Expanding horizons: Engaging students with empathic thinking

Andree Woodcock; Deana McDonagh; Paul Magee; Tim Ball; Sana Iqbal

doi:10.35199/epde2019.49

Expanding horizons: Engaging students with empathic thinking

Andree Woodcock, Deana McDonagh, Paul Magee, Tim Ball, Sana Iqbal

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference proceeding › peer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

86 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Young student designers have little experience with populations unlike themselves. This can present challenges when project briefs require them to design for people with different life experiences and abilities. Without this understanding their designs may fail to meet the needs of target users. Over the last two years the authors have conducted a series of short, studio based, low fidelity interventions with design and engineering students to widen their empathic horizons and appreciation of what it feels like to be old. The main objective of this paper is to report on the latest of these interventions with a cohort of product design students conducted in 2019 who were asked to develop concepts to support mobility of older people. The feedback from staff and students showed conclusively that this not only increased their understanding and empathy with older people but also led them to understand the value of and even enjoy undertaking research.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education
Subtitle of host publication	Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019
Editors	Erik Bohemia, Ahmed Kovacevic, Lyndon Buck, Ross Brisco, Dorothy Evans, Hilary Grierson, William Ion, Robert Ian Whitfield
Publisher	Institution of Engineering Designers, The Design Society
Number of pages	6
ISBN (Electronic)	9781912254057
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.35199/epde2019.49
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2019
Event	21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, E and PDE 2019 - Glasgow, United Kingdom Duration: 12 Sept 2019 → 13 Sept 2019 https://epde.info/epde2019/

Publication series

Name	Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019

Conference

Conference	21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, E and PDE 2019
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	Glasgow
Period	12/09/19 → 13/09/19
Internet address	https://epde.info/epde2019/

Bibliographical note

Proceedings published as open access

Keywords

Design empathy
Empathic modelling
Older people
Transport design

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Education
Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Access to Document

10.35199/epde2019.49Licence: Unspecified

PublishedFinal published version, 829 KBLicence: Unspecified

Cite this

Woodcock, A., McDonagh, D., Magee, P., Ball, T., & Iqbal, S. (2019). Expanding horizons: Engaging students with empathic thinking. In E. Bohemia, A. Kovacevic, L. Buck, R. Brisco, D. Evans, H. Grierson, W. Ion, & R. I. Whitfield (Eds.), Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019 (Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019). Institution of Engineering Designers, The Design Society. https://doi.org/10.35199/epde2019.49

Expanding horizons: Engaging students with empathic thinking. / Woodcock, Andree; McDonagh, Deana; Magee, Paul et al.
Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019. ed. / Erik Bohemia; Ahmed Kovacevic; Lyndon Buck; Ross Brisco; Dorothy Evans; Hilary Grierson; William Ion; Robert Ian Whitfield. Institution of Engineering Designers, The Design Society, 2019. (Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference proceeding › peer-review

Woodcock, A, McDonagh, D, Magee, P, Ball, T & Iqbal, S 2019, Expanding horizons: Engaging students with empathic thinking. in E Bohemia, A Kovacevic, L Buck, R Brisco, D Evans, H Grierson, W Ion & RI Whitfield (eds), Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019. Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019, Institution of Engineering Designers, The Design Society, 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, E and PDE 2019, Glasgow, United Kingdom, 12/09/19. https://doi.org/10.35199/epde2019.49

Woodcock A, McDonagh D, Magee P, Ball T, Iqbal S. Expanding horizons: Engaging students with empathic thinking. In Bohemia E, Kovacevic A, Buck L, Brisco R, Evans D, Grierson H, Ion W, Whitfield RI, editors, Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019. Institution of Engineering Designers, The Design Society. 2019. (Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019). doi: 10.35199/epde2019.49

Woodcock, Andree ; McDonagh, Deana ; Magee, Paul et al. / Expanding horizons : Engaging students with empathic thinking. Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019. editor / Erik Bohemia ; Ahmed Kovacevic ; Lyndon Buck ; Ross Brisco ; Dorothy Evans ; Hilary Grierson ; William Ion ; Robert Ian Whitfield. Institution of Engineering Designers, The Design Society, 2019. (Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education: Towards a New Innovation Landscape, E and PDE 2019).

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Expanding horizons: Engaging students with empathic thinking

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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Cite this