Abstract
Memories and evocative objects play a significant role in establishing enduring connections with past experiences. They serve as powerful reminders of our personal histories, enabling us to revisit crucial moments and maintain a lasting bond with our past. From this perspective, this study aims to provide reflections on the learning memories of industrial design graduates. Specifically, the research question addressed in this paper is: How do industrial design graduates recall and articulate their memories about their university education? To investigate this question, a warm-up and reflective session were conducted with a group of industrial design graduates, who were former classmates. This reflective session was facilitated by an internal member of the participant group. In this study, we aimed to trigger the participants to recall their memories by utilizing evocative objects such as photos, drawings, and more. At the end of the study, it was found that personal and collective narratives could be categorized under three main groups: (i) cherished memories, (ii) bittersweet memories, and (iii) discomforting memories. This study revealed hidden aspects of design education by triggering memories. Moreover, it offers valuable long-term insights for understanding design students, which can enhance the quality of learning and improve the student-centered approach.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.080
Citation
Dundar, M.H.,and Gelmez, K.(2025) Learning memories unlocked: Capturing design graduates’ reflections through evocative objects, in Clemente, V., Gomes, G., Reis, M., Félix, S., Ala, S., Jones, D. (eds.), Learn X Design 2025, 22-24 September 2025, Aveiro, Portugal. https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2025.080
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Full Paper
Learning memories unlocked: Capturing design graduates’ reflections through evocative objects
Memories and evocative objects play a significant role in establishing enduring connections with past experiences. They serve as powerful reminders of our personal histories, enabling us to revisit crucial moments and maintain a lasting bond with our past. From this perspective, this study aims to provide reflections on the learning memories of industrial design graduates. Specifically, the research question addressed in this paper is: How do industrial design graduates recall and articulate their memories about their university education? To investigate this question, a warm-up and reflective session were conducted with a group of industrial design graduates, who were former classmates. This reflective session was facilitated by an internal member of the participant group. In this study, we aimed to trigger the participants to recall their memories by utilizing evocative objects such as photos, drawings, and more. At the end of the study, it was found that personal and collective narratives could be categorized under three main groups: (i) cherished memories, (ii) bittersweet memories, and (iii) discomforting memories. This study revealed hidden aspects of design education by triggering memories. Moreover, it offers valuable long-term insights for understanding design students, which can enhance the quality of learning and improve the student-centered approach.