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Description

Digital applications are transforming how people interact with their cities, offering new pathways for engagement, empowerment, and inclusivity. The Apps for Citizens seminar focuses on leveraging technology to bridge the gap between citizens and their urban environments.

This seminar provides students with the tools to conceptualize and design apps that address real urban challenges, promote civic participation, and enhance the quality of life for diverse communities. Through a combination of lectures, case studies, hands-on workshops, and peer collaboration, students will explore the principles of human-centered design, urban problem-solving, and the potential of technology to innovative how citizens can interact within an urban society and landscape.

By the end of the course, students will present a fully developed app concept and engagement strategy tailored to empower citizens in a specific urban context. This seminar will equip the students with design thinking mindset, enabling them to approach complex problems creatively across their fields of expertise.

Learning Objectives

The aim of the Apps for Citizens seminar is to provide students with the tools to design and conceptualize applications that empower urban citizens and address real-world urban challenges. It offers a framework for understanding human-centered design, principles of urban engagement, and the role of design in fostering inclusive interactions and promoting innovation in the urban environment. The seminar includes practical exercises to develop app concepts, along with insights into user experience design and digital engagement.

At course completion, the student will:

• Understand and apply the principles of human-centered design
• Identify urban challenges and propose app-based solutions to address them
• Learn how to conceptualize and design digital tools
• Gain practical skills in prototyping and presenting app concepts
• Cultivate design thinking mindset to tackle complex problem with user-centered solutions
• Leverage Technology for Citizen Participation
  • Design and prototype app concepts that facilitate greater citizen engagement.