89031 Interaction Studio: Shifting Imaginaries
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 12 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
In this subject students work as part of an interdisciplinary studio using their specialist design skills. They work with real-world constraints on a range of industry briefs with the intent of developing empathy for various stakeholders and the context within which a problem arises. Students gain an understanding of the 'new practices' of design, including the role of digital in improving service delivery, using data to enhance experiences and delivery and innovative design research practices.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Develop a global understanding of interaction design including micro interactions, the relationship between interactions and different devices and the relationship between interaction, multiple touch-points, service and value |
|---|---|
| 2. | understand human centred design principles and their application to generate meaningful and applicable insights, relevant to a range of stakeholders |
| 3. | Apply an Experience Hierarchy of Needs: Useful, Reliable, Usable, Convenient, Pleasurable and Meaningful |
| 4. | Use design skills in the context of a range of challenging communications contexts to ensure maximum impact |
| 5. | Effectively use different kinds of prototyping techniques and provide a rationale for their role in the research process |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Value for the designer's role as a responsible global citizen, including alertness to the impact of design on environmental ecologies and issues of social justice (A.1)
- Professional attitude to clarity, accuracy and effectiveness of communication (C.1)
- Ability to adapt communication style to context (C.3)
- Capacity for perceptive concept development (I.1)
- Ability to critically appraise, develop or redirect design ideas (I.2)
- Ability to re-imagine human practices and human-technology relations (I.3)
- Ability to actively and independently develop new skills, knowledge and understanding (P.1)
- Possession of a developed aesthetic sensibility (P.2)
- Possession of craft skills appropriate to the discipline (P.3)
- Ability to develop well-supported arguments and rationales (R.1)
Teaching and learning strategies
The aim of this studio is to give students an experience in thinking at a strategic level and position work within a wider social, economic and cultural context. Students will learn to adjust to design problems that continually morph as projects develop, negotiate how design can work collaboratively with other disciplines, engage with committed external stakeholders and have confidence in managing projects.
This design studio involves working closely with experienced academics and/or industry professionals. Assessment is typically project focused group work, with continual creative direction from peers and studio leader. You are expected to participate in class design crits as presenters and audience. Your role in providing feedback to your peers, and in opening yourself to feedback on your own project, will help you to develop good judgment in relation to design development, as well as prepare you to work effectively in design teams in professional practice. During the week, between classes, you will need to significantly develop your project for further presentation, drawing upon ongoing research as well as on the feedback provided in class. There is an expectation of approx. 10 hrs of self-directed project development outside class hours each week.
The nature of the assessment tasks and the expectations set by the studio culture mean that it is essential for students to work extensively outside class: organising interviews with relevant stakeholders, undertaking field trips and various group meetings and workshops.
Feedback
Students will have several opportunities to receive feedback during the subject. The feedback provided will vary in form, purpose and in its degree of formality:
Formative feedback will be provided during the learning process, typically provided verbally by the subject's teaching staff. It will address the content of work and a student's approach to learning, both in general and more specific ‘assessment orientated’ terms. It is designed to help students improve their performance in time for the submission of an assessment item. For this to occur students need to respond constructively to the feedback provided. This involves critically reflecting on advice given and in response altering the approach taken to a given assessment. Formative feedback may also, on occasion, be provided by other students. It is delivered informally, either in conversation during a tutorial or in the course of discussion at the scale of the whole class. It is the student’s responsibility to record any feedback given during meetings or studio sessions.
Summative feedback is provided in written form with all assessed work. It is published along with indicative grades online at UTS REVIEW. Summative feedback focuses on assessment outcomes. It is used to indicate how successfully a student has performed in terms of specific assessment criteria.
It is the student’s responsibility to record any feedback given during meetings. This will assist in how iterative development can be accessed and ultimately assessed.
Content (topics)
The studio is structured according to the following principles:
- design briefs present wicked problems with conflicting considerations;
- briefs have many points of entry, allowing students to propose their own approach;
- external briefs and stakeholders make the projects real and provide specialised knowledge;
- project length,
- group size and discipline mix defined according to project briefs;
- educators and external stakeholders provide regular,
- targeted guidance rather than students following a set methodology
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Interim presentation
| Intent: | Depending on the studio focus, you will undertake a specific design brief that either works towards strengthening your portfolio or building skills that are relevant to design practice and industry. Assessment criteria and a detailed explanation of the rationale by which they are informed is also included in the brief. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3 and 4 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.3, P.1, P.2 and R.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Project | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 40% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Final presentation
| Intent: | Depending on the studio focus, you will undertake a specific design brief that either works towards strengthening your portfolio or building skills that are relevant to design practice and industry. Assessment criteria and a detailed explanation of the rationale by which they are informed is also included in the brief. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): A.1, C.1, C.3, I.1, I.2, I.3, P.3 and R.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 60% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
Records of lecture attendence is kept. It is essential to make the best use of tutorial time by being adequately prepared.
The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.
It is a requirement of this subject that all students complete OPELA [or a written diagnostic task]. Students who received a Basic grade in the OPELA [or the written diagnostic task] are required to attend 80% of the Language Development Tutorials in order to pass the subject. Students who do not complete the OPELA and/or do not attend 80% of the Language Development Tutorials will receive a W (result Withheld) grade. This grade can be lifted when students complete a Language Development Intensive (LDI) or Language Development Online (LDO).