Reaching Higher
Life After Graduation for Interior Designers
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Noor Aldoy
Students enroll in universities to enhance their career prospects. This study aims to explore the various routes that interior design graduates take after completing their degree at the University of Bahrain. The data of 142 graduates who completed their degree in the last eleven years was collected using an online survey. Results have shown that the majority of graduates were employed and 80.3% had the experience of working as interior designers. While 35.9% of graduates were self-employed at some point after graduating, only 14.8% are currently considering themselves as self-employed. 38.1% of graduates have joined other courses to improve their skills and the majority are considering obtaining a master’s degree related to their field. The research concluded with recommendations to improve the Interior Design Program at the University of Bahrain to meet the demands of the current market.
The Impact of Digital Fabrication and Maker Culture on the Interdisciplinary Relationship between Design and Engineering
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Claudia Facca, Jorge Lino alves, Ana mae Barbosa
This work discusses the role of digital fabrication laboratories, belonging to the universe of maker culture as a facilitator in interdisciplinary education between design and engineering areas. New social, cultural, economic, and policy needs have demanded different educational approaches that stimulate creativity and inventiveness. Digital fabrication labs can be seen as an environment where there is an opportunity to introduce more efficiently and naturally scientific and academic contents, necessary for the basic training of engineering. These contents, often taught abstractly, without practical application and in an uninspiring way, can be seen as hands on experiments that can be experienced by students, where diverse knowledge and skills are needed and mingle in a supportive and facilitator environment. The design can contribute in this context, demonstrating new ways to see, think, and act, putting people and their needs at the centre of the process, providing techniques and tools of project development and solution of complex problems based on empathy, in co-creation and experimentation as ways to integrate with other areas of knowledge such as engineering. Topics covered include: the current scenario of education in higher education of engineering and design, aspects of engineering design, "soft skills" currently required in the formation of the engineer, the maker culture and digital manufacturing, characteristics of a digital fabrication lab, how is the process of project development in a digital fabrication lab, and what is the contribution of design in this context.
