Design Skills and Practices

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Modules

Courses / Modules / ARTD1171 Design Skills and Practices

When you'll study it

Semester 2

CATS points

ECTS points

Level

Level 4

Module lead

Daniel Hobson

Academic year

2027-28

Module overview

In this module, you will further develop your practical design skills and engage with design methods, techniques, and processes. Alongside fundamental technical knowledge, drawing, and applications, the module introduces ergonomics and user-centred design. You will undertake observation, investigation, and creative problem-solving, testing ideas through 2D and 3D physical and digital models. The module provides foundational knowledge and its application across key technical aspects of product design, including basic scientific and engineering principles, as well as materials and manufacturing considerations. You will have opportunities to further explore the functional dimensions of design. Communication and presentation skills are reinforced, alongside strategies for managing projects. You continue to develop your ability to use physical and digital tools and software. Studio-based learning, technical workshops, and laboratory visits support the learning experience.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Employ relevant technical and workshop skills, materials, and manufacturing knowledge to test ideas, integrating ergonomics, basic scientific and engineering principles.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Creatively problem solve ideas through observation and investigation

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Specialist roles, skills, processes and audiences relevant to your discipline

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Communicate and present ideas effectively to audiences across a range of formats

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching and learning methods and activities may include: - Project Briefings - Practical exercises and workshops - Group tutorials and discussions - One-to-one tutorials - Critical Reviews - Lectures - Seminars - Creative and technical workshops - Technical demonstrations and testing - Visual presentations - Creative portfolio development - School resource-based learning - Peer group learning - Group critiques - Self-assessment

Study time
Type	Hours
Teaching	58
Independent Study	242
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Bridger, R. S (2003). Introduction to Ergonomics. London: Taylor and Francis.

Ashby, M.F. and Johnson, K. (2014). Materials and design: the art and science of material selection in product design. Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann. .

Lefteri, C. (2019). Making it: manufacturing techniques for product design.. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Assessment

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Presentation

Assessment Type: Formative
Feedback: You will experience formative feedback during the module in different learning situations, for example: tutorials, crits and written feedback, contributing to the written summative feedback given at the end of the module.
Final Assessment: No
Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Portfolio	100%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Portfolio	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Portfolio	100%

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