Training As a Designer

Interaction designers do not often come from the ranks of programmers, but are nonetheless technically savvy people. Non-technical people cannot imagine the wonderful new things that computers can do for us. Non-technical people do not understand the delicate balance between a CPU with time on its hands and one rushing to complete ten million instructions before the user's next keystroke. The non-technical people will have our computers treating us in the same lousy way they already do, but with prettier pictures. It is not obvious what computers can do for us. It takes natural talent, skill, training, and experience.

Pursuing academic training

In the last several years, programs across the country have begun offering courses in interaction design. Even so, interaction design is a new discipline that is still being defined in the academic setting. There are only a few institutions in the world offering graduate degree programs specifically in interaction design, and although their curricula share similarities, they are by no means standardized (which may very well be a good thing). Most of these and other computer-related, human-computer interaction (HCI), or new media design programs are outgrowths of either art schools or technical departments (often architecture or computer science departments) at larger institutions, each of which brings its own history, perspective, and preconceptions to its teaching approach.

There isn't yet agreement (although this is, happily, starting to change) in the academic community about what the core elements of an interaction design curriculum should be, or how to approach the teaching of that curriculum. Art schools tend to approach interaction design as a means of personal or brand expression rather than as an approach to solving product definition and usability problems; technical departments tend to teach interaction design from the perspective of exploring and implementing technologies rather than discovering and addressing human goals. Programs that emphasize HCI techniques tend to focus on cognitive theory and user research, with less emphasis on design methods and practices (the craft of design). Many design programs still focus on tools rather than methods, but that too is changing.

More universities still teach empirical usability engineering and empirical HCI than teach design. But this is changing, and more and more interaction designers are graduating from university programs every day.

Many academic institutions with new or established interaction design and HCI programs are beginning to develop an understanding of interaction design and the qualities and skills required of interaction designers. Some of the most forward-thinking of these institutions include:

  • Carnegie Mellon University

  • Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology

  • Interaction Design Institute Ivrea

  • New York University, Interactive Telecommunications Program

  • North Carolina State University

  • University of Art and Design Helsinki

  • University of California, Berkeley Institute of Design

  • Virginia Commonwealth University

Other paths

Do you really need a Master's degree or Ph.D. to practice interaction design? There are advantages to rigorous studio training combined with adequate breadth of courses (in art, business, humanities, and science), to be sure. But some things, as in any discipline, can't easily be taught. Empathy with users and the ability to conceptualize working solutions (and then refine them ruthlessly) are difficult skills to teach. Some employers look for people with these talents, regardless of their formal education.

If you are considering interaction design as a possible career shift, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Designers seldom code — if you are attached to programming, all power to you: The world needs more design-sensitive programmers. But unless you have complete control over your projects, you will be short-changing your users by trying to design and develop at the same time — it's a conflict of interest. So, if you can't stomach the thought of abandoning programming, interaction design may not be for you.

  • Usability research is tremendously important, but it isn't design. It identifies problems, but doesn't (except at the most detailed level) suggest solutions. Can you envision and refine broad and detailed solutions, or are you more comfortable extracting facts from known situations? If the latter suits you better, usability may be a better focus for your interests.

  • Temperament is important. The best interaction designers are interested in everything and willing (even eager) to immerse themselves in unfamiliar territories to learn and absorb. They are also very concerned about people as individuals and the human condition in general.

  • Designers all need some basic skills; interaction designers should be able to draw or write well (doing both is rare and valued) and must be able to communicate superbly with both their colleagues and their clients. The toughest skill to acquire is that combination of creative insight and analytical thinking that is the hallmark of a great interaction designer.

No matter what the basis of your training is, as a design practitioner, you'll need to work closely with people in other roles within a larger development team. In all likelihood, you will need to be the agent of change in your organization to get people thinking in a goal-directed fashion. It's an uphill struggle, but one that offers great personal and organizational rewards. Getting recognition of your authority is key, but this means you'll need to deliver on several responsibilities.




About Face 2.0(c) The Essentials of Interaction Design
About Face 2.0(c) The Essentials of Interaction Design
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2006
Pages: 263

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