Using a Design Model as a Scaffold to Create Learning Tools: A Case Study with We! Connect Cards

Main Article Content

Chad Littlefield
Heather Toomey Zimmerman

Abstract

This paper explores the development of We! Connect Cards, a card-based learning tool intended to support interpersonal relationships across various workplace and learning settings. The designed artifact is a card deck containing 60 cards with a question on the front and an action on the back. We discuss the development process of We! Connect Cards within the framework of a 5-phase design model. The purpose of our design paper is to share the design work of We! Connect Cards while exploring the utility of this model as a guide for creating and improving the design work. To understand the design case of We! Connect Cards, we draw upon relevant Human-Centered Design literature and concepts with an introduction to the chosen design model developed by the Stanford University d.school. Three test cases of the We! Connect Cards were conducted in a nonprofit, corporate, and higher education context. We include the scholarly discourse on the value of supporting interpersonal relationship development to situate the reader to the intended use scenario and learning outcome of this card-based tool. We organize the paper by the three iterative cycles of design, each within a nonprofit, corporate, and higher education context, to highlight the valuable insights and fruitful failures of each formative test case.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Littlefield, C., & Toomey Zimmerman, H. (2017). Using a Design Model as a Scaffold to Create Learning Tools: A Case Study with We! Connect Cards. International Journal of Designs for Learning, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.14434/ijdl.v8i2.19076
Section
Articles
Author Biographies

Chad Littlefield, We and Me, Inc.

Chad Littlefield is currently the co-founder and CEO of We and Me, Inc. He studied Learning, Design, and Technology at Penn State University. He is interested in better understanding how social connections build trust and engagement in a workplace environment.

Heather Toomey Zimmerman, Penn State University

Heather Toomey Zimmerman is an associate professor of education in the Learning, Design, and Technology program at Penn State University. Her research interests include mobile computers to support science learning, family learning, and designing for learning in out-of-school time.

References

Beaudouin-Lafon, M., and Mackay, W. (2003). Prototyping tools and techniques. In J.A. Jacko and A. Sears (Eds.), The human-computer interaction handbook: Fundamentals, evolving technologies, and emerging applications (pp. 1006-1031). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Billinghurst, M., & Busse, D. (2015). Rapid prototyping for wearables: Concept design and development for head-and wrist-mounted wearables (Smart Watches and Google Glass). In Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (pp. 505-508). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2677199.2683592

Bransford, J., Derry, S., Berliner, D., Hammerness, K., & Beckett, K. L. (2005). Theories of learning and their roles in teaching. In L. DarlingHammond & J. Bransford (Eds.), Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do (pp. 40-87). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Bransford, J., Stevens, R., Schwartz, D., Meltzoff, A. N., Pea, R., Roschelle, J., Vye, N., Kuhl, P. K., Bell, P., Barron,B., Reeves, B., & Sabelli, N. (2006). Learning theories and education: Toward a decade of synergy. In P. Alexander & P. Winne (Eds.), Handbook of educational psychology (2nd ed. ed., pp. 209-244). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Brown, T. (2008). Design thinking. Harvard business review, 86(6), 84.

Cable, D. M., Gino, F., & Staats, B. R. (2013). Breaking them in or eliciting their best? Reframing socialization around newcomers’ authentic self-expression. Administrative Science Quarterly, 58(1), 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839213477098

Cooley, M. (2000). Human-centered design. Information design, 59-81. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Johansson-Sköldberg, U., Woodilla, J., & Çetinkaya, M. (2013). Design thinking: past, present and possible futures. Creativity and Innovation Management, 22(2), 121-146. https://doi.org/10.1111/caim.12023

Kayes, A. B., Kayes, D. C., & Kolb, D. A. (2005). Experiential learning in teams. Simulation & Gaming, 36(3), 330-354. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878105279012

Liedtka, J. (2014). Perspective: linking design thinking with innovation outcomes through cognitive bias reduction. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 32(6), 925-938. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12163

Sense, A. J. (2005). Facilitating conversational learning in a project team practice. Journal of Workplace Learning, 17(3), 178-193. https://doi.org/10.1108/13665620510588699

Smith, B. K. (2014). Bodystorming mobile learning experiences. TechTrends, 58(1), 71-76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-013-0723-4

Stanford University Institute of Design. (2012, January 1). Innovators, Not Innovations. Retrieved March 16, 2015, from http://dschool.stanford.edu/

Stewart, G. L., Courtright, S. H., & Barrick, M. R. (2012). Peer-based control in self-managing teams: Linking rational and normative influence with individual and group performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(2), 435. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025303

Tripp, S.D. & Bichelmeyer, B. (1990). Rapid Prototyping: An Alternative Instructional Design Strategy. Educational Technology, Research and Development, 38(1), 31-44. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02298246