Personal Design Principles Drive Holistic Identity Development in Students
Students who develop and apply personal principles for good design, rooted in their individual motivations, foster a more integrated personal and professional identity.
Proceedings of DRS · 2020
Key Findings
- 01Students develop personal principles for good design based on their individual motivations.
- 02These personal principles are applied in their design work.
- 03The application of personal principles leads to the development of a holistic identity (personal and professional).
Application
Design takeaway
Designers should actively cultivate and articulate their personal design principles, as these form the foundation for a cohesive professional identity and authentic design output.
How to apply
Encourage design teams to share their personal design philosophies and how these influence their project contributions.
Project actions
- 01Reflect on your personal motivations for pursuing design.
- 02Define your own principles for what makes a design successful or ethical.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a valuable perspective on the student experience beyond professional skill acquisition.
- +Emphasizes the importance of personal connection in design education.
Limitations
It can be challenging for students to clearly articulate their personal design principles, and it may be difficult to objectively measure the 'holistic identity' development.
Reliability & validity
The qualitative nature of case studies can offer rich insights but may lack generalizability. The validity relies on the depth of the case exploration and the researcher's interpretation.
Think critically
To what extent should design education prioritize standardized professional identity over the development of individual, personal design principles?
Design Principles
"Authentic design practice is informed by a clear, personally developed set of design principles."
Understanding how personal values inform a designer's professional identity is crucial for educational institutions and design practice. It highlights the need to support individual student journeys rather than solely focusing on standardized professional definitions.
What This Means for Your Design
When students figure out what 'good design' means to them personally and use that to guide their projects, they feel more like themselves as designers.
How to use in your project
- 1.Use this research to justify the importance of your personal design philosophy in your design project's rationale and development.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
(2020). Why am I Studying Design?. Proceedings of DRS. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2020.386 Retrieved from https://designdex.org/study/402186c3-218b-471e-9c2e-216c94b61424/personal-design-principles-drive-holistic-identity-development-in-students
Paragraph starter
This study highlights that the development of a holistic designer identity is significantly influenced by the student's ability to articulate and apply personal principles for good design, suggesting that design education should foster this personal connection to design practice.
Source
Questions about this research
- What does the research say about personal design principles drive holistic identity development in students?
- Designers should actively cultivate and articulate their personal design principles, as these form the foundation for a cohesive professional identity and authentic design output. Evidence: Proceedings of DRS (2020).
- Why does "Personal Design Principles Drive Holistic Identity Development in Students" matter for design?
- Understanding how personal values inform a designer's professional identity is crucial for educational institutions and design practice. It highlights the need to support individual student journeys rather than solely focusing on standardized professional definitions.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Designers should actively cultivate and articulate their personal design principles, as these form the foundation for a cohesive professional identity and authentic design output.
- What were the main findings?
- Students develop personal principles for good design based on their individual motivations.. These personal principles are applied in their design work.. The application of personal principles leads to the development of a holistic identity (personal and professional).
- What research method was used?
- Instrumental Case Study.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2020 journal from Proceedings of DRS.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- Encourage design teams to share their personal design philosophies and how these influence their project contributions.
- What are the limitations?
- The study focused on a single student, limiting the generalizability of findings.
- Is there evidence that design affects design outcomes?
- The study found that when design students connect their personal motivations to develop and apply their own principles for what constitutes 'good design', it helps them build a more complete sense of who they are as both individuals and future professionals. Understanding how personal values inform a designer's profess Source: Proceedings of DRS (2020).
- Where does this personal design research apply?
- Design Education It sits within user-centred design research on designdex.org.
Related research topics
design design research · evidence on design · does design improve design outcomes · personal design studies for designers · design and personal design findings · user-centred design research evidence