Course Description
This design research studio course (INF3130H – Interactive Design Studio) examines interactive technology design in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW), and related fields, highlighting key polemical moments that have influenced technology design and design research methodologies. The course begins by examining how the field has historically recognized its limits, particularly in understanding the disconnect between technical systems and their social contexts, as well as the methods employed for usability evaluation. Topics may include value-sensitive design and the integration of ethical considerations into technology design methods; persuasive design, highlighting the opportunities and challenges of designing for behaviour change; the reflective, critical, and participatory turns in HCI; the development of postcolonial approaches to design; labour issues in technology; and the history of critical technical practice-approaches to rethinking technology design.
The seminar concludes with an investigation of contemporary design paradigms that challenge assumptions about growth, participation, and alternative futures in technology. Students will undertake or further develop their own design research project and respond to weekly readings in a design workbook, articulating their reflections to polemical moments through open-ended, speculative design proposals, analysis, and reflection.
This course fulfills the “Design, Applied, and Creative Practice” area of the PhD curriculum.