Developing a Cross-Cultural Design Methodology: A study of UK-South Korean Collaboration in Higher-Education Design

Abstract

This paper focuses on development of a Cross-Cultural Design methodology that promotes culturally literate students and designers in higher education courses. Firstly, it charts the development of a conceptual framework, ‘Categories of the Interaction of Cultures’, through an extensive review of the literature. This framework was then tested over a four-year period through a series of specially designed practice-based collaborative Design Education workshops, conducted in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London (UK) and Kyung Hee University (South Korea). Sample size over three workshops was: Student N=80 and Academic Staff N= 8. Observations of practice and semi-structured interviews were carried out during the workshops with both students and academic staff. Qualitative data from the workshops was then analysed and findings from this are discussed. These are then applied to refine the initial conceptual framework into a final Cross-Cultural Design methodology. The Cross-Cultural Design methodology is focused on making a contribution to Higher Education Design in that it can support both academics and students in planning and experiencing learning opportunities that develop understanding of the nuances of varying cultures, keep students motivated, and enhance their contextual understanding. The methodology seeks to suggest ways to signpost academics and students to a new way of understanding and interpreting different cultures, supporting development of new design possibilities through making explicit the benefits of Cross-Cultural Design.