Digital Innovation & Design Education (DIDE)

DIDE student

How might we develop design pedagogies to meet the needs of fast-changing and transdisciplinary fields emerging from the digital creative economy?

To answer this question DIDE focusses on the everyday work of design professionals and provides translational research to develop innovative and effective educational experiences in future.

Project details

Project lead Dr James Branch
Centre alignment TBC
Start date 2018
End date  Ongoing

DIDE is located at Falmouth University within the School of Communication Design. Our research goals are at the intersection of future-oriented design, technology, and education. We focus on the work of design professionals (practice) and teaching and learning of design and creativity (pedagogy). Within these contexts of design practice and education we have examined: the development of entrepreneurial pedagogy in an art and design school context; the relationship between UX industry needs and academic courses; the everyday work and competencies of UX and digital product/service designers; and the problem of how develop lifelong learning capabilities in HE graduates. 

Project team

Dr James Branch

Senior Lecturer, Design Strategy

James is a lecturer and researcher specialising in design education. He holds a doctorate from Lough...

Dr James Branch

Dr Cui Su

Head of Advertising

After her boss at Young & Rubicam told her 'you're the best account handler I've ever had but go...

Dr Cui Su

Partners

  • 2024: DIDE worked with Falmouth Launchpad Futures to organise a UX focussed 6 week internship with technology company Flowmoco for a BA Creative Advertising student. Funded by Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Fund.
  • 2024: DIDE ran a one day knowledge exchange workshop with 12 local businesses and an industry partner (CX Partners) at Falmouth Launchpad. Funded by Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Fund.
  • 2023: DIDE ran a series of workshops at Falmouth University with students exploring the use of generative AI tools in the creative process with an external partner Senior Product Designer Nick Voke.  
  • 2021: DIDE worked with Professor Mark Evans and Dr Chris Parker within the School of Design and Creative Arts at Loughborough University to develop a research output.  
  • 2020–Present: DIDE runs an ongoing annual project with Chief Technology Officer Sam Lanyon and the Falmouth and Penryn Repair Cafe that introduces the circular economy to undergraduates. 

Funders

Dr James Branch received PhD studentship funding from the AHRC, Design Star centre for doctoral training, and Loughborough University. 

Outcomes & outputs

Impact & recognition

DIDE’s has made an impact in the UX and HCI educational communities through the publication of a paper in The Design Journal (Branch, Parker and Evans, 2021). Several conference papers and workshops (Su, 2018; Branch, 2023) have made an impact at a university level by disseminating DIDE’s research into teaching and learning theory and practice. 

Project media