Abstract
The increase in the use of design has created a demand for designers and design education. Several public and private organizations offer programs and courses in design, as well as separate assessments to evaluate one’s aptitude, comprehension, and level of design competency. Even so, there is no common reference system to (1) Identify and assess the design competency of learners, and the level of competency aimed for by a course. (2) Universally recognize the design competency level of an individual or course. The goal of this research is to identify and define distinct levels of design competency and develop a framework that can help instructors, design learners, institutes as well as employers assess and/or recognize the level of an individual’s design competency.