Fostering Design Students’ Visual Practices using PersonasEmma Jefferies Centre for Design Research Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK

Overview

1.Introduction

2.The approach

3.Discussion

4.Conclusion

1. Introduction

“For students trying to achieve greater visual awareness, it can be a bewilderingprocess.” Moore (2003)

1. Introduction

An approach to develop design students’ visual awareness based on Schon (1990), is for them to learn from theirvisual experience by ‘reflection in action’.

Moore disagrees:“To suggest there is a kind of osmosis going on is ducking the issue. It is simply another example of the fusing, merging, and blending…of irreconcilable opposites, again without any convincing explanation as to how this actually might happen. It is also suggested that visual skill is acquired through experience. This is singularly unhelpful for a young student.” (2003, p.36)

1. Introduction

Design students require clear boundaries on what to look for when reflecting on their visual experience.

They needed to be able to: Looking back: Self-reflection on how they are‘looking’ and ‘seeing’, to identification behaviours when making visual judgements

Looking forward: To develop students’ understanding of where they need to improve to their ‘looking’ and ‘seeing’

1. Introduction

‘Looking’

Passive visual experience

The learner is looking around at the familiar

Recognise what they are seeing and learn through trial and error but do not understand how they have achieve the final result

‘Seeing’

Active visual experience

Where the learner inspects the familiar until it becomes unfamiliar

Seeing the bigger picture and questioning what they do not understand.

2. The Approach

Aim:

To support design students to self-reflect and improve on their visual practice

2. The Approach

Pilot Action Research Project: Iteration 1

Aim: To explore the possible patterns in students’ reflection, ‘looking’ and ‘seeing’ together with their learning styles

Analyses of the twelve student reflective logs revealed a relationship between how they were ‘looking’ and ‘seeing’ and reflecting

A student’s reflective log

Sherlock Holmes Characters version 1: Three levels of visual engagement

No reflection, just ‘doing’

Continue to copy and paste inappropriate Images, without questioning their visual process.

Looking

Sherlock Holmes PersonasVersion 1

Sherlock Holmes Characters version 1: Three levels of visual engagement

Reflectionon their work Did not know whento apply‘looking’ and ‘seeing’, in their design process.

Sherlock Holmes PersonasVersion 1

Reflected on their work and learning understanding when to use each mode of ‘seeing’.

Sherlock Holmes PersonasVersion 1

2. The Approach

Action Research Project: Iteration 2

During this project it became unrealistic, students could develop their ‘seeing’ by helping them to understand their learning style

Development students learning styles will only strongest them in onearea. It will not help them to deal and adapt to different contexts

Whereas, the observable behaviours shown in the way the students’ worked could be encompassed

The Sherlock Holmes Personas would support students to adapt and update their visual knowledge over different design projects

2. The Approach

Action Research Project: Iteration 3

Issues with the first version of the Sherlock Holmes Characters were:

1. The characters did not prompt students of what to look for when reflecting on their visual practice

2. ‘The Cleaner’ was a negative character

3. The personas were based on one data set

4. They did not help students progress to the next persona

Sherlock Holmes Characters version 1: Three levels of visual engagement

Mrs Hudson

Change from a job role to a characterto balance out negatives, Mrs housekeeper respect her work

Sherlock Holmes PersonasVersion 2

Dr Watson

Lookingandseeing

Detailed associated visual experienceand activities

Barriers which may impede mode of seeing

Sherlock Holmes PersonasVersion 2

Sherlock Homes

Areas of improvement

Sherlock Holmes PersonasVersion 2

3. Discussion

‘Personas fostering students’ visual practices: why does it work?’

… storytelling, aiding design students to see their visual experience in a new light.

… criticism was directed towards the persona rather than the students themselves.

… it is basis for sharing communication, generated a language to frame feedback delivery on:

a. Seeing: How am I seeing? b. Reflection: How and what do I look back on? c. Barriers (New): Areas which are stopping me from

developing? d. Improves: How do I move on?

3. Discussion

‘Personas fostering students’ visual practices: why does it work?’

…the feedback encouraged students to set their own goals and take ownership of their work:

“In my experience of the Sherlock Holmes Characters, I have discovered that it is a process to help you reach for your goals and help you meet the goals easily, as they are there as a guide to correct your learning skills.” (Multimedia Design Student, 2007)

…the persona was a tool to aid tutors’ diagnosis of students’ weaknesses, enabling them to propose solutions

3. Discussion

‘What are the drawbacks of the personas?’

…some students felt there was an element of stereotyping, not treated as an individual.

3. Discussion

‘Are there broader applications of these personas?’

The design students are be users of visual literacy

The personas drawn from designers’ own practices being guided by their user, personas are developed through observations to direct design decisions.

These personas are not transferable: either new sets of personas will need to be developed to suit new contexts, or perhaps students, with appropriate guidance, would like to design their own

New sets of personas will need to be developed to suit new contexts, or perhaps students, with appropriate guidance, would like to design their own

4. Conclusion

The key steps to fostering students’ visual practices:

1. Observation of the students’ visual practices in their reflective logs

2. Identified visual engagement levels: (a) how they were reflecting, (b) barriers which may impede ‘in-depth’ seeing, (c) how they were seeing and (d) improvements

3. Persona development based on identified visual engagement levels to enable students’ to see their visual experiences in a new light

4. Implement in a design crit; ask students to evaluate their peers on which characteristics of the persona they have shown in their project

5. Alter the personas that are not effective

4. Conclusion

The personas have…

…addressed visual practices by encouraging students to think about what they are doing and why they are doing it

…demystified the process of becoming visually aware by communicating in a manner that design students could understand

If students are to transform their visual practices, teaching methods must draw on their social experiences as well as assisting them to take ownership of their learning needs.

Thank you! Any questions?

Emma Jefferiese.jefferies@unn.ac.uk

1. Introduction

How do you foster design students to developa balancetheir ability to ‘look’ and ‘see’, t?

Every new design brief requires re-engagement:

• Updating visual knowledge

• Understanding of current barriers, which impede their learning and seeing, perfectionism, negativity or being outside their ‘comfort zone’

For student to self-reflect requires:

• Self directed learning: taking ownership, valuing openness, gaining feedback in order to set their goals