宗旨及特色

Programme Aims

The programme attempts to expand the scope of design beyond the current commercialized and compartmentalized professional practices by orienting towards the “social dimension of design”, with an emphasis on civic participation, social engagement and collaborative design practices. Dedicated to the promotion of social and cultural sustainability, the programme focuses on the realisation of social innovations and civic goals through the framework of design thinking and solution prototyping.

The programme aims to:

• augment students’ (empathic) understanding of social needs/changes from real-life perspectives;
• introduce students to methods for social observation, ethnographic design research and co-designing practices;
• engage students with outside partners to address social issues and develop design resolutions;
• inaugurate designerly thinking into the professional practices of non-design disciplines;
• prototype and realise design solutions for sustainable and positive social change.

Characteristics

Upon successful completion of this Programme, students will be able to:

1. Appreciate and reflect upon the multiple social dimensions of design and their real-world complexity;
2. Learn independently and continuously develop cultural, social, technological and design literacy through local, regional and global contexts;
3. Explore and address social and community issues through design research, experimentations and reflective implementation practices;
4. Make acute analysis of social situations and propose creative and realistic design solutions;
5. Apply professional skills of design to deliver outcome with real-life impact;
6. Communicate and collaborate with social institutions, communities and people to experiment with different approaches to social design;
7. Develop strategic and design insights for relevant business, social and cultural endeavours;
8. Design projects and create platforms and solutions for positive social change.