Seminar: Simplicity

Project seminar; Summer 2004
Aachen University of Applied Science
12 weeks (with 18 hours per week)

Aim

Making things simple is a core design strategy. This seminar looked at how designers actually plan for simplicity and investigated the role of simplicity in design thinking. The seminar teached students how to conceptually approach designs that require simple products and interfaces and to understand social contexts and cultural roots of what is regarded as "simple".

Objectives

Students engage in research and exercises that helps to develop a broader understanding of simplicity.

Outcome

Students developed a broad understanding of simplicity. A framework of references, terms and research issues has been developed.

Weblog
http://seminare.design.fh-aachen.de/simplicity/

References

• Simplicity Weblog, John Maeda
• »Universal Principles of Design«, Lidwell/Holden/Buttler, Rockport Press, 2003