Course syllabus autumn 2008
Course syllabus autumn 2008
Title
Interaction Design
Swedish title
Interaction Design
Course code
KD671A
Credits
60 credits
Grading scale
UV / Fail (U), Pass (G) or Pass with Distinction (VG)
Language of instruction
English
Decision-making body
Board of Studies at Faculty of Culture and Society (k3)
Syllabus approval date
2007-12-07
Syllabus valid from
2008-08-31
Entry requirements
1. Degree of Bachelor in interaction design or equivalent.
2. General eligibility + the equivalent of English course B in Swedish secondary school.
Level
Advanced level
Main field
Interaction Design
Progression level
AXX
Progression level in relation to degree requirements
Single subject course at advanced level for the Master Degree (One Year) in Interaction Design.
Course objectives
The course aims to give students advanced knowledge, skills and abilities in interaction design with a special focus on the creative aspects of the discipline. Particular emphasis is given to innovative concept development and "gestaltung". After completing the course, students are qualified for a professional career in concept development and "gestaltung" of digital products and services, and for postgraduate studies in interaction design and related subjects.
Course contents
The course addresses interaction design at an advanced level by combining studio modules and design-theoretical modules. The studio modules are Advanced themes in interaction design (Module A) and the Degree Project (Module B).
The design-theoretical modules comprise Design as knowledge construction (Module C) and Criticism (Module D).
Module A: Advanced themes in interaction design, 15 credits
Goals: The student will attain an adequate ability to design functionally, aesthetically and ethically appropriate digital artefacts within each of the design themes addressed in the module.
Content: The module comprises four design themes, formulated in terms of their key use qualities:
Fluency (ambient computing, calm computing, etc.); Pliability (interactive visualization, seductive interaction, etc.); Social actability (community-oriented design, activism, local production, grass roots media, etc.); and Parafunctionality (critical design, conceptual design, etc.)
Module B: Degree Project, 30 credits
Goals: The student will develop his/her ability to work unsupervised on a large design project, both as an artefact and as a knowledge contribution.
Content: The degree project includes the following elements: Research and brief development, concept development, detailed design, assessment, and presentation of the work as an artefact and as a knowledge contribution.
Module C: Design as knowledge construction, 7.5 credits
Goals: The student will develop his/her ability to reason and discuss the knowledge content and knowledge contribution of the design work.
Content: Basic concepts from the epistemology of practical knowing theory (epistemological status of artefacts, design work and design knowledge, knowledge construction as discourse) are introduced and applied reflectively to students’ own experiences of design work.
Module D: Criticism, 7.5 credits
Goals: The student will develop his/her understanding of the potential role of the critic in interaction design, and the ability to act as a critic in interaction design.
Content: The role of critics and criticism in other constructive and expressive disciplines. Possibilities for criticism in interaction design. Design and criticism: a synthesis?
Learning outcomes
After completing the course, students shall have developed a good knowledge and understanding of:
1. important examples of interaction design (a design repertoire).
2. the state-of-the-art field of interaction design research, and especially within that part of the field that corresponds to the student’s advanced studies.
3. the design theory of digital materials.
After completing the course, students shall have developed the skills and abilities to:
4. design digital products and services that are functionally, aesthetically and ethically appropriate in the state-of-the-art field of interaction design.
5. use and modify methods and techniques of innovative interaction design.
6. articulate their design knowledge in a manner that can be disseminated to others.
After completing the course, students shall have developed the following judgmental skills and values:
7. The ability to assess design quality, both generally in functional, aesthetic and ethical terms, and specifically related to gender, ethnicity and environmental perspectives.
Learning activities
Modules A and B are based on studio working methods, where the students work on design assignments under supervision, and present and discuss their results in group criticism sessions. Two areas of particular pedagogical importance are explorative sketching and systematic pre-design research, where the teachers initially act more as active role models as needed. Articulative elements are also included that are not normally part of the studio working method: Module A includes several minor reflective assignments in conjunction with the criticism sessions, and in Module B equal emphasis is placed on design work and on an academic report.
Modules C and D are held as seminars, in which students discuss the literature, carry out assignments of an articulative and reflective nature, and present and discuss them.
Assessment
Learning Outcome 1 is examined by the student demonstrating satisfactory breadth in the explorative phases of the design work in course modules A and B.
Learning Outcome 2 is examined by the student demonstrating the ability to relate his/her ideas to state-of-the-art topics in course modules A and B.
Learning Outcome 3 is examined by the student submitting approved assignments in course modules C and D.
Learning Outcome 4 is examined by the student presenting design results that are assessed as satisfactory in course modules A and B.
Learning Outcome 5 is examined by the student carrying out approved work processes in course modules A and B.
Learning Outcome 6 is examined by the student submitting approved assignments in course module C.
Learning Outcome 7 is examined by the student submitting approved reflections on the design results in course modules A and B, and approved assignments in course module D.
Course literature and other study material
In design processes the idea is to seek to formulate one’s knowledge needs while the work is in progress. It is therefore difficult to provide a reading list that exhaustively defines the course content. However, we provide below some examples of the literature that all students will come into contact with during the course.
Dourish, P. (2001). Where the action is: The foundations of embodied interaction. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Dunne, A. (1999). Hertzian tales: Electronic products, aesthetic experience and critical design. London: Royal College of Art.
Dunne, A., Raby, F. (2001). Design noir: The secret life of electronic objects. Basel: Birkhäuser.
Johnson, S. (1997). Interface culture: How new technology transforms the way we create and communicate. New York: Basic Books.
Lambert, J. (2002). Digital storytelling: Capturing lives, creating community. Berkeley, CA: Digital Diner Press.
Lasica, J. D. (2005). Darknet: Hollywood's war against the digital generation. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.
Laurel, B. (ed., 1990). The art of human-computer interface design. New York: Addison-Wesley.
Ling, R. (2004). The mobile connection: The cell phone's impact on society. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann.
Lovink, G. (2002). Dark fiber: Tracking critical Internet culture. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Maeda, J. (2000). Maeda @ media. London: Thames & Hudson.
Mau, B., Leonard, J. (2004). Massive change. London: Phaidon.
Molander, B. (1991) Kunskap i handling. Daidalos.
Schön, D. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner: Toward a new design for teaching and learning in the professions. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Shedroff, N. (2001). Experience design 1. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders.
Thackara, J. (2005). In the bubble: Designing in a complex world. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Course evaluation
The course is evaluated both formatively during the year, in the form of written or verbal group reflections after the completion of modules and other important milestones, and summatively at the end of the course by means of a written course evaluation. All course evaluations are about assessing the appropriateness of the goals with respect to each element to be evaluated and of the methods chosen to attain the goals.
Additional information
Course language: English