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Philosophy
of the Program
The School adopts the Philosophy
of 'Human-Centered Design' (HCD). HCD focuses on problem solving
and creativity of designing products, information, system, environment,
and services. The design should respond to physical, psychological,
and social and cultural needs and constraint of human beings.
The philosophy focuses on the understanding of users' values
and needs as a source of inspiration for design and how to apply
knowledge to design. HCD's underlying philosophy, the attempt
to improve the qualities of human's life, is in accordance with
SOA&D's goal. Graduates will be creative, socially aware
and ethically responsible practitioners. They will be prepared
to communicate and work internationally.
Goals
and Objectives
Goals: The program of graduate
study can lead to a Master of Design or Master of Science degree.
The program is aimed to provide for the acquisition of highly
specialized knowledge of human-centered design within one of
the program emphasis: physical, cognitive, and social & cultural
human factors. Graduates should understand the user research,
human factors, design theories, design methodology, and research
methods. The integration of knowledge from other fields into
design as an interdisciplinary approach will be promoted, to
enhance design capacities.
Objectives of Master of Science Program (Design Research):
- To validate the design in the specialized context of human-centered
design.
- To reach international research standards whilst ensuring the
quality of work.
Objectives of Master of Fine Arts Program (Professional Development):
- To produce graduates who understand method of systematic planning,
product planning and communication for industries.
- To develop knowledge and capability for design innovation in
specialized context of human-centered design.
Tracks
of the Study
There are three main tracks of
study : Physical, Cognitive, and Social & Cultural Human
Factor. Students can select one track from them. The Design Planning
and Management is a supplementary track that helps students to
be a design manager or design planner after graduated.
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Physical human factors refer to the design of workstation,
controls, tools, and environment. It shows how the physiology
of human body works with products. The practioners related to
this area are ergomonic specialists, physiologists, sports scientists,
and therapists.
Career Tracks
Ergonomic
Workstation design
Sports and therapy equipment
Universal design |
Click powerpoint files
to see the interdisciplinary approach in Physical Human Factor |
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Cognitive human factors are the study of mental models and learning.
The study in this area will decrease the complexity of systems
and make them easier to use. Related practioners are cognitive
scientists, traffic psychologist, educator, computer scientist,
and information technologist.
Career Tracks
Interface design
Multimedia design
Human-Computer Interaction
System design and development |
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Social and Cultural human
factors are the study
of cultural artifacts that relates to the user's social and cultural
contexts. The study includes the lifestyle, user behavior, and
cultural knowledge. The practioners related to this area are
anthropologists and social scientists.
Career Tracks
User research
Cultural design
Experience design |
