THE POTENTIAL OF DESIGN WORKSHOPS’ ICEBREAKERS IN THE POST-COVID ERA
Year: 2024
Editor: Grierson, Hilary; Bohemia, Erik; Buck, Lyndon
Author: ZHANG, Yanfang; ZHANG, Ting; YUAN, Shu; CRUZ, Christian
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Faculty of Design, Kyushu University; School of Design and Art, Shanghai Dianji University; College of Fashion and Design, Donghua University; Faculty of Global and Science Studies, Yamaguchi University
Page(s): 276 - 281
DOI number: 10.35199/EPDE.2024.47
ISBN: 978-1-912254-200
ISSN: 3005-4753
Abstract
Design workshops are participatory collaborations based on design thinking, where participants from diverse backgrounds take up a local issue and work in teams to propose a design solution over a period of two to five days. Workshop attendees are multifaceted, from researchers, to designers, government workers, students, and even people with disabilities. To facilitate interactions and allow participants to get to know each other, icebreaking is a method often used for the initial meeting or to commence day’s activities. However, the ice-breaking approach changed significantly after the coronavirus pandemic, when design workshops went from face-to-face encounters to virtual meetings. Online applications have replaced face-to-face discussions and even the traditional white board. The methods, tools, and effectiveness of icebreaking communication have changed significantly over recent years. The design question for this study is how can individuals explore new ice-breaking possibilities and enhance their effectiveness in the era of new, predominantly online, design workshops. The study focuses on icebreaking methods of in-person, online, and hybrid design workshops. The two perspectives of icebreaking—communication and creativity—were compared. The purpose of the study is to clarify the characteristics and effectiveness of each ice-breaking method; ultimately proposing new icebreaking techniques that integrate online and in-person elements for post-COVID design workshops. Design workshops conducted by the author in Japan and internationally were investigated. These workshops are divided into three categories: face-to-face design workshops from 2012 to 2019, online workshops from 2019 to 2022, and a hybrid workshop from 2022 to 2023. Video recordings of these workshops as well as the data from participant surveys were analyzed to understand how each icebreaker was conducted, the tools used, the communication between participants, and the creativity of the icebreaker exercise. Based on the collected data, good ice-breaking perspectives were extracted to be appropriate for all three types of design workshops. With these novel icebreaking approaches, participants of the design workshops would not only become acquainted after the first meeting but be inspired to collaborate creatively with each other despite the setting of the design workshop. The findings of this study would be useful to workshop practitioners, educators interested in innovative teaching methods, and human resources individuals in charge of developing companies. This research has the potential to foster participant interest amongst each other, teamwork, and the proposal of innovative solutions during workshop activities.
Keywords: Design workshop, Icebreaking, Design method, post-COVID