Talking with Objects: Understanding the world though design

Why are pencils typically polygon shaped? What's behind climbing equipment's vibrant colors? How will 3D printing in voxels change our food?

Hominins have been altering the world by means of tools for over 3.3 million years. Today we create tools that generate tools, we manipulate material on a nanoscale, and control living evolutionary outcomes through breeding and interventions in DNA.

In product design terms, we single out a need or desire, we define related constraints and directives, evaluate alternatives, then test, and develop through iterations, reaching a directed outcome.

Use scenario, ergonomics, ecological impact, and competing products, are just a couple of the issues in such process that must dialogue with material, and technological means when realizing an object in the physical world.

With a focus on objects, the course proposes engaging with the world around us in trying to understand why things are the way they are. Participants will be encouraged to observe and speculate, to reverse engineer and propose alternative product evolutionary branches. The course will be structured around a mix of classroom lectures, assignments, debates, hands-on workshops, and field trips.