lectures and are then experienced directly in the workshop, where all students engage in exercises designed to provide exposure to a wide variety of construction methods using real materials and tools.

Computer Aided Design & Manufacturing
GSD 6319, Spring 2000
Instructors: James Griggs, Daniel Schodek, Marco Steinberg

Intended for advanced students, this course responds to recent developments in the field of computer-aided manufacturing and design (CAD/CAM) that have strongly affected design and production practices in many industries, but are only now emerging in architecture. Topics include digital design environments especially designed to support production, computer numerical control (CNC), technologies (machines and software), rapid prototyping technologies, fundamental CNC manufacturing processes (traditional and new), design for manufacturing and assembly, and other topics. The work of different architects exploring CAD/CAM technologies is examined.

One focus of the course is on advanced digital environments (e.g., Solidworks). These environments are dimensionally-driven and support manufacturing applications, assembly modeling, finite element analyses, materials tracking, etc. A related portion of the course focuses on how one goes from a digital model to a prototype, and ultimately to a manufactured product. Primary manufacturing processes are briefly reviewed during this phase of the course, as will basic CNC code. New, low-volume production techniques based on solid free-form fabrication technologies are also covered. Assignments include seminar presentations and projects in which prototypes are made from digital models.