Programme syllabus
Autumn 2016
Programme syllabus, Autumn 2016
Title
Interaction Design, Master's Programme (Two-Year)
Swedish title
Interaction Design, Master's Programme (Two-Year)
Programme code
TAIND
Credits
120 credits
Language of instruction
English
Decision-making body
Faculty of Culture and Society
Syllabus valid from
2012-09-03
Programme establishment date
2006-12-10
Syllabus approval date
2011-12-02
Level
Advanced level
Entry requirements
1. Degree of Bachelor or equivalent in subjects relevant for interaction design. Examples of relevant subjects include, but are not limited to: computer science, informatics, information systems, human-computer interaction, new media arts,
fine arts, design (industrial, product, graphic, interaction), communication studies, media studies and cognitive science.
2. Approval of the following submitted material: 2 x work samples of previous
relevant work and an individual response to the application assignment. Please see next tab on this page, called Selection for further information.
3. General eligibility + the equivalent of English course B in Swedish higher secondary school.
Programme structure
The programme comprises full-time study for two academic years, divided into eight courses as follows.
Year 1
Introduction to multidisciplinary interaction design, 15 credits.
Embodied interaction, 15 credits.
Collaborative media, 15 credits.
Graduation project, 15 credits.
Year 2
Design and social innovation, 15 credits.
Play and ludic interaction, 15 credits.
Design-based research, 15 credits.
Thesis project 2, 15 credits.
In year 2, the studio courses on Design and social innovation and Play and ludic interaction can be substituted with studio courses on equivalent contemporary topics in interaction design research after individual approval by Utbildningsnämnden, in order to facilitate exchange with comparable education programmes in Sweden and internationally.
Concerning design methodology, there is a progression from participatory approaches with heterogeneous groups in public settings to participatory approaches where the border between design and use is dissolved and further to design practice as part of academic knowledge production.
Academic maturity is developed throughout the first year towards an independent project on advanced level, and further in the second year towards state-of-the-art approaches to practice-based research within interaction design.
Programme contents
Semester 1, autumn 2016
Introduction to multidisciplinary interaction design
KD640A, 15 credits (Compulsory)
Main field of study: Interaction Design
Embodied interaction
KD641A, 15 credits (Compulsory)
Main field of study: Interaction Design
Semester 2, spring 2017
Collaborative media
KD642A, 15 credits (Compulsory)
No main field of study
Interaction Design: Thesis Project I
KD643A, 15 credits (Compulsory)
Main field of study: Interaction Design
Semester 3, autumn 2017
Design and Social Innovation
KD644A, 15 credits (Compulsory)
Main field of study: Interaction Design
Play and ludic interaction
KD645A, 15 credits (Compulsory)
Main field of study: Interaction Design
Semester 4, spring 2018
Design-based Research
KD646A, 15 credits (Compulsory)
Main field of study: Interaction Design
Interaction Design: Thesis Project II
KD647A, 15 credits (Compulsory)
Main field of study: Interaction Design
Learning outcomes
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
After completing the program, the student should be able to:
- demonstrate a broad understanding of the field of Interaction Design: its transformative character, history and development
- demonstrate substantial knowledge of current research themes and different genres within interaction design, including knowledge of a broad repertoire of design examples from these genres, their use situations and use qualities
- demonstrate substantial deep knowledge in the individual research area chosen for the second year thesis project
- demonstrate broad knowledge of the various materials used in interaction design: their properties, limitations and possibilities.
- demonstrate substantial knowledge of design methods, approaches and practices for designing for interactions, in individual, multi-disciplinary and collaborative settings.
- demonstrate sound understanding of the relationship between details and overall strategies when designing (networks of) products, services, tools and / or event for experiences and interactions
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
After completing the program, the student should be able to:
- demonstrate ability to apply a design practice of learning-by-doing
- demonstrate abilities to contribute to multi-disciplinary interaction design work
- demonstrate abilities to engage with users and other stakeholders in iterative co-designing processes
- formulate and re-frame fruitful design problems, challenges, openings and questions in complex design situations
- demonstrate ability to reach beyond design assignments as originally stated and to explore a range of possibilities as a means to ground design decisions
- demonstrate ability to select and use relevant methods, techniques, tools and approaches in the design work, including a broad repertoire of techniques for representing interaction designs
- demonstrate ability to evaluate and critique design concepts, prototypes and finished systems with regard to functional, spatial, aesthetic, sustainable and ethical aspects of quality, with a particular emphasis on methods and theories focusing on use situations
- demonstrate ability to reflect upon the design process and its results, and to promote a conceptual development of the interaction design field by articulating knowledge contributions on research levels
- demonstrate ability to account for and discuss knowledge contributions developed through design work including the arguments for these contributions, spatially, verbally as well as in writing to various target groups
JUDGEMENT AND VALUES
After completing the program, the student should be able to:
- demonstrate ability to, within interaction design as an area of knowledge development, exercise judgement accounting for relevant societal and ethical aspects
- demonstrate insight regarding the roles of interaction design in society, and regarding the responsibility of the interaction designer to develop meaningful technologies, services, tools and experiences from a humanistic standpoint
- demonstrate ability to reflect upon and learn from groupwork and individual design processes and practical experiences, for identifying new knowledge needs, and thereby taking responsibility for one’s own continuous learning.
Degree
Master's Degree (120 credits)
Degree of Master of Science (120 Credits) with a Major in Interaction Design.