To complete this module you need to buy four books: The Tipping Point, The Mind Map Book, Change By Design, and a study guide. We also recommend some other books that you will find very useful.
Set Texts
These are required for the module so you should buy them as you will need to write in them or refer to them a lot.
The Tipping Point
Gladwell, Malcolm (2001). The Tipping Point. London: Abacus Books
This book is a highly readable exploration of the factors that lead to ideas or trends catching on. We use it in the module to stimulate your thinking about how you can connect design to seemingly unconnected areas, such as crime prevention or drug treatment.
There is an audio book version available. The library has the abridged edition but you can purchase the unabridged recording from Amazon or Audible.com.
The Mind Map Book
Buzan, Tony (1993). The Mind Map Book. London: BBC Worldwide
Mind Mapping is a technique for recording information visually, either capturing ideas or facts or snippets from things you read or hear. Mind Mapping is a term that is often used to cover similar activities such as brainstorming or spider diagrams. But as you will see from the book, Buzan’s Mind Mapping follows a set of rules, and we want you to follow them for this module.
Mind Mapping is an aid to memory but also a useful way of taking a lot of information (in this case a book, The Tipping Point) and recording its contents simply and visually. You should find if you follow the rules that you can glance at the map later, even years later, and recall sections of the book and its main arguments.
Change By Design
Brown, Tim (2009) Change by Design: How Design Thinking Can Transform Organizations and Inspire Innovation. London: Collins
This book will be referred to directly and indirectly throughout the module and should be read from around week 4 onwards at your own pace.
Study Guide
McMillan, Kathleen and Weyers, Jonathan. (2007). The Smarter Student: skills and strategies for success at university. Harlow: Pearson Educational.
Everybody thinks they don’t need one of these but trust us, you do. As you progress through university you will undoubtedly get stuck, or feel overwhelmed. This guide, written by two University of Dundee academics, gives advice on topics such as taking notes to time management, and everything in between.
When you have it, don’t just put it on a shelf. Read through it quickly, identifying areas you feel you need help with, and make a point of reading those sections in more detail. Keep the guide handy for frequent access and, when you have idle moments, glance through it again.
Nobody thinks they need a study guide. Everybody is wrong.
Recommended books
We will add to this list as the module progresses. Most of the books can be borrowed from the library but some are worth buying for yourself.
The Back of the Napkin
Roam, Dan (2009) The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures London: Marshal Cavendish
A great book full of tips on quickly visualing your ideas and using them to work with, and convince, others. Highly recommended for your bookshelf.
