Should Do, Can Do, Can Know: Sustainability and Other Reflections on One Hundred and One Interaction Design Projects

This paper characterizes six years of final projects from an interaction design master's program at our School of Design in Hong Kong. Our reporting includes a thematic analysis of the specific application areas in which these diverse designers made their choices, along the dimensions of values and vision (Should Do), concepts and approaches (Can Do), domain knowledge (Can Know), and interactive Forms. The dimensions of Should Do and Can Do are particularly privileged in this paper. In this particular reporting of our analysis, we are especially interested in trends relating to sustainability and its relation to other values-orientations. This interest owes to our concern as a faculty for fostering a school of thinking and practice that balances all of these dimensions. Our analysis demonstrates the use and value of the Should Do, Can Do, Can Know framing as an analytical tool for design. Moreover, our work characterizes the common strategies among our 101 designers. As such, it provides a lens and points of inspiration for others, more generally. As a service, we present our entire analysis in table form as an Appendix.