This course will cover fundamental design principles & methodologies employed by designers and researchers in tandem with philosophical ideologies set forth by prominent critical theorists in order to provide students with a foundation for approaching interactive, responsive and participatory work. Lectures will cover scientific & data-driven aspects of user experience (UX) and human-computer interaction (HCI) while discussing ideologies set forth by prominent thinkers of the late 20th Century. Assignments will cover the synthesis of both realms of art & design incorporating relevant readings culminating in a final project involving a concept for a tacticle installation and/or product coupled with a written paper.
The goals of this course include the following:
As with all MA+P courses, Critical Approaches to User Experience Design & Media Art integrates theory and practice; students should be prepared to read and discuss actively in class and to develop skills necessary for completing the assignments. Specifically, students will engage in colaboration, project planning and prototyping.
The majority if not all of this course will occur with the professor lecturing from a remote setting. Students are encouraged to use the lab room during class times for optimal connectivity, and the TA will be present during this time. Students will be required to participate in group discussions using Slack.
Additional information will be provided during the first session.
Most chapters/excerpts from books will be provided digitally; however, the books contain rich information and students are encouraged to purchase these titles.
Each participant is responsible for presenting a week's readings and leading the ensuing discussion. Weekly assignments will be determined in the first week of class.
Proposals due Week 8, Final Paper & Project due Finals Week
Write a 2,500-word essay exploring the theoretical aspect of your final project. The essay should contain both a functional and conceptual discussion of your installation. A two-page paper prospectus outlining your project is due Week Eight. More concrete guidelines will be provided later in the semester. The final project and paper will be due Finals Week.
The following weekly schedule is subject to change. Please consult the class website for the most current information, assignments and due dates. Details about assignments and readings will be provided on the class website.
Introductions (course, students, technical resources). Design exploration - a course about interaction conducted remotely. Use of Skype and Slack. Examination of art and design (simlarities, differences and overlap).
"The Fragment on Machines", Karl Marx.
Review of art vs. craft. Foundational discussion of communication and its evolution into the information age. Brief overview of interaction in both artistic and design-oriented practices. Exploring digital interaction in our present day.
Review of information theory and overview of Semiotics. Intorudction to design and its disciplines.
Review of basic design principles including visibility, mapping, affordances, constraints and feedback. Definition of mental models and aspects of emotional design. Introduction to basic rhizomatic theory.
Review of basic principles of rhizomatic theory. Discussion of the aesthetic object and the design object: similarities, differences. Form follows function.
Review of Baudrillard's object value notation. History of User Experience Design and a fundamental defintion of its principles and current job roles in the industry
Discussion of storytelling in UX and Product Design. Guest lecture by artist/maker/designer Chris Weisbart on creating immersive experiences.
Introduction to the GUI and its brief history. Founders of Human Computer Interaction. Skeumorphism and basic interface theory.
Discussion of The Interface Effect: cognitive mapping, intraface, interface as method and play. Introduction to Dunne & Raby and Critical Design.
Read through the following essays on Dunne & Raby's website:
Why is their concept of critical design important in the context of commercial design? Where does it fit as a movement? Write a response exploring the concept of critical design. Put some thinking into your final project as well and how some of their tactics may be useful.
Review of Dunne and Raby's Critical Design. Introduction to Personas. User goals. In-class discussion about final project. One-on-one skype meetings with students.
Final Project Proposal - First Iteration
Write a concise response explaining your idea. Remember that this is an iterative process in which you will be able to refine your concept in the upcoming weeks. Describe your own expectations from the finished concept and explain the potential benefit you and others can have from it. Inspiration
Create a mood board of related work that inspired your initial idea. This can be anything to frame a better sense of context around your idea—projects, color palettes, music, etc. Use a site like pinterest or nice.co and post a link to your board.
dentify your target audience and come up with two personas using the tactics we described in class. If you can’t find users to interview, come up with your best approach in doing so. If your project is more aesthetic in nature, user goals should be translated to user emotions (i.e., what feelings are you trying to evoke?). Identity the following for your users:
Group critique of Final Project v1. Specific overview of interactive, responsive and participatory media. In-depth discussion of their similarities and differences in artwork.
Final Project Proposal - Second Iteration
Create a diagram of your experience. This will largely depend on the experience you are creating. If it’s a physical product, create a digital 3D representation of it. If it’s a digital products, a few screens and a user flow will suffice. Once again, this will largely depend on your experience. Annotate your diagram and ensure that you describe facets of it.
Create a mood board of related work that inspired your initial idea. This can be anything to frame a better sense of context around your idea—projects, color palettes, music, etc. Use a site like pinterest or nice.co and post a link to your board.
Tangible Interaction - description and examples. Final project critiques
Final Project Proposal - Third Iteration
Continue refining your experience, ensuring you keep your user goals at the forefront. Be sure to describe aspects of design we talked about early on: visibility, mappings, affordances, constraints, models and feedback. Write about how your experience addresses each of these principles.
Begin compiling your rationale (inspiration, personas, functional description, conceptual description) into a paper.
Class time to complete your final project
Final presentation and critique.