Introduction to Socially Engaged Design
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Introduction to Socially Engaged Design
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Recommended experience
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
Learn how the Socially Engaged Design model can increase understanding of the design processes.
Assess societal connections to inform broader, inclusive, and sustainable design solutions
Apply socially engaged design principles to real-world projects
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills
There are 5 modules in this course
Engineering courses often focus on technical skills and processes, leaving students with few examples of how to apply these skills in the real world. With "Introduction to Socially Engaged Design," you'll learn about this essential engineering and design framework, strengthening the connection between your work and its impact on individuals, societies, and the environment.
Developed by expert faculty at the University of Michigan, the Socially Engaged Design model shows engineers and designers to explore the broader societal implications, outcomes, and potential unintended consequences early in the product design process. You'll learn to explore, develop, and iterate on your solutions to make equitable, evidence-based decisions. You will better understand how your experiences shape your work and explore how power, privilege, identities, and cultural contexts can shape your approach and impact. The course draws heavily on real-world examples of product design solutions that enhanced and deterred the progress of individuals and communities. In addition to these concepts, you'll learn how to effectively work with stakeholders to bring a design solution to life. By understanding design solutions' economic, social, and environmental impacts, you can develop better product and engineering design solutions for current and future generations.
In this module you will explore the intersection of technical design, engineering, and social factors, focusing on equity and societal needs. You will examine the Socially Engaged Design (SED) Process to navigate complex engineering challenges, learn its structure, and apply the SED principles through case studies showcasing the societal impact of engineering.
What's included
6 videos7 readings3 assignments5 discussion prompts
6 videos•Total 67 minutes
- Welcome to the Course•5 minutes
- PlayPump Introduction•6 minutes
- Sociotechnical Thinking•6 minutes
- What is a Process Model?•10 minutes
- What is Socially Engaged Design?•16 minutes
- Roundtable Discussion on Lithium Mining•25 minutes
7 readings•Total 97 minutes
- Meet Your Instructors•10 minutes
- Course Syllabus•10 minutes
- Help Us Learn About You•10 minutes
- PlayPump Instructor Reflection•10 minutes
- The Socially Engaged Design Process Model•10 minutes
- "How We Survive" Podcast Episode•37 minutes
- Module Recap•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 75 minutes
- Module 1 Assessment•45 minutes
- Lesson 1 Assessment•20 minutes
- Lesson 2 Assessment•10 minutes
5 discussion prompts•Total 50 minutes
- Meet Your Fellow Learners•10 minutes
- What were the unintended consequences?•10 minutes
- What are the key differences?•10 minutes
- Podcast Reflection•10 minutes
- How might you apply the undercurrents of the SED model to your own work? •10 minutes
In this module you will understand how to employ stakeholder maps to identify project influences and discover the impact of power dynamics and personal bias on stakeholder interactions.
What's included
6 videos12 readings6 assignments4 discussion prompts
6 videos•Total 49 minutes
- Entering the Explore Stage•6 minutes
- Equity, Power, Identity, and Motivations•14 minutes
- Designer Positionality•6 minutes
- Contextual Factors •9 minutes
- Who is involved? Identifying Participants and Stakeholders•10 minutes
- Forms of Engagement: Gathering Information in "Explore" •4 minutes
12 readings•Total 108 minutes
- The Explore Stage•2 minutes
- The #GlobalPOV Project: "Can Experts Solve Poverty?"•14 minutes
- Undercurrent: Analyze Dimensions of Equity, Power, Identity, & Motivations•3 minutes
- Social Identity Categories•20 minutes
- What is positionality and why does it matter in design?•5 minutes
- Undercurrent: Account for Contextual Factors & Stakeholder Perspectives•3 minutes
- Undercurrent: Account for Contextual Factors & Stakeholder Perspectives•3 minutes
- "White Gold" Podcast Stakeholder Mapping Activity, Part 1•15 minutes
- Undercurrent: Gather & Synthesize Information•3 minutes
- Interviews and Observations in Socially Engaged Design•15 minutes
- Nido de Vida•15 minutes
- Module Recap: The Explore Stage•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 245 minutes
- Lesson 2 Assessment•45 minutes
- Module 2 Assessment •30 minutes
- "White Gold" Podcast Stakeholder Mapping Activity, Part 2•60 minutes
- Social Identity Categories Activity•30 minutes
- Lesson 4 Assessment•20 minutes
- Lesson 5 Assessment•60 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 45 minutes
- "Can Experts Solve Poverty?" Learner Reflections•10 minutes
- Social Identities Activity Reflection•10 minutes
- What contextual factors were considered?•10 minutes
- Nido de Vida Discussion •15 minutes
In this module you will learn the process of identifying and defining engineering needs and design opportunities, and understand how to distinguish between and gather stakeholder requirements and engineering specifications. In addition you will examine how personal biases can affect problem framing.
What's included
6 videos9 readings5 assignments4 discussion prompts
6 videos•Total 51 minutes
- Introduction to the Define Stage •4 minutes
- Contextual Factors in Define•12 minutes
- Need Statements•8 minutes
- Requirement and Specifications•13 minutes
- Using Prototyping as a Tool Across Stages•5 minutes
- Case Study: Traditional Adult Male Circumcision•9 minutes
9 readings•Total 70 minutes
- Key Decision Point & The Define Stage•5 minutes
- Revisiting Context for Define Stage •10 minutes
- Researching and Drafting Needs•10 minutes
- The Quality of Requirements Matters•10 minutes
- Undercurrent: Prototype, Sketch, and Test Questions & Ideas•3 minutes
- Utilizing Prototypes to Engage Stakeholders•10 minutes
- Content Notice•2 minutes
- Case Study: Design Ethnography as an Engineering Tool (ASME)•10 minutes
- Module Recap •10 minutes
5 assignments•Total 170 minutes
- Module 3 Assessment•45 minutes
- Lesson 1 Assessment•20 minutes
- Pelvic Exam Table•45 minutes
- Lesson 3 Assessment•30 minutes
- Lesson 4 Assessment •30 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 40 minutes
- What are some of the potential consequences of a need statement that is not well-articulated?•10 minutes
- Defining stakeholder requirements and engineering specifications •10 minutes
- Case Study: Design Ethnography•10 minutes
- Goals of the Define Stage•10 minutes
In this module you will understand the role of tools and strategies in ideation to create innovative design solutions. You'll survey best practices in generating and selecting ideas, while examining how identity and power dynamics influence the ideation process.
What's included
5 videos6 readings2 assignments4 discussion prompts
5 videos•Total 17 minutes
- Introduction to Ideate•4 minutes
- Cases of Concept Generation•6 minutes
- Socially Engaged Ideation•4 minutes
- Challenges in Stakeholder Participation in Ideation•2 minutes
- Module Recap: Ideation Synthesis•2 minutes
6 readings•Total 75 minutes
- Key Decision Point & The Ideate Stage•5 minutes
- Review Cases of Concept Generation•10 minutes
- Ideation Practices•10 minutes
- Ideation Techniques•10 minutes
- Explore Socially Engaged Ideation Strategies•20 minutes
- Idea Screening •20 minutes
2 assignments•Total 105 minutes
- Module 4 Assessment•60 minutes
- Create 15 Ideas•45 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 40 minutes
- What practices have you used in the past?•10 minutes
- Share your ideas•10 minutes
- How does your identity impact your ideation?•10 minutes
- How is idea screening different?•10 minutes
In this final module you will dig into the Develop and Realize stages as critical analysis processes for validating and verifying design concepts. This module defines prototyping as an iterative tool, focuses on stakeholder engagement in development, discusses varied validation strategies, and addresses the influence of personal and societal factors on idea evolution.
What's included
7 videos10 readings5 assignments2 discussion prompts
7 videos•Total 126 minutes
- Introduction to the Develop Stage•10 minutes
- Develop Stage: Analysis Lenses•8 minutes
- Develop Stage: Example Analysis Tools•23 minutes
- Develop Stage: Case Study Part 1•11 minutes
- Develop Stage: Case Study Part 2•20 minutes
- Introduction to the Realize Stage: Case Study Part 3•39 minutes
- Course Wrap-Up•15 minutes
10 readings•Total 90 minutes
- Key Decision Point & The Develop Stage•5 minutes
- Key Takeaways from Introduction to the Develop Stage•10 minutes
- Key Takeaways: Analysis Lenses in the Develop Stage•10 minutes
- Key Takeaways: Develop Stage Example Analysis Tools•10 minutes
- Introduction to Case Study•10 minutes
- Develop Stage: Case Study Part 2•10 minutes
- Key Decision Point & The Realize Stage•5 minutes
- Key Takeaways from the Realize Stage•10 minutes
- Course Wrap-Up •10 minutes
- Post-course Survey•10 minutes
5 assignments•Total 210 minutes
- Module 5 Assessment •60 minutes
- Lesson 1 Assessment•30 minutes
- Lesson 2 Assessment•30 minutes
- Lesson 3 Assessment•45 minutes
- Lesson 4 Assessment •45 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 20 minutes
- Develop Reflection on Personal Project•10 minutes
- Sustainable Metalworking Fluid Case Discussion•10 minutes
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