Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines concepts of design practice and related design methods for interaction designers. Design methods include ethnography, personas, design games, role-playing, scenarios, participatory workshops, and prototyping.

COURSE DETAILS:

Examines concepts of design practice and design methods for interaction designers. Students will learn research methods focused on understanding the people for whom we design, situations of use, participatory involvement and modes of conceptualization. These methods include design ethnography, personas, role-playing, scenarios, participatory workshops and prototyping. In addition to readings, students will engage in a major interaction design project.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Learning outcomes expected for students include:

- Develop an understanding of interaction design practice

- Understand a range of user-centered design research methods and techniques

- Demonstrate an ability to synthesize appropriate methods and techniques through a semester- long project

Topics

This course examines concepts of design practice and related design methods for interaction designers. Interaction design requires design actions to be situated and to highly involve participation of individuals and stakeholders in the design process. This course explores the range of relevant techniques and methods for Interaction Design. In addition, the course introduces the conceptual context of reflective practice as mode of understanding and discussing the design process.

Students will review a wide range of methods focused on conceptualization, use experience and situated use. These include experinece prototyping, scenarios, role-playing and user enactments, body/mind storming,  participatory design, and the use of workshops. In addition to readings, students will engage in exploratory design method projects.

Lectures and readings complement the studio assignments.

Grading