Interaction Design Process FS25

eSpring 2024: March 18 - April 19.

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

Nicole Foelsterl
nicole.foelsterl@zhdk.ch

Office hours by appointment 

The module takes place from March 17 - April 18, over 5 weeks, from Monday to Friday each week, 9.00-17.00 (On Mondays, depending on the week, the Method class takes place in mornings or afternoons overlapping with the Process class, and Friday mornings are for your BA theory courses) - See detailed hours in calendar below (room info in Evento). 
**Some sessions may take place via Zoom (although sessions happening both in Zoom and in presence at the same time will not be possible).

Class sessions include lectures, discussions, mentoring sessions, in-class exercises, home assignments and independent study blocks (students are expected to iterate and advance versions in between sessions together).

The studio course runs in parallel with the seminar course "Interaction Design Methods" and is a platform to apply ideas and concepts discussed in the seminar, therefore the two courses are actually an ensemble.
Projects are conducted in groups of 4 students. 

Overview and Objectives

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 field research and user-experience.
In this interaction design process, students work through the several stages of project development: Context/User Inquiry, Concept Generation, Idea Testing, Prototype Development, Evaluation and Concept Iteration. 

Following these stages of observation, creation, and evaluation, we will discuss and apply situated and user-centered methods (eg. bodystorming, context analysis, video scenarios, etc).

This course is project-based and will allow students to have a hands-on experience.
Organised in groups, students will develop innovative design concept for a product, a service or an experience. 

Overarching Topic:

• 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 
• how to apply ethical guidelines in co-design 

The student is expected to produce these final deliverables:

1. A working prototype, user-tested and evaluated
2. The presentation of this interaction design product, service and/or 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, etc.

• Week 2: Idea Transfers
  Researching, Enacting and testing ideas, 
  Methods: sketching, mockups, bodystorming, brainstorming, participatory methods, extreme characters, etc
  
  
• Week 3: Play 
  Creating prototypes and confronting them to the 'real world'
  Methods: cultural probes, participatory methods with mockups, cartoon scenarios, acting out an experience, etc

• Week 4: Stories and users 
  How is your work being evaluated? 
  Methods: forms of evaluation, from user-testing to narratives enacting scenarios
  
  
• Week 5: Production 
  Independent study week: working on your production assignment and setting your own agenda
  Finalising the project 
  
  
• (Week 6: Polishing details/Final Documentation)

Mandatory Assignments

• Final Work

The final outcome of the class is a working prototype, user-tested and demoed/exhibited and presented in context in a short film. For this class, there will be an emphasis on the narrative as a way to disseminate your proposal.

• Home/In-class assignments
  

Throughout the module, various short home & in-class assignments will be given to practice concepts discussed in class.

• Group presentations

Interval group presentations/check-ins each week present the advancement of the group's project and highlight the specific requirements of that week. For some presentations, all the class attends and for 'check-ins', the session is with each group (see calendar below for details).
Each presentation are structured so that each group member will introduce an aspect of the project (all group members are required to attend). On average, the presentation should be 5-7 minutes.
The format is open: 

• • Live sketching
  • Demo with prototyping
  • Classic Slides presentation
  • etc.
    
    
• Week 2 Check-ins requirements:
  Name of group/project
  Knowledge Inquiry
  5 related works
  Lessons learned from the field / probes
  Where do you want to go
  How do you get there (identify roles, needs, actions)
  Prototype 1.0
  
  
• Week 4 First cut of video
  Delivered by Monday 14.4 morning on server

• Journal/Blog

A separate 'Journal' is developed by each student that reflects on learnings from the seminar. It should be in the form of an online blog (ie. WordPress, Tumblr or other):

• • The journal should be structured in a generally comprehensible manner
  • The lecture notes, including annotations, are stored
  • Notes, sketches for each day should be included as well
    
    

Expectations and Grading

Grades will be based on group presentations, class participation, home assignments, documentation (journal) and final work. 
Contributing to constructive group feedback is an essential aspect of class participation.
Regular attendance of 80% is required in all contact sessions. Two or more unexcused absences will affect the final grade. Arriving late on more than one occasion will also affect the grade.

Final work & documentation 50%

Group presentations & mid-assignments 30% 

Journal Documentation 20%

Any mandatory assignment (see above) that remains unfulfilled, the student receives a failing grade.  

Course Materials

The course IAD Design Methods provides the background literature for this class.
Additional readings can be provided as the class progresses.

Teams projects

Calendar

JB: Dr. Joëlle Bitton, NF: Nicole Foesterl