Throughout most of my 30-year career as a Paramedic with a state-based Ambulance service I’ve always relied on my ability to adapt education simulations to the environment we were provided. This was due to restrictive budgets or having to maintain operational availability of staff who were undertaking simulations.

From the first moment studying design in learning this status quo was challenged and I could see how small iterations to a space could have significant impacts (see discussion forum interaction 1.1). This led me on the pathway to why design matters and the reasons we require a design process (Buchanan, 1992; Cooper, 1997; Kuratko, Goldsworthy, & Hornsby; McKinley, 2016).

The further I assessed various designs within my own setting (Higher Education) the more design elements and interactions between these elements I witnessed. Poor design and poor design process became evident in elements of learning spaces and the value of prototyping became obvious. The language associated with design also struck home with the phrase ‘solving wicked problems’. Through further research I found the term dates back to the 1970s in respect to design but more recently the phrase has been appropriated by academics working in the social innovation research space (Brown & Katz, 2011; Buchanan, 1992; Goodspeed, 2015; Leifer, Plattner, & Meinel, 2013).

While the above authors outline multiple human-centred design process models which are of use in designing learning spaces (in my setting this is a paramedic simulation room), I also found the inclusion of C-K theory important. The theory discusses fixations of the mind which I’ve witnessed in both paramedic academics and project managers not within the profession. Academics involved in the project gravitate toward higher cost versions of facilities previously designed by industry while project managers fixate on operational requirements of the institution see simulation challenges discussion post forum Module 3. Neither consider the benefits of a collaborative, iterative approach to design  (Hatchuel, Le Masson, & Weil, 2004; Vanfossen, 2019).

Prior to commencing study into learning design my position was paramedic simulation spaces should be designed by paramedics but through reading and viewing throughout the last three months this has changed. I now believe any learning space should be designed by a multi-disciplinary team using a design process.  This creative process (discussion forum 5.2) starts with the outcomes required, has an end-user focus and embarks on need-finding, has a period of ideation, prototypes early and considers the cultural aspects of the organisation (Brown & Katz, 2011; Kuratko et al.; Seidel & Fixson, 2013).

While design is a creative and collaborative we cannot forget legislation, policy and institutional guidelines (see discussion post forum 4.1) which must be followed or incorporated in our design builds. Reflecting on the unit and research I can see this is about making the best choices at the time. Refreshingly, and perhaps disturbingly, the choices and decision-making process at companies such as Google and Pixar can show educational institutions the way forward.

In the end, I think Alain de Botton, sums up the philosophy we should take with design. We focus on the end user with empathy, judge ideas not people and be the authors of our own success, never forgetting in any success, there will be always be elements of loss.

References

Brown, T., & Katz, B. (2011). Change by design. 28(3), 381-383. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5885.2011.00806.x

Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked problems in design thinking. Design Issues, 8(2), 5-21. doi:10.2307/1511637

Cooper, R. (1997). Design research comes of age. 1(sup1), 1-1.

Goodspeed, R. (2015). Smart cities: moving beyond urban cybernetics to tackle wicked problems. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 8(1), 79-92.

Hatchuel, A., Le Masson, P., & Weil, B. (2004). CK theory in practice: Lessons from industrial applications. Paper presented at the DS 32: Proceedings of DESIGN 2004, the 8th International Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Kuratko, D., Goldsworthy, M., & Hornsby, G. The design-thinking process.

Leifer, L., Plattner, H., & Meinel, C. (2013). Design thinking research : Building innovation eco-systems. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

McKinley, T. (2016). Learning design thinking: Lead change in your organization. Carpenteria, CA: lynda.com.

Seidel, V. P., & Fixson, S. K. (2013). Adopting design thinking in novice multidisciplinary teams: The application and limits of design methods and reflexive practices. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 30, 19-33. doi:10.1111/jpim.12061

Vanfossen, L. (2019). Weekly Workshop. Paramedic Training in VR. Retrieved from https://educatorsinvr.com/tag/paramedic-vr-training/