Code: DT304
ECTS: 6
Semester: 3rd
School: School of Engineering [UA]
Academic Unit: Department of Product & Systems Design Engineering, University of the Aegean [UA]
Responsible Institution: UA
This course delves into the field of network economics, exploring how the structure of relationships and connections between individuals, firms, or even countries influences economic outcomes. We will analyse how social and economic networks affect behaviours, decisions, and ultimately, market dynamics.
Key concepts and topics covered include:
- Fundamentals of Network Theory: We’ll introduce the basic concepts of graph theory and social network analysis, including network topology, centrality measures, and network formation models.
- Network Effects: Explore the economic implications of network effects, where the value of a good or service increases with the number of users. Analyse direct and indirect network effects, network externalities, and their impact on market competition.
- Game Theory on Networks: Study how strategic interactions are influenced by network structures. Learn about concepts like network games, diffusion of information and innovation, and the role of social influence in decision-making.
- Information Economics in Networks: Examine how information flows through networks and affects economic outcomes and analyse information asymmetry.
- Market Competition and Network Structure: Explore how market competition is shaped by the underlying network structure. Analyse models of competition in industries with network effects, platform markets, and the role of network centrality in determining market power.
- Applications of Network Economics: Apply the theoretical framework to real-world scenarios, including social media platforms, telecommunications networks, financial markets, and innovation diffusion.
Design Studio 1 is a supervised project course in which students investigate a digital transformation challenge and develop an evidence-based design proposal. Projects may concern a digital product, service, interactive system or organisational process. The course integrates methods and tools introduced in the first two semesters and supports the synthesis of design and management perspectives.
Studio brief and scope: selection and delimitation of a problem; organisational and societal context; stakeholder mapping; initial assessment of access to users, data and technical resources.
Research and requirements: review of relevant literature and existing solutions; contextual inquiry, interviews, observation or other suitable methods; research ethics and consent; synthesis of findings; prioritisation of functional, experiential and organisational requirements.
Concept development: alternative concepts, scenarios, service journeys and system representations; comparison against requirements; assessment of feasibility, accessibility, sustainability and risks.
Initial prototyping: creation of low- or medium-fidelity representations appropriate to the project; selection and justification of digital tools; exploratory feedback from intended users or relevant stakeholders where feasible.
Studio practice: scheduled critiques, peer discussion and an intensive collaborative workshop. Students maintain a record of design decisions and individual contributions, revise their proposal in response to feedback and present a design dossier with an initial prototype and a development plan.
DT304 and DT305 are both delivered in Semester 3. Their briefs and milestones are coordinated. A common project may be developed across the two studios, with DT304 assessing research, framing and concept development and DT305 assessing development, evaluation and implementation planning. Each course has distinct deliverables and a separate grade.
- Search, analysis and synthesis of information using appropriate technology.
- Independent work and collaboration in interdisciplinary and international teams.
- Problem framing, creative thinking and evidence-based decision-making.
- Project planning, documentation and management of time and resources.
- Respect for diversity, accessibility and different stakeholder perspectives.
- Social, professional and ethical responsibility, including responsible use of data and AI.
- Constructive criticism, self-criticism and reflection on design decisions.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
Knowledge
- Explain how organisational objectives, stakeholder needs and the properties of digital technologies shape a digital transformation design brief.
- Compare human-centred and participatory methods for investigating a design problem and developing alternative solutions.
- Identify ethical, accessibility, privacy and sustainability requirements relevant to the selected context.
Skills
- Conduct and document proportionate contextual and stakeholder research using suitable qualitative and/or quantitative methods.
- Translate research evidence into a bounded problem statement, prioritised requirements and criteria for evaluating a solution.
- Generate and compare alternative concepts and develop an initial prototype that makes key design assumptions testable.
- Communicate a coherent design proposal through a design dossier, visual representations and a reasoned presentation.
Competences
- Collaborate in an interdisciplinary team, document individual contributions and respond constructively to critique.
- Justify design decisions with evidence and recognise uncertainties and limitations in the proposal.
- Plan the further development and evaluation of a digital solution within realistic technical and organisational constraints.
