Module description
What is the module about?
This module is concerned with the ways we design, develop and assess new technologies and innovations for organisations. It considers the activities involved in the design process: how to identify what users need, how to design solutions that fit those needs and how to assess whether technology meets those needs. It focusses on computer technologies to support work activities and organisations. The first part of the module details approaches and methods for design and development. The second part focusses on recent areas of technological innovation that are relevant to businesses and organisations. The course considers technology and innovation from a social scientific perspective. The tutorials mainly consist of practical exercises which introduce methods and approaches relevant for the coursework.
Who should do this module?
Students who are interested in design thinking should consider this course. It is assessed mainly by students undertaking a project for a setting that they choose. At the end of the project students propose a technological innovation that will meet the needs of participants in that setting. The methods taught in the course and the practical exercises in the classes will introduce methods for undertaking design activities systematically, by seeking to understand what people do, how to manage different viewpoints to what is needed, how to present a technological solution and how to assess critically proposals for innovation. Students do not need prior knowledge of different technologies. The lectures will introduce significant developments in technology. Students who are interested in critically examining innovations such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and ubiquitous computing will benefit from this module. This will be assessed by a coursework essay. For the project, students must propose an appropriate solution to a real-world problem. As the choice of setting and definition of the problem is up to the student, this is a module for students who like to use their own initiative to develop creative solutions. Students who do well are those who like to get to grips with the details of problems and are critical and reflective about ways of solving them.
Provisional Lecture Outline
Lecture 1: Introduction
Lecture 2: Innovation Development Processes
Lecture 3: Requirements Analysis
Lecture 4: Participatory Approaches
Lecture 5: Information Analysis
Lecture 6: System Evaluation and Assessment
Lecture 7: Concepts of Technology
Lecture 8: Collaborative and Distributed Working
Lecture 9: Ubiquitous and Augmented Computing
Lecture 10: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Robotics
Assessment details
90% Coursework
10% Project presentation and participation
Teaching pattern
Weekly Lecture
Weekly Tutorial
Suggested reading list
No single textbook is compulsory for the module, but you may find one of the following texts useful for background reading:
Rogers, Sharp & Preece. 2019. Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction (5th Ed.). Wiley
Bocij, Greasley, & Hickie. 2018. Business Information Systems (6th Ed.), Pearson.
Beynon-Davies. 2019. Business Information Systems (3rd Ed.), Palgrave Macmillan.