What Counts as Design?

Subject area: Understanding design, Design process
Activity type: Affinity grouping, Discussion
Activity time: 35 minutes

Creator(s): Cindy Atman

Download this activity

Introduction

In “What Counts as Design?” students will have an introduction to the concept of design as a broad, multidisciplinary, and ultimately common action in their everyday lives. From creating a playlist, to developing a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, to planning a UX mobile prototype, design happens everywhere.

Why do this activity?

The purpose of this activity is to help students understand that design is a common activity that they engage with in everyday life, by making everyday design analogous to engineering design. Through this activity students may realize they have been doing design work throughout their day-to-day life.

This activity can help students:

Materials needed

If you would like this activity done physically:

If you would like this activity done virtually:

Note that the virtual version can be done both in online and in-person settings.

Setting up the activity

If you are using physical sticky notes:

  1. Pass out at least 10 sticky notes per student.
  2. Pass out pens or markers for students to write with.

If you are using a Miro board:

  1. ‍‍Copy this template: What Counts as Design Template into your Miro account.
  2. The template has 10x21 sticky notes (10 sticky notes for 21 students each). If needed, create more sticky notes such that each student has at least 10 sticky notes.
  3. Click the “Share” button. In the popup, adjust your settings so that anyone with the link may edit the board.
  4. ‍‍Send this link to your students.

Doing the activity

  1. Give students 5 minutes to brainstorm a list of activities that they would consider as design. Encourage them to cast a wide net! Have them write each of their ideas down on a sticky note (physical or virtual).
  2. ‍Give students 15 minutes to read others’ responses and affinity group their answers together.
  3. ‍Have a 15 minute discussion in groups of 3-4 about the affinity grouping activity. The following discussion questions may be used:
    1. ‍Choose an activity that surprised you and explain why it is an act of design.
    2. ‍What was an activity that you wouldn’t have considered as design before this exercise?
    3. ‍What are some insights or takeaways you have about what counts as design?

Student Responses and Takeaways

Student responses
Miro affinity diagram
Physical affinity diagram
Word cloud of responses

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Student takeaways

What struck you as interesting about this activity?

“[This activity] really cemented the concept that design exists everywhere and is not just embodied by “formal” or “professional” work.” — Student 3

Instructor Tips and Advice

Encourage broad ideas: Your students may initially struggle with identifying broader or more expansive design activities. If you find that your students are finding ideas isolated to topics such as artistic/graphic design or engineering design projects, they may benefit from viewing the student examples in the section above and seeing the variety of everyday activities present there.

Help students realize they are designers: Students may be coming into our classes with the belief that since they are learners, that means all the design work they do is “student design” rather than “real design”. Encourage your students to realize through the “What Counts as Design” activity that they are designers and do real design work every day, because design exists everywhere.

Things to think about when you’re setting up: Your setup time will vary depending on your class size. If you’re doing this activity physically, this will be easy if your classroom tables are already pre-divided into groups so you can shorten your time by placing stacks of sticky notes per table group. Also consider that having table groups may make idea generation and conversation flow more comfortably for students.