Course syllabus

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TRA465 Frugal design Summer 2025 (7,5 hp)

Course is offered by the department of Tracks

 

Contact details

Examiner: Catarina Östlund, designer, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers

Supervisors:

Oskar Lillo, designer, HAY, Copenhagen, oskar.lillo@gmail.com

Mikael Sonnsjö, architect, SONNSJÖ arkitektkontor, info@sonnsjo.se

Workshop team Fuse: Peter Bäckgren, Pelle Evensen and Henrik Hörlin, fuse@chalmers.se

Lecturers:

Jan Akmal, Assistant Professor, Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering, Aalto University, jan.akmal@aalto.fi

Vikki Eriksson, Postdoctoral Researcher, Design Factory, Aalto University, vikki.eriksson@aalto.fi 

Bjørg Margrethe Granly, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering NTNU, bjorg.granly@ntnu.no

Susanne Nilsson, Researcher, Integrated Product Development and Design, KTH, suni@kth.se

 

Course purpose

This project-based course focuses on physical prototyping as a shared foundation for collaborative design, emphasizing a frugal approach, i.e., achieving more with less. The course combines online lectures and workshops with hands-on, on-site prototyping sessions and project work in mixed teams.

The workshops are centered around a single design object (a predefined everyday item) but explore various materials, like textile, wood, metal, 3D-printed parts etc. Prototyping activities will take place in designated labs and workshops within the Chalmers Fuse area.

The course highlights the design process, encouraging the iterative development and exploration of ideas through sequential physical prototyping. Frugal design principles serves as an inspiration for the design as well as a perspective in the discussions of choices, evaluation of prototypes and possible ways forward. Participating in this course offers inspiration and an opportunity to learn and experience methods of ideation and design development within cross-cultural teams.    

The course is run by a teaching team and the practical on-site activities are situated in the workshops in the Fuse-area. The project task is solved in mixed students groups. The course is supplemented by on-line teaching and practising of the skills necessary for the project. The project team will have one university examiner, one or a pole of university supervisors. 

 

Schedule

Course link: https://chalmers.zoom.us/j/62963307023 
Password: Frugal

The course link is used for all full class activities (except for Oskar Lillo's lecture June 16th, see schedule for the link). 

For the supervision, each supervisor will provide a separate link.

Introduction of course and project (online)
9/6 13.15-15.00 Introduction to the course, overview of lay-out, themes and work/study approach, Catarina Östlund
10/6

14-15.45 Lecture: More with less: Smart solutions for sustainability, Bjørg Margrethe Granly

Recordings of the lecture 1, 2, 3

Link to Miro-board: https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVIqDzDdo=/?share_link_id=187220815672 

Preparations: you are going to use Miro during the lecture so please check this introduction https://youtu.be/r0vrPSZjWMQ?feature=shared
11/6

9-11.45 Lecture: Prototyping for sense-making and communication, Vikki Eriksson

Recordings from the lecture 1, 2, 3

Miro-board from the session
12/6

9-9.45 Introduction to the Design assignment, the process and method, Catarina Östlund 

Recording

10-10.45 Lecture: Case Studies, Mikael Sonnsjö

Recording

11-12 Meeting in each student team for discussing and starting formulating the collaboration assignment
13/6

9-10.45 Lecture: Rapid Prototyping (additive manufacturing/3D printing) technologies, Jan Akmal

Recording

Preparations for the lecture: Chapter 1 (Pg. 1-18) of Gibson, I., Rosen, D. & Stucker, B., 2015. Additive Manufacturing Technologies

at latest 17.00 Submission of Collaboration assignment
Design Project (online)
16/6

Team work - Sketching 1

16.30-17.30 Lecture: Insights and thoughts from the design industry, Oskar Lillo

Join the meeting here

Meeting ID: 233 332 124 717 9

Passcode: 2by7Ti3W
17/6

Team work - Sketching 1

9-10.45 Lecture: Frugal Innovation Research and Practical Frameworks, Susanne Nilsson 

Recording: https://play.chalmers.se/media/TRA465+Frugal+design/0_ns33ptyx
18/6

Team work - Sketching 1

Available times supervision, see Calendar
19/6

Team work - Sketching 1

Available times supervision, see Calendar
20/6

Holiday

Available times supervision, see Calendar
Design Project (online)
23/6

9-9.30 Weekly meeting, Catarina Östlund

Team work - Sketching 2
24/6

Team work - Sketching 2
25/6

Team work - Sketching 2
26/6

Team work - Sketching 2

Available times supervision, see calendar
27/6 Available times supervision, see calendar
Design Project (online)
30/6

9-9.30 Weekly meeting. This is an open zoom-room and I am available if you have any questions or something to discuss or clarify regarding the course, structure and content. It is voluntary

Team work - Sketching 3
1/7 Team work - Sketching 3
2/7

Team work - Sketching 3
3/7

Sketching 3 

Available times supervision, see calendar
4/7

Sketching 3 

Available times supervision, see calendar

At latest 18.00 Submission of Material from Sketching 3 and Literature
Team studies (organised by each team)
7/7 - 13/8 Development of idea and solutions + plan for workshops. Submission Aug 13th Images of a coat hanger
Prototyping in the workshops (onsite Chalmers) times will be specified
18/8 16.00 Greetings IRL and introduction to the workshops. We meet at the main entrance of Samhällsbyggnad III, Sven Hultins gata 8, map
19/8

9.00 Visit to the Service Center at Chalmers (for getting access to workshops, rooms etc.). Bring ID.

Planning and starting the prototyping work in the teams and with guidance. 

10.00 Start in Fuse, Fuse-team and Catarina
20/8 Prototyping in workshops, Fuse-team and Catarina
21/8 Prototyping in workshops, Fuse-team and Mikael
22/8 Prototyping in workshops, Fuse-team 
25/8 Prototyping in workshops, Fuse-team
26/8

Prototyping in workshops/

Presentation of the prototype

Check the Design assignment for the core questions to be answered (idea/concept, need, user, context, frugality etc.)

Every team has approx. 30 min in total (10-15 min presentation and 10-15 min questions and comments).

We will be in room SB3-S37 both days

Bring your prototype/s and choose some pictures from the process to show on screen. No digital presentation is needed, just pictures that shows something from the development.

Presentations Tuesday start at 13.15

Presentation order:

Team 8

Team 1

Team 7

Team 2
27/8

Presentations Wednesday start at 9.00

Presentation order:

Team 6

Team 5

Team 4

Team 3

Afternoon: Compiling material
28/8 Compiling material/thoughts
29/8 Submission of Documentation and Final notes

 

Course literature

Frugal Design Framework

 

Course design

The course runs from June 9th to August 29th and is structured around three periods:

June/July: Online lectures, assignments and start of the design process 

July/August: The teams organise their own studies/project work 

August: Prototyping on site at Fuse, Chalmers, ending with project presentation and followed up by documentation and submission 

The online period starts with an orientation within the themes of the course; design, frugal and modelling/prototyping and how these form the design project, which is the core of the course. Seemingly there is a bit of a contradiction between the online part and the physical sketching/modelling which will require frequent communication between us all, both within the teams and between teams and teachers/supervisors. To facilitate communication and have a forum for raising general questions regarding the process and course, there will be short weekly meetings for the whole group. The online period ends with a submission of the material from the last sketch week and discussion how to proceed during the summer.

The summer period is entirely organised within the teams. This period is for the last developments of the prototype idea, specifications and details of the design and how to make it in the workshops at Fuse. The period ends with a submission of pictures, sketches, drawings, text etc.

The last period is physical prototyping at Fuse, Chalmers. The work and guidance is situated in the workshops. This period and the course ends with a project and prototype presentation at Chalmers and after that compilation of documentation and reflections on the work.

The course is examined through:

  • active participation in lectures, team work, supervision, prototyping activities and presentation
  • assignments and final submission of project (documentation of design/prototyping process and solution) see criteria

 

Selection of project teams

The teams will consist of 2-3 students and they are selected in advance by the examiner.

 

Supervision

The project supervision sessions are preliminary scheduled but can be adjusted in communication with the supervisors. One session per week is the base.

 

Changes made since the last occasion

The course is running for the first time.

 

Learning objectives

Work in multidisciplinary teams and collaborate in teams with different compositions, 

Orally and in writing explain and discuss information, problems, methods, design/development processes and solutions,

Explain the concept of frugal design/engineering and demonstrate how it can be applied in ideation and prototyping processes.

Apply Frugal Design in Practice: Manage an ideation and prototyping process to address a predefined task, leveraging frugal design principles to create resource-efficient and innovative solutions.

Critically assess both the ideation and prototyping process, as well as the resulting outcomes, with a focus on alignment with frugal design objectives and overall effectiveness.

 

Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen:

https://www.chalmers.se/en/education/your-studies/find-course-and-programme-syllabi/course-syllabus/TRA465/?acYear=2025/2026

Course summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due