INTERACTION DESIGN THEORY SEMINAR 5th semester
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"Sweet Dreams are Made of This" proposes to dive into the very essence of interaction design agency, ahead of the thesis semester. How does a design project emerges from a particular interest? Should it have an impact? And at what scale? Through a variety of references, we'll address notions of dreams, contribution, position, creativity and ownership, especially as they relate to contemporary societal questions. We usually consider that a novel contribution to knowledge has to be read about, dreamed about in a visionary sense, used and related to, through hands on testing, iterations and prototyping at various stages, explored orally and visually, and discussed by peers and tutors. The course is structured around materials discussions showcasing social engagement, activism and aesthetic movements, various assignments such as fictional dream-like scenarios and practical workshop formats.
This course is also a guided exercise in your autonomy to look for relevant references and to integrate them as part of your research endeavour. You should start early with topics of interest for your diploma work, even it is expected that they might evolve or even change completely. In that sense, even if your topic changes, the questions & methods that will be addressed in this class will be valid throughout your diploma work. Different than previous theory classes, with mostly discussions based on readings, this class is a continuous assignment-based exploration of your research engagement. It is proposing that you follow through and ride the wave, with joy.
COURSE OUTLINE
12 sessions structured around the notions of engagement, positioning, creative research and ownership.
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Briefly Present Topic choice & tandem.
In an in-class exercise, in groups of 2 or 3 - discuss your research interest and get feedback about your research questions (what are your assumptions, the possible stereotypes&clichés, what could be the challenges, the opportunities, what angle would be most compelling to address, etc). Identify which research method can help your check your assumptions, based on the methods you encountered in your studios and theory classes and invent a new research method.
Each group will present.
Readings:
Be familiar with some research terminology:
- Mackenzie, N.,Knipe, S. 2006. "Research Dilemmas: Paradigms, methods and methodology". Issues in Education Research, 16 (2), 193 – 205.
Creative Research:
- Kara, Helen. 2020. Creative Research Methods. A Practical Guide. Bristol University Press. pp
Learning by doing:
- Tin, Mikkel B. 2013. "Manifesto: Making and the Sense it makes". In Studies in Material Thinking. Vol.9 Inside Making.
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Exercise-in-class: list where your thesis work is not changing anything.
Exercise-in-class: looking at former IAD students' BA thesis
Reading:
James Pierce. 2012. Undesigning Technology: Considering the negation of design by design. CHI 2012.
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How will your topic has shaped itself in the past few months? See where you started and where you're going.
Readings:
This class' readings are 2 examples of conducting, structuring and presenting creative research.
In a past session, we approached elements of joyful research and you should have gained a large collection of ideas and examples. How do you relate to them?
How will you investigate your research questions in a creative and playful way?
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