Design Methods & Processes for Innovation

Short credit-bearing course that can lead to an MA in Professional Media Practice

Design Methods and Processes for Innovation will introduce participants to a range of creative innovation approaches, including idea generation and creative research approaches. The aim is to encourage participants to apply these practices in their own creative work and critically engage in establishing a more reflective, disciplined, creative and innovative practice.

The course gives you the opportunity to spend time engaging with both emerging and established approaches to innovation methods and processes.

Often we look back at projects however small and reflect a desire to be more creative, thoughtful and engaged with our work. This course gives you the opportunity to inject a series of tactics that will undoubtedly change your working practices to be more creative and challenging. This is the first of two methods and processes courses, where the first course focuses on projects and ideas, and the second course on engaging and understanding people and their contexts.

Key content

The first methods and processes course will explore the following topics:

1. Introduction to Creative Methods and Processes. This session explores the wider understanding of methods and processes in innovation and research for innovation, and acts to set the scene for the course. We explore the various philosophical approaches to practice and their historical influences.
2. We explore a specific spatialised mapping tool to locate a project through, we will use a generic project as examples to populate a map. The map plots the contexts of user, producer, site, situation, objects, and influences. It is a really useful tool in starting, developing and spotting gaps in a creative innovation project. In the session you get to develop your own maps and actively explore this method.
3. In this session we explore ‘bodystorming’ which is a narrative performance based approach to engage with particular contexts as well as generating ideas. The process is a lot of fun and is a useful addition to your creative pallet of approaches to innovating. Again this is a hands on session where you are actively involved in performance. You do not need to be a performer!
4. You will be introduced to drawing in this session. This is for total beginners as well as the more advanced. We will introduce you to ‘Reflexive Drawing’, which is a process of thinking using the activity of drawing, and moves beyond just drawing as a communication or presentation tool. The emphasis is on the thinking not on the beauty of your line work!
5. This session introduces how you can use different types of modelling in your creative process. We will explore rapid-prototyping, narrative-modelling and other forms of models used in innovation. Again you do not need to have prior experience of modelling.
6. Filmic Futures explores the use of film in innovating and design, as both a narrative approach and a generative tool. We will include scenario based ‘film futures’ that explore utopian and dystopian narratives to use as a reactive contexts to innovate through.
7. Material futures will introduce new materials through ‘materials speed dating’, which is fun way of experiencing actual material samples and material process. Even if you don’t use materials in your projects, this session will introduce you to some of the opportunities of new materials.

Course delivery

During the course, you will explore a specific area of interest with a range of like-minded media professionals and input from academics and industry guest lecturers. You will also have the opportunity to develop your knowledge further with supported online study during which you will take part in a variety of online exercises, forums and projects. These activities can easily fit around your current professional work.

You will have the option of undertaking an assignment/project and on its successful completion will gain 15 Master’s level credits. If you go on to participate in and pass more of our courses you can accrue credits towards a Postgraduate Certificate, a Postgraduate Diploma or a Master’s.

Course tutor

Mike Waller MA RCA, Senior Lecturer, Goldsmiths
Mike trained as a Industrial Designer at the Royal College of Art, majoring in industrial design of services, objects and user experience.  He has worked in research and development for GEC and NCR, had his own design consultancy and has been the Design Director of Studio Dillon. He is currently the director of the Goldsmiths PI Studio (Prospecting and Innovation Research Unit).

When, where and how much?

This course will start with with one full day at Goldsmiths on Monday 15 October 2012, followed by 6 evening sessions between Monday 22 October - 26 November 2012. You will have access to a Virtual Learning Environment and social networking software enabling team working and peer support. The course is delivered at Goldsmiths, University of London in New Cross, south east London. How to get to Goldsmiths.

The fees for this course are £600.

Who should take this course?

The course is for professionals (you don't need to be a designer) who want to extend their understanding and experience of applying creative methods and processes to their own professional work.  

Entry requirements

This course is open to media professionals with an undergraduate degree and the required work experience in a relevant industry (normally a minimum of two years); and to non-graduates with significant and relevant work experience (normally 5 years) who can demonstrate an ability to both complete and benefit from the course. Please contact us if you have queries about your eligibility.

How to apply

Download the online application form and send to Libby Tuson on l.tuson@gold.ac.uk. Alternatively, you can call on +44(0)20 7919 7083.