Introduction to
Kyoto University Design School

Toru Ishida

Overview of Design Studies
Introducing interdisciplinary design theory, method, and practice
to seamlessly connect domain design theory/methods to general design methodology.

Knowledge

TheoryObject knowledge

Design Methodology

ActionProcess knowledge

General Theory

Meta Level

General Design Method

General Design Theory
Artifact Design, Information Design
Organization/Community Design

General Design Courses

Field Analysis, Design Composition

Object Level

Domain Design Method

Domain Design Theory

Informatics, Architecture, Mechanical Domain Design Courses Informatics, Architecture, MechanicalEngineering, Management, Psychology
Engineering, Management, Psychology

Domain Design Practice
Challenges to Complex Problems

Interdisciplinary Design Practice
Practice in Design

PracticeDesign School Curriculum
Cultivating people with outstanding ability to get things done
who can design social systems and architectures in collaboration with experts from diverse fields“+ Shaped People”
Write doctoral dissertation

Six new General Design
Courses have been added.
Seven new Basic Theory
Courses linked to theGeneral Design Courses
have been added.
Of these 13 new courses,
12 are taught by faculty
members fromparticipating
departments.

Approx.

Leading Project(PhD research)
Severalweeks–
months100
weeks

Field InternshipResearch InternshipOpen Innovation
Practice

Approx.

10
weeks

Decision on multidisciplinary advisory committee

Qualifying Examination
Approx.
5
courses

Domain Design Courses

Approx.
5
General Design Courses
courses

Field‐based Learning /Problem‐based Learning

Approx.

1
week

Study in preparatory course, then begin regular course after a certain period

Participation by 11 departmentsof 4 graduate schools

Architecture(Graduate Schoolof Engineering)

Mechanical Engineering(Graduate Schoolof Engineering)

Informatics

Management

Psychology(Graduate Schoolof Informatics)）(Graduate Schoolof Management)(Graduate Schoolof Education)

Pass entrance exam of desired graduate school

General Design Courses
Six new courses in interdisciplinary design theory, methods and methodology
Artifact
DesignStudy of methodologies for functional
design, which aims at achieving an
intended purpose, and for usability
design, which takes into account theusers’ situation/perspective, in thecontext of artificial systems.

Information
DesignStudy of techniques and methods ofinformation design for not only areas suchas graphic design and infographics, but also
information structuring/visualizing, linguistic
expression, video expression, and interface
design.

Organization andCommunity Design
Study of design that avoids hypostatizing
society as a “thing,” with reference tothe state of real‐life organizations andcommunities, and based onunderstanding of various sociologicaltheories.

MechanicalEngineering
Informatics

Source: Modified from Hollnagel andWoods, Joint Cognitive Systems, 2005.

Informatics

Example of easy‐to‐understandpresentation of information(source: Wikipedia, “Infographic”)

Management
Informatics

Methods for Field
Analysis
Study of field analysis methods required in
the design of products, services, businesses,
etc., including survey methods for
ethnography, questionnaires, etc, as well as
study of statistical analysis and othermethods for quantitative data analysis.

Informatics
Management

Design Composition
Theories
Study of the processes that make up humanand environmental systems involved in thedesign processes, based on understanding
Elements of designof cognitive/social attributes of humans:
expression, thought, sensory characteristics,
communication, and mutual understanding.

Design
Methodology
Explanation of the new science of designand design methodologies for creatingcomplex systems, grounded in an
overview of the history of design studies
since the 1960s.

Tool for drawing a vision

Informatics

Architecture
Informatics
Structure of designLineup of Practical Training in Design
Five steps for practical training in design that combines coursework with workshops.
Student Participation
Problem finding/solving across the domain expertise.
No
24%

STEP 1 Summer Design School (taking an interest)Three days of tackling problems based on industry‐academia‐
government collaboration. 2015: 28 themes, 250 participants.

Open to all
No credit

STEP 2 Field‐based / Problem‐based Learning (learning methods)
Cooperation with experts in other domains, industries, etc.
Application of design methods learned in the classroom.

1st‐year students
1 credit × 2 times

STEP 3 Design School in Okinawa/Hong Kong (collaborating)Three‐day joint workshops held with other universities.:
facilitation in Okinawa, and problem solving in Hong Kong.

1st/2nd‐year
No credit

1 time39%
1 time4%>2 times
12%
2 times25%>3 times
4%

2 times59%

3 times33%

30% Hong Kong
Okinawa

33%

67%

Yes
No

70%

STEP 4 Open Innovation Practice (managing workshops)
Companies provide challenges to be tackled by team of experts 3rd–5th‐year
4 creditsand students. The students are requested to manages the team.

53%

STEP 5 Field Internship (applying expertise)
Challenging practicum forces students to contribute to the team 3rd–5th‐year
2 creditsbased on their expertise in an unfamiliar environment.

47%

21%
79%

Yes
No

Yes
No

STEP 1

Summer Design School

Open to all/no credit

Students experience industry‐academia‐government collaboration
for solving real‐world problems of society.
A look at the 2015 program (3 days in September)Participants: 151

Did content meet expectations?

KU: 69 Other universities: 33 Industries: 49
20 Design School students participated and led the overall program.

3%

11%

9%

3%

8%

43% 39%28% 56%
49%

Theme proposers: 103 KU: 34 Other universities: 19 Industries: 50

61%

A new form of interactive learning with a faculty/student ratio of almost 1:1
28 themes drawn from industry‐academia‐
government collaboration
Service design for creating city attractions
centered around wholesale markets
Using cognitive psychology to design a second
tour of Kyoto“Using” personal information in design thatcreates healthcare and nursing care services
Save the world’s endangered languages!
Consortium members proposed 8 themes. DS students also proposed themes.

2011年
2013年
2011 2012年
20122013 2014年
2014 2015年
2015

54% 53%
41% 42%

期待した
No
No
ほどでは
ない
Yes
Yes
期待通り
Exceeded
Exceeded
期待を
expectation
expectations
超える

How was the length?

31%

43%

28% 33% 30%

69% 53% 71% 62% 66%
0%

4%

1%

5%

4%

Too short
短い

Just rightちょう
ど良い
Too long
長い

2011年
2012年
2013年
2014年
2015年
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015

Participation levels
400

BrainstormingVideo Ethnography

60

300

200

100

Discussion

Prototyping

31
56
82

40
85
91

54
96

51
83

121

110 111 151

0

2011年
2011 2012年
2012 2013年2013 2014年
2014 2015年
2015

Observers
見学者
Theme
実施者・
proposers
協力者
参加者
Participants

STEP 2
1st‐year students/1 credit× 2

Field‐based / Problem‐based Learning

New program based on experience of Summer Design School
Laboratories select themes. Carried out with experts in other fields, industries, etc.
Ten projects conducted in 2015.
No. of disciplines experienced

Virtual Team Design Using Crowdsourcing (Informatics)
Plan Design for New Business Types (Informatics)“ANSHIN” Design Training (Mechanical Engineering)
Know about Kyoto Prefecture through an Online Survey (Psychology)
Townscape Design Based on Community Governance (Architecture)
Design for New Residences in a Rural Community (Architecture)
Examining, Representing and Communicating Treasurable Artifacts
for Designing Inspiring Museum Experience (English: Informatics)• Let’s Design New Stationery with 3D CAD and 3D Printer(Mechanical Engineering)• Designing Experience with Benefit of Inconvenience (Informatics)• Foreign Language Education++ (English: Informatics)

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

No. of labs experienced

Three
13%

One
34%

Two
53%

Three
26%

One
19%

Two
55%

Robots and Society

Participants’ feedback
I was inspired by the knowledge and thinking ofmembers from other disciplines.
Students and faculty members representing diverse
disciplines
pooled their experiences to solve problems
Instructor:
together, and through both successes and failures we got
to see the characteristics of each methodology.
Student:

Faculty: Mechanical Engineering, Architecture,
Management
Students: Architecture, Informatics

STEP 3
1stor 2nd‐year students/no credit

Design School in Okinawa/Hong Kong

Students experience intercultural collaboration with members of different universities
Program with Ryukyu University
Role of students: Facilitators
Participants struggle to identify and solve specificissues faced by Okinawa.
Past focuses: Enhancing the local townscape andhospitality (2013), improving health andemployment (2014), and revitalizing Okinawa
City’s commercial district, Koza (2015)
Participation in 2015: 32 students (KU: 9, UR: 23)
and 12 faculty members (KU: 5, UR: 4, +3 others)

Program with Hong Kong Baptist University
Role of students: Solving problems throughcollaboration
A challenging program since the workshop is conducted
in English and a certain level of expertise is required.
Past focuses: Developing and preserving Lantau Island(2014) and tackling Hong Kong’s energy problem(2015)
Participation in 2015: 27 students (KU: 13, HKBU: 14)
and 13 faculty members/supporters (KU: 6, HKBU: 7)
Students’ feedback
Okinawa:

I learned how tough it is to facilitate andabout ways to bridge different opinions.
(1st‐year student)

Hong Kong:

I gained the confidence to produce
meaningful results in collaboration withpeople from different cultural backgrounds
and areas of expertise by gradually
expanding discussion with an open‐minded
approach. (2nd‐year student)

STEP 5

Field Internship

3rd–5th‐year students/2 credits

A challenging practice in which students contribute to the problem field as an expert.
Cooperation with host organizations in Chizu Village, Indonesia, etc.
Theme in 2015: Sustainable tourism focused on rice terrace scenery
Host: Indonesia Heritage Trust (an NGO focused on cultural preservation)
Period: August 3–7, 2015 (3 DS students)
An action plan proposal to the government for enhancing rural living on Bali while
preserving the scenic rice terrace landscape (World Heritage site), based on theperspectives of culture, economy, and environment.

Interviewing a stakeholder (temple)

Collaborating with foreign experts from diverse fields

Local newspaper coverage

External evaluation

Students’ feedback• Compared with field work programs that we havehosted in the past, this one had a more specific theme
and produced well‐organized results, which issomething we appreciated.
• The students were very eager to do their work, andnaturally compare our field with other regions
without our instructions.

• I learned about how to manage aninternational team by using the approach ofcarefully checking member’s understanding in
English.
• I learned about how to apply my own expertisefrom other experts’ behavior.

Design School Textbook Series
Publication of textbook series as the first step of design education(Publisher: Kyoritsu Shuppan)

Part I: Fundamentals of Design
1. Basic Theory of Design
2. Design and Cognition
Part II: Design Method
3. Artifact Design
4. Information Design
5. Organization/Community Design
Introduction to Design Studies 6. Field Analysis(March 2016)
Part III: Domains Practice
7. Service Design
8. Urban Design
Design subjects (2016–2017)
9. Healthcare Design
Design Methodology
10. Disaster Mitigation Design
Design Composition
11. Education Design
Artifact DesignPart IV: Design School
Information Design
Organization/Community Design 12. Designing Design Workshops
13. Physical Prototyping
Field Analysis
14. Designing Design Schools

External Evaluation
ReportMarch 2015

Creativity and ambition shownin efforts toward theoreticaldesign competency education
with respect to design literacy
education at various
universities. Aggressively andvigorously taking on extremely
challenging issues strongly
linked to society’s needs.
(External Evaluation Committee)

Bringing Together Exceptional Students
Students of diverse backgrounds study together
Year of study(Leading Project year)

No. ofstudents

FemaleInternational

Non‐KU
graduate

Notes
Adult

(JSPS fellowships, etc.)

3rd

15

4

1

7

4

DC1 Fellow: 1
DC2 Fellow: 4
Other: 1 student
under review

2nd

16

4

2

3

1

DC1 Fellow: 5
MEXT Scholarship: 1

1st

14

3

6

8

4

MEXT Scholarship: 2

Total

45

11 (24%)• International student origins
China: 3; South Korea: 2;
France: 1; Russia: 1; Lebanon: 1;
Cambodia: 1• Students with industry experience
R&D, planning/consulting,junior/senior high school
teaching, local government, etc.

9 (20%) 18 (40%)

9 (20%)

Self‐Assessment of Generic Skills
Students at the beginning of their doctoral studies gave higher ratings to theirability to collaborate than did non‐design school students at the end of their studies.
0

10

20

30

40

50

Ability to facilitate

45% (1)45% (1)36% (1)45% (2)36% (3)

Ability to collaborate in English
Communication skills

Ability to deliver effective presentations
Acquisition/implementation of knowledge of design
Broadening of one’s perspective

40% (1)34% (1)31% (1)

Brilliance at execution
Internationality (ability to disseminate Japan)

Non‐Design School
students’ self‐assessmentof versatility at conclusionof doctoral studies

Communication skills
LeadershipCollegiality (teamwork)

Toughness (ability to solve problems)
Broad refinement/knowledge

70

64% (1)55% (1)

Ability to collaborate with people in other fields

Design School students’self‐assessment at
beginning of doctoral
studies60

21% (1)18% (1)46% (2)
50%(3)“Generic Skill” is defined as (1) the ability to work on the global stage boldly and collaboratively, guided by a firm set ofvalues; (2) the ability to identify challenges that need to be addressed, formulate hypotheses, and creatively tackle
those challenges using one’s own knowledge; and (3) the ability to perceive the essence of things by taking a holistic
view informed by one’s advanced expertise, internationality, and broad knowledge. (Ministry of Education)

Student Journey Map
Students go through a multifaceted process of growthStudent I (3rd year)

Student S (3rd year)
PhD research: Cultural value of interpersonal services

PhD research: Programming language for loT and Robot

Qualitative analysis + quantitative analysis
Slightly shifted backto qualitative
analysis

3rd year

Attended Summer
Design School 3 times
Interaction withstudents in
Psychology/Informatics

3 weeks at Aalto Univ
1.5 months
at Palo Alto Research Center

1 week at University of Potsdam
2 weeks at Aalto/Delft
Studying MechanicalEngineering as minor

Strategic Communication
Seminar (English)

Started feeling I could
bring together
different disciplines

Became familiar
with arts andcultureMaster’s research: Analysis of Tabelog(restaurant review site) reputations
Tried out quantitative analysis

Took FBL/PBL
6 times

I want to incorporate
dynamic variables into theprogramming language

Joined in workshop
with Kyoto City
University of Arts

2nd year

Planned workshop withTama Art University

Design Schoolin Hong Kong/Okinawa

Seemed a
relatively closed
community
Qualitative analysis

Lab (Management): Ethnomethodology

Started towanderMaster’s research: Context‐oriented language type systems

Ended up playing
lead role in a skitpresentation that
didn’t fit my type

Chose “Robots and Society(Mechanical Engineering)” and“Learning Commons (Education)”for FBL/PBL topics
Not bad.

1st yearLab (Informatics): Program Testing/Type Theory

Consciousness of One’s Career PathIn the course of their studies, many design school students broaden their destinations
with respect to career paths that interest them.
Diverseoccupations

2
5
5
5
12

6

 Other realms
 Consultant/
Facilitator

1239 Public servant

15 Businessperson17 Researcher(corporate)15

 Researcher(government) Educator

Industry

22

17
Academia

32
23%

2nd year

3rd year Researcher(academia)(includes multiple responses)

Students’ feedback• In my activities at the Design
School I have often received
strong acclamation for mymanagement skills and ability
to propose new projects, so I
think that I might be suited forwork that involves thesecompetencies.
• At first, I hadn’t thought about
any career paths other thandoing research as a member ofa national university’s faculty,
but recently I’ve started
thinking that it might also be
good to make use of theknowledge I’ve gained in non‐research work in the private
sector or at a business.
• In addition to the possibility of
becoming a researcher, I also
want to consider opportunities
to put the communication
skills I gained at the Design
School to good use as an
educator or consultant.

Design Innovation Consortium
Design Innovation Consortium was founded to promote human resource development
through industry‐academia‐government collaboration
55 members, comprising corporations, public institutions, etc. (as of Nov. 2015)
B‐Members (annual dues: ¥50,000)
Ishimoto Architectural & Engineering Firm, Inc.
NTT Data Sekisui Systems Corporation
Osaka Gas Co. Ltd.
Okinawa Kyoiku Shuppan, Inc.
Omron Corporation
Kajima Corporation
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Real social problems
Kyocera Corporation Central Research Laboratory
Kyoto University Unit of Design
Advanced Science, Technology & Management
Industry’s power of execution
Kyoto Research Park Corp.
Research Institute of Kyoto
Incorporate inKDDI R&D Laboratories
Sakura Color Products Corporation
Sharp Corporation
JFE Steel Corporation
Design School curriculumSony Corporation
Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.
Daikin Industries, Ltd.
Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
Industry
Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd.
Taisei Corporation
Creation of new HR
Takenaka Corporation
Architects, Regional Planners & Associates, Kyoto
DMG Mori Co., Ltd.
Academia Dentsu Inc.
Businessdevelopment
Toshiba Corporation
Students
Tottori Gas Group
Toray Industries, Inc.
Fujita Corporation
programs byPeopleGovernment
Horiba, Ltd.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Westconsortium
Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co., Ltd.
West Japan Railway Company
Murata Machinery, Ltd.
Nikken Sekkei Ltd.
Mori Building Co., Ltd.
IBM Japan, Ltd.
Wao Corporation
The Japan Research Institute, Ltd.
mct Inc.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Incorporate in corporate
Knowledge network Rorze Corporation
Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.
Co., Ltd.
Hakuhodo Inc.
human resource development Design theory & methods Tanseisha
NEC Corporation
Panasonic Corporation
Misawa Homes Institute of Research and Development Co., Ltd.
Special Members
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
Kyoto Prefecture
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
Kyoto City
Yokogawa Electric Corporation
Kyoto Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Information‐technology Promotion Agency, Japan
Design Innovation Center Fellows

A‐Members (annual dues: ¥300,000)

Takenaka

Kyoto
Research Park

ToshibaNTT

Osaka Gas

NomuraResearch Institute

Omron

Hakuhodo

Mitsubishi
ElectricJapan
Research Institute

Fellows work together with Design School and help students with diverse career path experiences.

Design Innovation Center
Design Innovation Center at Kyoto Research Park (350 tenant companies).
A center for creating new ideas and discoveries through encounters and dialogue among various
members of businesses, universities, and public agencies.
Usage rate in 2015 (weekdays only)(%)

Flexible space

100

Seminar space
80

Total

60
40

Field‐based Learning /Problem‐based Learning

Collaborative seminars

20
0
Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Center Activities in 2015
Future Center
Flexible space(open)

Leading Project booths

Faculty booths

Industry‐
academia‐
Industry‐academia‐ government Tours by
Seminarmeetings
companies
government
space
24events, 7 events, 6%
collaborative
21%
research(open)
Kyoko
5 events, 4%
University
workshops
Industry‐academia‐
49 events,
government
Meeting room42%
collaborative
Kyoto
Industry‐academia‐
workshops
University(open)
government
10 events, 9 %meetings
collaborative seminars
10 events, 9%11events, 9%Included in the List of Distinctive Facilities of National Universities

50‐50 split between university andcollaborative use

Design Fabrication Center
Consisting of various “studios” which support Design School activities.

fabrication studiosealed studiocreation studiodeliberation studiopresentation studio
performing studiotesting studio
exercise studiochat studioresearch studioresidential students studio
temporal students working studioguest studio
exhibition studiostorage studio

A place where students and researchers work together
with physical representations and bodily expressions

Network for Leader Development
The Unit of Design is composed of Kyoto University 76 faculty members.
International Advisory Board: 10 members

Barry Katz (IDEO/Stanford University), Bernie Roth (Stanford University), AnnaLee Saxenian (UCB), Pekka Korvenmaa (Aalto University), Maosong Sun(Tsinghua University), Dennis Sylvester (University of Michigan), Wolfgang Wahlster (DFKI), David C. Plaut (CMU), Christer Windeløv‐Lidzélius
(KaosPilots) and Alison Leggett (University of Bristol).

Advice for the Program
Unit of Design: 76 members (5 foreign nationals, 4 women)

Informatics: 34 (Intelligence Science and Technology, 7; Social Informatics, 14; Applied Mathematics and Physics, 4; Systems Science, 3;
Communications and Computer Engineering, 5; Medical Informatics, 1); Engineering: 21 (Architecture and Architectural Engineering, 8; MechanicalEngineering and Science, 6; Micro Engineering, 3; Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2; Electrical Engineering, 1; Neutron Material Engineering,1);
Education: 6; Management: 4; Human Coexistence : 2; Disaster Prevention Research Institute: 2; Kyoto University Museum: 1; Unit of Design: 6

Daily guidance
Adjunct Professors: 3

Tetsuo Tomiyama (Cranfield University),
Hideshi Hamaguchi (monogoto Inc.),
Ryohei Nakatsu (Hexagon Japan)

Corporate Fellows: 10

NTT, Toshiba, Mitsubishi Electric, Omron,
Nomura Research Institute, Japan
Research Institute, Takenaka, Osaka Gas,
Hakuhodo, Kyoto Research Park

Different perspectives
Deep empiricalknowledge
Art Experts: 6
Takeshi Sunaga (Tokyo University of the Arts);
Design School
Akira Tsukuda, Toyota Horiguchi, Akihisa
Tatsumi(Kyoto City University of Arts); Daijiro
students
Mizuno (Keio University); Koichi Shiraishi
Real‐world
problems
Career paths(FabLab Kitakagaya)

Individual research guidanceInternational researchers who have coached Design School students

Thomas Malone (MIT); Richard Davidson (University of Wisconsin‐Madison); Mitamura, Shibata (Carnegie Mellon University); Munakata, Miyake(University of Colorado); Robert H. Logie (University of Edinburgh); Kari‐Hans Kommonen (Aalto University); Oscar Tomico (Eindhoven University ofTechnology); P. J. Stappers (Delft University of Technology); L.T. Adishakti, Robert Hirschfeld (University of Potsdam); Paola Falini (Sapienza Universityof Rome); Ryo Okui (University of Rouen); Eva Loth (University of London); Dwita Hadi Rahmi (Gadjah Mada University); Ying‐Yi Hong (University ofHong Kong); Jiming Liu (Hong Kong Baptist University); and many others

International Collaboration
Develop a curriculum that meets international standards through collaboration.
Delft University of Technology

Harvard University

The Graduate School ofIndustrial Design Engineering
Graduate
School of
DesignPh.D. in Design

since 1936
Architecture

Collaborative
Master in Design
Engineering

John A.
Paulson Schoolof Engineering
since 2016
and Applied
Design is found at the
Sciences
nexus of technology,society, andenvironment

Engineering

Ph.D. in Design
since 1969
(1) Discipline‐related skills(2) Research skills(3) Transferable skills
Staffed with faculty representing diverse disciplines,
including Psychology, Mechanical Engineering,and Informatics

KU
Collaborative Graduate Program in Design

Aalto University
Formed in 2010 through integration of
three universities with different focuses:
engineering, art, and economics.

Engineering, Art, Economics

Stanford University

Informatics, Mechanical Engineering,Architecture,
Management, Psychology

Hasso Plattner Institute of Designd.School since 2004
Hosts cross‐disciplinary design workshops.
Non‐degree institute without its own students.

Emphasizes ties with industry.
Tackles challenges in healthcare, aging
society, and global warming.

Mechanical Engineering

British Council

IDEO

Symbiotic relationship with Department of
Mechanical Engineering.
IDEO.com offers services inTransferable Skills Program product and organization design;
IDEO.org supports developing
countries

Mechanical Engineering, Informatics

Our Goal
Kyoto University has created the circle of Science and Engineering.
Kyoto University Design School will createa circle of Science, Engineering and Design for future human society.

Academia

ScienceEngineering

DesignSociety