85801 Interactions, Experiences and Atmospheres

Description

Designers decide on the forms of products, environments and experiences. Those decisions are made on the basis of expert ways of noticing the material quality of everyday life. This subject aims to help people without a studio-based design background begin to sense those qualities. Participants develop criteria for judging the quality of those aspects of design.

The first focus of the subject is human-product interactions – what are sometimes called affordances. Students learn to discern the cultural conventions that govern how different kinds of product forms, including those of screen-based environments, attract and even steer certain kinds of interactions by users. The second focus of the subject is situated systems thinking, during which students learn the importance of place to observing, analysing and designing systems. Students consider Indigenous approaches to systems thinking and learn the about the significance of the concept of Country to learning and designing in Australia. The third focus of the subject is design justice, which deals with the complexity of participation, facilitation and consultation in design practice.

Typical availability

Spring session