Methodology for the analysis and selfreflection of design students about their competences

Abstract

Both design processes and the role of the designer in society are in constant transformation. Designers are involved in increasingly complex problems, performing tasks that go beyond technical perspectives and production processes. This means that education must prepare design and engineering students for an uncertain future. Within this context, design skills and creativity are considered tools that allow designers to meet the future challenges and requirements of education and the design profession. The starting point for this research is the definition of what current designers do to successfully perform the role they play in the field of design. An online survey has been created to compile data on these competences at an international scale, as well as a methodology to analyse them in the classroom. These tools were used in a class with 105 students and in two case studies with a small design company and a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). The analysis tools were created and designed to give an understanding of the competences that designers have, from their own self-perception to the perception of their peers and professors or observers. The main contribution of this research is to improve selfreflection for students and young designers. Reflection is understood as a part of effective learning that enables students to work creatively to meet the design challenges of the 21st Century.