IML 499 - Critical Approaches to User Experience Design & Media Art

  • Fall 2015
  • 4 units
  • Mondays 1:00pm - 3:50pm
  • Location SCI L105
  • Professor Raphael Arar
  • Email provided in class
  • Office Hours Mondays: TBD

Course Description

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:

  • to define and apply fundamental design principles and methodologies
  • to analyze key texts from prominent theorists and analyses from scholars
  • to synthesize design-thinking with aestehtic practice

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.

Remote Connectivity

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.

Texts and Materials

Most chapters/excerpts from books will be provided digitally; however, the books contain rich information and students are encouraged to purchase these titles.

  • Donald Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, 2002.
  • Claude Shannon, The Mathematical Theory of Communication, 1949.
  • Richard Sennett, The Crafstman, 2009.
  • James Gleick, The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood, 2012.
  • William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler, Universal Principles of Design, 2003.
  • Giles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus, 1980.
  • Jean Beaudrillard, The System of Objects, 1968.
  • Alex Galloway, The Interface Effect, 2012.
  • Joanna Drucker, Graphesis: Visual Forms of Knowledge Production, 2014.
  • Bill Moggridge, Designing Interactions, 2007.
  • Bill Moggridge, Designing Media, 2010.

Grading

  • Class Participation/Presentations 20%
  • Assignments/Reading Responses 40%
  • Final Project 40%

Reading Responses

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.

Final Project & Paper

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.

Policies

Fair Use and Citation Guidelines

We assert that all of our course work is covered under the Doctrine of Fair Use. In order to make this claim, however, all projects will need to include academically appropriate citations in the form of a Works Cited section, which covers all sources, in order to receive a passing grade. The Works Cited is either included in the project or as a separate document, as appropriate to your project. The style we use is APA 5th edition and you may refer to these guidelines: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.

Statement on Academic Integrity

USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/.

Statement for Students with Disabilities

Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Emergency Plan

In the event that classes cannot convene at the university, all IML courses will continue via distance education. Specifically, the IML portal and course wikis will be deployed to enable faculty-student interaction (asynchronously and also via virtual office hours), complete syllabi, course readings and assignments, software tutorials, project assets, parameters and upload instructions, peer review processes and open source alternatives to professional-level software used in the IML curriculum. Further details are available on the course wiki.

Weekly Schedule

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.

Week 1 (August 24, 2015)—Art & Design: A Dialectic Relationship

Discussion

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).

In-class Reading

"The Fragment on Machines", Karl Marx.

Assignments & Readings

  • Introduction & Chapter 1 of The Craftsman

Week 2 (August 31, 2015)—Modern Commmunication, Digital Interaction

Discussion

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.

In-class Reading/Viewing & Discussion

  • The New Aesthetic - tumblr blog
  • An Essay on the New Aesthetic, Bruce Sterling
  • A new aesthetic for the digital age (Video), James Bridle

Assignments & Readings

  • Create a work in the vein of The New Aesthetic. Use whatever medium you're most comfortable with—could be a written work, physical collage from pasted magazine images, digital artwork, etc. Upload it to the Assignment 2 Slack channel.
  • Chapter 7, The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood

Week 3 (September 7, 2015)—Labor Day

NO CLASS

Week 4 (September 14, 2015)—Communication, Semiotics and Design Fundamentals

Discussion

Review of information theory and overview of Semiotics. Intorudction to design and its disciplines.

In-class Reading, Viewing and Discussion

  • Principles of Good Design (Dieter Rams and Jony Ive), Objectified
  • Startups, this is how design works
  • Semiotics: A Primer for Designers

Assignments & Readings

  • Chapter 1, The Design of Everyday Things

Week 5 (September 21, 2015)—Design Fundamentals & Rhizomatic Theory

Discussion

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.

Assignments & Readings

  • Introduction: Rhizome, A Thousand Plateaus
    • How does the rhizome’s notion of assemblage correspond to aspects of the New Aesthetic?
    • Discuss the notions of rhizomatic theory as it pertains to design. Think about design's offshoots and “iterative” nature; that is, a constant build-up and tear-down process. Where does the concept of the rhizome fit in the trajectory of design and its processes?

Week 6 (September 28, 2015)—Objects

Discussion

Review of basic principles of rhizomatic theory. Discussion of the aesthetic object and the design object: similarities, differences. Form follows function.

Assignments & Readings

  • Read "The System of Objects (pp. 255-83)", Selected Writings, Jean Baudrillard.
    • Choose an object (digital or physical) and define its value using Baudrillard's Object-Value System. Feel free to take a personal or a more collective perspective of the product.
    • Use this Bloomberg article showcasing products of both great form and function if you are searching for examples.

Week 7 (October 5, 2015)—Moving to the Interface: User Experience Design Fundamentals

Discussion

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

Assignments & Viewings

  • Watch the Ted talk by Andrew Stanton on The Clues to a Great Story. Write a response that discusses why storytelling is critical to a UX professional.

Week 8 (October 12, 2015)—Storytelling & Designing Immersive Experiences

Discussion

Discussion of storytelling in UX and Product Design. Guest lecture by artist/maker/designer Chris Weisbart on creating immersive experiences.

Assignments & Readings

  • Skim through the Apple HIG, Google Material Design Guidelines, IBM Design Language. Write a response comparing/contrasting these design languages and the difference between skeumorphism and flat design.

Week 9 (October 19, 2015)—Digital Interfaces: GUI History and Design Trends

Discussion

Introduction to the GUI and its brief history. Founders of Human Computer Interaction. Skeumorphism and basic interface theory.

Assignments & Readings

  • Chapter 1 "The Unworkable Interface", The Interface Effect

Week 10 (October 26, 2015)—Interface Theory and Critical Design

Discussion

Discussion of The Interface Effect: cognitive mapping, intraface, interface as method and play. Introduction to Dunne & Raby and Critical Design.

Assignments & Readings

Read through the following essays on Dunne & Raby's website:

  • Critical Design FAQ
  • Towards a Critical Design
  • TECHNOLOGICAL DREAMS SERIES: NO.1, ROBOTS, 2007 (work)

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.

Week 11 (November 2, 2015)—Personas & User Goals

Discussion

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.

Assignment

Final Project Proposal - First Iteration

  • Letter of Intent

    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

  • 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.

  • Provisional Personas

    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:

    • A name
    • A picture or pictures.
    • Goals/Emotions: What does this person want to do?
    • Technology Experience
    • Personal Background
    • A description of a day in the life: Outline a typical day for your persona.
    • Any other details that you may find beneficial

Week 12 (November 9, 2015)—Interactive vs. Responsive vs. Participatory

Discussion

Group critique of Final Project v1. Specific overview of interactive, responsive and participatory media. In-depth discussion of their similarities and differences in artwork.

Assignments & Readings

Final Project Proposal - Second Iteration

  • Diagram

    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.

  • Revision

    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.

Week 13 (November 16, 2015)—Tangible Interaction

Discussion

Tangible Interaction - description and examples. Final project critiques

Assignments & Readings

Final Project Proposal - Third Iteration

  • Assessment

    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.

  • Paper

    Begin compiling your rationale (inspiration, personas, functional description, conceptual description) into a paper.

Week 14 (November 23, 2015)—Final Project Workshop

Discussion

Class time to complete your final project

Assignments & Readings

  • Final Project

Week 15 (November 30, 2015)—Final Project

Discussion

Final presentation and critique.