Interdisciplinary thinking lies at the heart of Culture and Design Management. This course introduces fundamental perspectives, concepts, and methods across culture, design, management, UX, technology, art, branding, and marketing. Through lectures, case discussions, and interdisciplinary projects, students will learn to connect these domains and develop thoughtful strategies for real-world opportunities.
How does product form cue possible actions and methods of use?
How do forms, dimensions, contact surfaces, and support structures enable bodily use and independence?
How do material and finish create sensory and quality expectations?
How does form language externalize emotional, symbolic, and brand meaning?
Learning Goal
Understand Product Design through action, body, sensory expectation, and meaning. Apply Affordance, Ergonomics, Materiality, and Form Semantics to new cases while identifying conditions that require physical or user testing.
Lecture Materials
FC Lecture: Product Design Elements
Product Design principle slides
New Case Analysis form
Unlocks when Week 4 class ends
Sep. 22, 1:00 PM (KST)
In-class Activity
In-class Lecture:
Introduce four Product Design principles through cases:
Affordance
Ergonomics
Materiality
Form Semantics
In-class Activity:
Repeat the following cycle for each principle:
Step
Time
What You Do
What You Complete
1. Quick Check
3 min
Complete a short familiarity survey and record your initial expectation.
Initial response
2. Case Exploration
10 min
Examine given case sets and compare how the design element or relationship changes.
Principle Analysis Form
3. New Case Analysis
7 min
Apply the principle to a new case that was not included in the learning materials.
New Case Analysis
In-class Submission:
Complete the Initial Response, Principle Analysis Form, and New Case Analysis for each principle, followed by the final comparative survey.
Unlocks when Week 4 class ends
Sep. 22, 1:00 PM (KST)
Homework
Deliverable 2Present a clear and persuasive marketing strategy directly to Studio Mikko Laakkonen. Help the company understand the Korean market and consumers, identify the most promising opportunity, and decide how to begin approaching the market.
Do not organize the presentation as a weekly process report. Use research, customer analysis, competitor comparison, and consultation only as evidence supporting the final recommendation.View Deliverable 2 →Due2026.12.08, 9:00AM
Key Takeaways
Affordance concerns how form cues possible actions, including correct, ambiguous, and misleading interpretations.
Ergonomics concerns how forms, dimensions, contact surfaces, and support structures enable bodily fit, posture, comfort, control, and independent use.
Materiality concerns how visible material and finish cues shape expected touch, temperature, durability, quality, and use context.
Form Semantics concerns how silhouette, curvature, proportion, abstraction, detail, and anthropomorphic cues externalize emotional and symbolic meaning.
Product Design principles are conditional relationships rather than universal rules.
AI-generated product variations require critical review for physical, functional, and material plausibility.
Available after class
Unlocks Sep. 29, 1:00 PM (KST), when this class ends.