Conference Agenda

This paper explores an approach to packaging innovation through the integration of Design Thinking with a specific focus on Braille packaging. It seeks to address the dual challenges of environmental sustainability and inclusivity in packaging design. By applying Design Thinking's empathetic and user-centric methodologies, we use a framework for creating packaging solutions that are not only ecologically sound but also accessible to visually impaired consumers. The iterative process of prototyping and feedback inherent in Design Thinking allows for the exploration of tactile elements in packaging, with Braille as a central feature. This research showcases how such an integrative approach can lead to pioneering designs that provide practical benefits and a sense of independence to visually impaired users, while also ensuring a reduced environmental footprint. Case studies within the paper illustrate the successful application of this experiment, resulting in Braille packaging innovations that elevate the user experience and demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility. The findings underscore the potential of Design Thinking to revolutionize packaging design by delivering inclusive and sustainable innovations that cater to a broader demographic, ultimately enhancing brand perception and fostering a more inclusive society.

In Japan, design is not taught as a subject in the general high school curriculum. However, a new period for inquiry-based cross-disciplinary study was established in high schools under the new curriculum guidelines, which were implemented nationwide in 2022. The process of introducing multidisciplinary inquiry-based learning in high schools is currently underway, although the instructional training and teaching materials available to teachers are far from adequate.

Japanese public high school teachers collaborated with the SDGs Design School, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University to co-design inquiry-based learning materials. These materials, which have been implemented in a school since 2019, take the form of a booklet of worksheets in which students describe discussions in which they have been involved, as well as their ideas and research findings. They are intended to guide students’ self-learning and help them think about the social issues around them and seek solutions to those issues.

This study examined the introduction of these materials during the period for inquiry-based cross-disciplinary study in a general high school in the context of the SDGs Challenge Project. The study was conducted in 2023, and all 300 third-year students in the school participated. It was intended as part of a broader investigation into how to implement design-based skills for multidisciplinary inquiry-based learning in Japanese high schools.

The research question was: “What knowledge do teachers need in order to conduct design-based inquiry learning?” To answer this question, it was necessary to first identify which design processes are generally difficult for students and teachers unfamiliar with design education. Secondly, we examined what knowledge needs the teachers had for this process.

After the SDGs Challenge Project, a questionnaire survey of the 300 participating students was conducted. The participants were asked to identify the most difficult process used in the program and to give reasons for this. The 23 teachers who conducted the classes were also surveyed and asked which processes were most difficult to teach, why they were difficult to teach, and how they thought these difficulties could be overcome.

298 students and 10 teachers responded to the survey. In order of descending frequency, the processes identified as difficult by the students were: sharing problems, ideation, and improvement of ideas. The processes identified by the teachers were: exploration of problems in our daily lives, sharing problems, and ideation. Both sets of respondents identified sharing problems and ideation as particularly difficult processes. The teachers’ responses to open-ended questions regarding reasons and possible solutions were categorised using thematic analysis. Sharing problems was reported to be difficult because the teachers were not sure how to guide students in developing empathy regarding issues with which they had no experience. The possible solution was to share best practices to understand how the problems could be studied in depth. The ideation process was identified as difficult because the teachers did not know how to guide students’ ideas when they were abstract and lacked detailed specifications. The solution identified was to learn practical design methods for guiding ideas and detailed instructions.

Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into design education and building up the knowledge base in this area is probably one of the most pressing tasks and challenges for Chinese design educators because of the increasingly serious issue of ageing, inequality, and environmental problems. Universal design, considered to be an effective tool for eliminating inequality and promoting social inclusiveness, is a good bridge for implementing SDGs into design education. It has the potential to help students appreciate user capabilities, needs, and expectations, and is increasingly important in mainstream design education. However, the adoption of SDGs in universal design education still meets with many barriers in China. This study focuses on these barriers and try to find out possible corresponding actions based on a series of universal design workshops since 2017 at Shanghai Dianji University organized by the authors. Many research methods have been utilized, such as literature review, expert interview, questionnaire, and case study. Many influencing factors have also been hypothesized and examined, including major, grade, real user participation, ice break, tea break, diversified places, teaching language, etc. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis, some key factors are focused and put into discussion. Finally, a preliminary conceptual framework is proposed to summary all the barriers and corresponding actions to better integrate SDGs into universal design education in China.

Firstly, a literature review focused on SDGs and universal design education was carried out. Key books and papers on these areas are picked out. The practices and perspectives from different countries are synthesized. Compared with the barriers from the literature review, related to the authors’ experience as organizers of the universal design workshop, preliminary barriers of integrating SDGs into China’s universal design education were initiated then demonstrated to expert interview.

Expert interview intended to get some perspectives and insights from interdisciplinary experts, especially from teaching administrators. Six experts were interviewed. Three experts are from design education and three are from teaching administration. Based on the perspectives from experts, four aspects of barriers were finally clarified, they are: lack of awareness; lack of resources; practical difficulties; financial and cultural factors. Corresponding response are initiated.

Then, a case study of Shanghai Dianji University’s Universal Design workshop from 2017-2023 was conducted. Six key elements were filtered out within China’s talents cultivation system, namely education aim, educational standards, course system, syllabus, teaching method, and core courses. These elements are hierarchical and successional. The case study gives some inspirations for design education.

Finally, a conceptual framework was triggered. The framework manages to accommodate all the key elements of China’s education system (identified in case study) accompany with the barriers (focused through expert interview), and actions (enlightened from literature review) to a hierarchical and successional “tree”. From top to bottom of the “tree”, the key education elements are arranged hierarchically.

The framework suggests the likely route of integrating SDGs into China’s universal design education. It shows the possibility of potential application for design educators and SDGs practitioners.

Global corporations expanding business across different local markets have identified cultural insensitivity to be a potent barrier for expansion. The degree of acceptance by local consumer cultures has become an integral part of the success and failure of their operations. The integration of cultural aspects into the product development process has become an important aspect of design practice. The goal of this paper is to provide a culturally oriented design (COD) framework for designers to research the culture of intended users beyond their first-hand experience. The framework outlines a three-step process to research intended users’ cultural context, synthesize situated cultural differences and identify and translate cultural values to new design concepts.

The damage that human activities have caused to our planet is undeniable, especially since the Industrial Revolution. We are in the era of the Anthropocene: characterized by the excessive consumption of natural resources and the generation of greenhouse gases, which have had a significant impact on the climate and biodiversity.

Fortunately, in recent years related initiatives have emerged to reverse the above. Some of them are zero waste, recycling, downcycling and upcycling design, related to the reduction and maximum use of waste, as well as the extension of the useful life of products and/or the use of their materials. The circular economy, a production and consumption model that allows the useful life of products to be extended, has also brought benefits to the environment, the economy, and people.

In congruence with the above, in the Product Design course, last year elective open course of the Industrial Design program, two design methods have been proposed based on the Biomimicry design spirals, for the development of products based on the use of recycled materials, especially derived from wood and plastics.

This work shows the new methods and the results of their implementation in three courses, taught to students from different disciplines, this in the academic periods Summer 2022, February-June 2023 semester, and August-December 2023 semester.