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Spring 2017: March 28 - May 5.

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Spring 2017: March 28 - May 5.

Instructors:
Dr Joëlle Bitton
joelle.bitton@zhdk.ch 

Nicole Foelsterl
nicole.foelsterl@zhdk.ch

Office hours by appointment 

The module takes place takes place from March 28 - May 5, over 6 weeks, including a reading week (5), from Tuesday to Friday each week, 9.30-17.00, March 28 - May 5.
Class sessions include lectures, discussions, mentoring sessions, in-class exercises, home assignments and independent study blocks.
Projects are conducted in groups of 4 students. 

Overview and Objectives

Topic ....

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This course puts the students in the context of realising an interaction design outcome from initial idea to final proposal, with a particular emphasis on user-experience. In this interaction design process, different methods are applied in several stages of project development: Context/User Inquiry, Concept Generation, Idea Testing, Prototype Development, Evaluation and Concept Iteration. 

This course is project-based and will allow students to have a hands-on experience with a range of methods at different stages of interaction design process.
Organised in groups, students will develop innovative design concept for a product, a service or an experience. 
Following a structured stages of observation, creation, and evaluation we will discuss and apply from situated and user-centered methods to creative design practice (eg. bodystorming, context analysis, video scenarios). 

Course Outline

Your project development is structured in following steps:

  • Week 1: Into the Wild!
    User, context and/or technology inquiry
    Methods: direct and participatory observation, video ethnography, interviews, questionnaires, cultural probes, etc.
  • Week 2: Idea Transfers
    Enacting and testing ideas
    Methods: sketching, bodystorming, brainstorming, participatory methods, extreme characters, etc
  • Week 3: Play 
    Creating prototypes and confronting them to the 'real world'
    Methods: participatory methods with mockups, cartoon scenarios, acting out an experience  etc.

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During the course the student will learn:

  • how to design through personal exploration and in communication with others (participatory design)
  • how to search for new possibilities/opportunites/alternatives for interactive products, rather than responding to a set of given requirements
  • how to use a variety of methods and tools which can be existing design practices, can be borrowed from other disciplines and can be developed by designers themselves 

Final Deliverables 

1. Documentation of assignments and your design process in a blog

2. Convincing presentation of an interaction design product, a service and/or an experience grounded on the understanding of the user and the context ). 

Topic ....

During the course the student will learn:

  • how to design through personal exploration and in communication with others (participatory design)
  • how to search for new possibilities/opportunites/alternatives for interactive products, rather than responding to a set of given requirements
  • how to use a variety of methods and tools which can be existing design practices, can be borrowed from other disciplines and can be developed by designers themselves 

The student is expected to produce these final deliverables:

1. A working prototype, user-tested and evaluated
2. A presentation of an interaction design product, a service and/or an experience grounded on the understanding of the user and the context
3. The documentation of assignments and design process in a blog
 

Course Outline

Your project development is structured in following steps:

  • Week 1: Into the Wild!
    User, context and/or technology inquiry
    Methods: direct and participatory observation, video ethnography, interviews, questionnaires, cultural probes, etc.
  • Week 2: Idea Transfers
    Enacting and testing ideas
    Methods: sketching, bodystorming, brainstorming, participatory methods, extreme characters, etc
  • Week 3: Play 
    Creating prototypes and confronting them to the 'real world'
    Methods: participatory methods with mockups, cartoon scenarios, acting out an experience  etc.
  • Week 4: Stories and users
    How is your work being evaluated? 
    Methods: 

  • Week 5: Production 1
    This reading week allows you to work on your production assignment

  • Week 6: Production 2
    This week is to finalise your work.

Expectations and Grading

Grades will be based on group presentations, class participation, home assignments, documentation (journal) and final work. All work should be produced in English.
Contributing to constructive group feedback is an essential aspect of class participation.
Regular attendance is required. Two or more unexcused absences will affect the final grade. Arriving late on more than one occasion will also affect the grade.

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The final outcome of the class is a project proposal in the form of a working prototype, user-tested and represented to an external audience in the form of a film and/or a medium of your choice (installation, website, demo, etc...). For this class, there will be an emphasis on the film narrative as a way to disseminate your proposal.

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Week 1

Tuesday 28.3

Wednesday 29.3

Thursday 30.3

Friday 31.3

Morning

Kickoff
09.30-11.00
Introduction about the module, Presentation of the topic, Note on Documentation
JB

11.00-12.00
Ethnographic study
NF

Field Research

Independent Study




11.00-12.00
Exercise: Idea
Generation

JB

Field Research / Independent Study 
Afternoon

Afternoon

13.00-13.45
Brainstorming session
NF

13.0045-1314.4515
Exercise: group building
JB  

1314.4515-14.1545
Renting Equipment
NF

14.1545-15.1530
Get prepared for Field Research
NF

15.0030-
Initial Field Research 

13.00-14.00
Group presentations:
First Impressions
JB, NF

14.00-15.00
Sense Making (AEIO)
NF

15.00-
Independent Study 


13.00-1415.00
Mentoring: Sense Making and Clustering
NF

14.00-15.00
Exercise: Idea Generation
JB

15.00-15.30
Going (Going Back to the Field)
NF

15.3000-
Field Research

13.00-15.00
Group presentations: Inspirations and Field Research
JB, NF

Week 2

Tuesday 4.4

Wednesday 5.4

Thursday 6.4

Friday 7.4

Morning

09.30-11.30
Theory Class - IAD Method
JB


09.30-12.00
Mentoring: Narrowing
Down

NF

Independent Study 

Independent Study:
Preparation of presentation

Afternoon

13.00-13.15
Expectations for the week
JB

13.15-15.30
Exercise: Very rapid prototyping
JB

15.30-16.00
Group Presentations: mock-ups
JB, NF 

Independent Study:
Desk-based Research
(Related work,
state of the art)

Independent Study 

13.00-15.00
Group presentations: Related Work and Production Plan for the next 4 weeks
JB, NF

Week 3

Tuesday 11.4

Wednesday 12.4

Thursday 13.4

Friday 14.4

Morning

09.30-11.30 
Theory Class - IAD Method
JB

11.30-12.30
Mentoring: Protyping
JB

Independent Study 

09.30-12.00
Mentoring
JB

Holiday

Afternoon

13.00-15.00
Exercise: Prototyping Ideas
JB

15.00-
Independent Study 

Independent Study 

13.00-15.00
Group presentations:
Prototype IdeasPrototypes
JB

Week 4

Tuesday 18.4

Wednesday 19.4

Thursday 20.4

Friday 21.4

Morning

09.30-12.00 
Mentoring: Storytelling
JB

Independent Study

Independent Study

09.30-12.00
Group presentations:
Storytelling
NF 

Afternoon

13.00-15.00
Exercise: Storytelling
JB

13.00-16.00
Mentoring
JB

Independent Study

13.00-16.00
Mentoring: Storyboards
NF

Week 5

Tuesday 25.4

Wednesday 26.4

Thursday 27.4

Friday 28.4


Reading Week

Reading Week

Mentoring: Video production (optional) 
NF 

Reading Week

Reading Week


Week 6

Tuesday 2.5

Wednesday 3.5

Thursday 4.5

Friday 5.5

Morning

09.30-12.00
Group presentations:
Back from the reading week
JB, NF 
09.30-12.00
Mentoring
JB
09.30-12.00
Mentoring: Editing
NF

09.30-12.00
Final Group presentations
JB, NF 

Afternoon

13.00-16.00
Mentoring: Editing
NF
Independent StudyIndependent Study


JB: Joëlle Bitton, NF: Nicole Foesterl

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