Introduction to Interaction Design

The course "Introduction to Interaction Design" is offered by Professor Fu Zhiyong from the Department of Information Art and Design at the School of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University. The course delves into the theory and practice of interactive design. Emphasize the learning of interaction design concepts, history and development, design tools, experiential design, participatory design, social design, and design ethics among students, guide them to construct a complete knowledge system, and improve their academic research abilities.

In practice, by studying the relationships between people, people and places, and people and products, one can master design methods from the perspective of user research, and pay attention to the impact of future technology on design, exploring design possibilities under future trends.

In the learning process, we prioritize theoretical and industry current situations that can have a macro perception effect, as well as practical parts that are easy for students to get started with. Gradually delving into the branches of disciplines in the mid-term to present a knowledge system and design methods that combine industry practice. In the later stage, students will concentrate on using basic methods and guiding innovative tools to output design results that conform to design trends.

The course lasts for eight weeks. Every Tuesday afternoon from 1:30 to 4:45 is a time for 21 friends and teachers to gather together. During group assignments, students are divided into five groups to discuss and create.

Teaching assistants Yu Yan and Gao Songling participated in the design of course content and the preparation of teaching aids for this course.

Teaching instructors and sharing guests

Teaching mode

Integrated teaching

From the beginning to the end of the course, the global pandemic has been raging, and some students and guests are unable to come to the school to learn and share. In the classroom, integrated teaching and synchronous communication between online and offline teaching were adopted. The special situation has also honed the ability of students to cooperate within the group.

Multi scenario teaching

The course provides students with channels to absorb knowledge and skills from different cognitive perspectives and practical scenarios. Guide students to establish their own design tools, learn independently through peer cooperation, and explain skill reserves from the perspective of actual business needs.

Bidirectional discussion

Previous research papers focused on the research framework provided by the teacher, with students focusing on individual readings and presentations. This year, the online sharing of research results by students and interactive classroom questioning have enabled students to constantly think and collide during reading and discussion, resulting in significant teaching gains.

In class and after class, students start with product case studies. Then gradually delve into literature, cutting-edge markets, and laboratory research to enhance understanding of interaction design in practice and theory. Afterwards, students establish the connection between concepts, knowledge, and practical design by building a knowledge graph. At the end of the course, based on these research findings, we conducted a future workshop on creating designs for new humans, integrating the imagination and creativity of our classmates.

Although the global pandemic was still spreading during the course, with the efforts of the course team, the support of numerous guests, and the wholehearted dedication of students, the course "Introduction to Interaction Design" was successfully concluded! In these 8 weeks, we have gradually accumulated knowledge and skills together, and also experienced the joy of inspiring innovation and teamwork.

Some of the achievements of this course were also presented at the Chengdu Design Future Conference in December.