Creative processes for project-based research in interactive media

Part B of the MSC702 unit

This course aims to provide a set of conceptual and
methodological tools to facilitate the design process
for interactive media. These creative processes and
research methods are practiced in the context of a project brief,
for which students are expected to produce novel concepts
illustrated by mock up prototypes.
The Macromedia Flash program is introduced
as a prototyping tool, however students are encouraged to use
any other tools they are familiar with to produce the project.

This project is focusing on how we can communicate
a sense of other people's presence through design.
The project encourages a thorough investigation
in the design of presence-enabled technologies and
the social aspects of computing.
One of the main avenues of research for the project
focuses on how we can design interactive media
that reflect social processes and patterns
of human communication.
Through exploration of the concept of presence,
the project introduces the creative space
mapped by emerging technologies,
location-positioning, connectivity, people,
cooperation and communication practices.
In view of these developments, the project asks:
how does design communicate presence
and how can we experience other people's presence
in different contexts of everyday life?
And how does the context and location affect this experience?

 Outcomes

 Conceptual

* Students employ a set of design research methods
to explore emotional and behavioural aspects of presence
  and identify ways to connect with people crossing the
  boundaries of the physical and virtual world.

* Through design processes students identify the notion
  of collective presence in the context of everyday
  urban living and produce concepts for interactive
  products exploiting this sense of awareness.

 Practical

The creative process should be documented in the form
of sketches and storyboards in a sketchbook,
which will be submitted as part of the project.
A repository of group work produced in the studio session
will be uploaded online at learn.gold in a course-specific wiki
to facilitate ongoing collaboration and concept development.
Students are asked to submit a mock up prototype
or interactive user-scenario illustrating
their solution to the design brief,
using Macromedia Flash or other interactive media tools.

 Recommended reading

Week 1:

•   Lecture: Exploring the context of Design 1. Introduction to the design brief. Design ethnography and context mapping techniques.
• Workshop: Practice observation (40 minutes) followed by context mapping (40 minutes).
• Follow-up work: Identify a domain of interest for the project and continue working on context maps. Upload the maps online for sharing (wiki site for the course).
  

Week 2:

•   Lecture: Creative Process: role-playing, prototyping, personas and scenarios.
• Workshop: Create a character (sketching/cards) and brainstorm on his/her daily life. Develop concepts in response to the design brief through sketching, storyboarding or video.
• Follow-up work: Concept development in the sketchbook using collage and drawing.
  

Week 3:

•   Lecture: Exploring the context of Design 2. Introduction to generative design research techniques ('context of design' processes). Theory: Smart Mobs, Ubicomp and where it all comes together: technologies for collaboration and social play.
• Workshop: Use characters and ideas from previous weeks' work to develop the context of design (cards on map). Spiral dynamics.
• Follow-up work: Complete the contextual framework upload it online.
  

Week 4:

•   Lecture: Introduction to the Flash MX environment (working with the timeline, buttons, movie clips and animation techniques)
• Workshop: Exercises using the program.
  

Week 5:

• Lecture: Introduction to Actionscript (events, target paths, user interaction)
• Workshop: Exercises using the program.
  

Week 6:

• Lecture: More Flash and using Flash as a prototyping tool.
• Workshop: Students develop their project.
  

Week 7:

• Project presentations: 15--20 minutes each; students present their projects followed by a discussion.
• Discussion -- sum-up activity: Adaptation and use of some generative design research techniques in future projects
  

For more details, contact Yanna Vogiazou
(y.vogiazou at gold dot ac dot uk) or check our website:

http://doc.gold.ac.uk/mscac/ .

Last update: June 10, 2006.