Kohar Scott, IDSA
Assistant Professor, San Jose State University
Kohar Scott has been teaching ID classes as an Adjunct Professor in the Industrial Design Program for the Department of Design at San Jose State University since 2015 and started as a full-time Assistant Professor in the Fall of 2020. Her background includes a focus on Color, Material, and Finish (CMF) as well as Industrial Design. Her client list includes industry leaders in consumer electronics, pro-audio, toy manufacturing,
personal care, and soft goods. Kohar’s current research revolves around the use of materials, AI, VR, and AR to solve problems in the design process.
Host & Presenter
Form Follows Fun
Education Symposium
Rapid Fire Group A
August 25, 2023
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ballroom
Presenting with Dana Ragouzeos
The integration of semi-structured games and play into design education prepares students for future success by giving them a chance to feel experimentation, curiosity, and failure in a low-risk environment, experience collaborative decision-making within clear constraints, and build cognitive recall and creative resilience. This is especially true with diverse student populations, where many students are under-represented in their chosen design field or lack a financial or social safety net, and for whom the popular advice to “embrace failure” feels dissonant. This case study describes the use of play and games in the design class setting to go beyond surface-level “gamification,” supporting community, confidence, and camaraderie. Examples include the use of gameplay to teach manufacturing processes, design research methods, and design concept refinement.