Abstract
This research paper describes and reflects on the effectiveness of integrating Research through Design as both a methodology and Design Thinking in order to co-design a digital product with and for high school educators. In reference to this concern, the aim of this study is to explore how digital technology can be designed by applying User-experience Design (UXD) to support the teaching activities of educators teaching DT, so that they may become more confident and knowledgeable facilitators. The end result of this process was for an interactive digital platform aimed at introducing DT to SA teachers of art, design and technology. A Research through Design methodology is applied in this study within the specific contexts of a co-design project involving high school teachers in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study undertakes a human-centred design philosophy whereby users’ problems and experiences are seen as contextual and complex, therefore requiring that the researcher to have consideration and understanding before these problems can be resolved. The design process applied in this study therefore focused on gaining an understanding of the teachers’ experiences in order to design effective and empathetic technological solutions that will be meaningful and useful to the teachers...
M.A. (Multimedia)