51-126 Human Experience in Design

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

This course introduces the central themes of design and the design professions, and the human centered focus in all aspects of design thinking and practice. We will begin by exploring the nature of having an experience, followed by the broad philosophy of design in relationship to other areas of human activity ? the sciences and the arts. We will explore design through its orders of activity: first in communication and second the creation of physical objects. But design has a far greater reach into the intangible and more complex areas of human activity: interaction, systems, environments, and culture. These are the topics of inquiry for design and, unlike what the patchwork of professions would have you believe, are not fixed by boundaries. Design is enormously broad and something everybody participates in as we create the artificial world in which we live. Those who call themselves designers have greater power in shaping this world and for that reason we will end the course with a discussion of ethics.

Prerequisites: none listed

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