Talk

MA Design Research, Writing and Criticism presents a talk by improvisational engineer, interaction designer and technology investigator Dan Chen.

What is Intimacy without humanity? The desire to create relationships and environments that make us feel comfortable, provide a sense of security, and facilitate sensations of belonging, is inherent to human nature. Human to human interaction is critical to mental and physical health, but how about human to machine interaction? Does replacing our most intimate human relationships with machine interactions rob our life of its meaning?

Dan Chen has master degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA in communication design. He has over seven years of design experience and now works at Johnson & Johnson as senior interaction designer. Previous positions include senior interaction designer at IDEO, product designer and developer at The Economist Group. His personal work has been featured in CNET, The Huffington Post, The Verge and Engadget. Dan was a speaker at TEDx Vienna on the future of intimacy in 2016. His work is included in "Hello, Robot: Design between Human and Machine" exhibitions in Vitra Design Museum, MAK Wien and Design Museum Gent. Working in the realms of robotics, communication design, interaction design and product design, Dan explores the new ways of communication and human experience through working prototypes and storytelling, inviting a reflective evaluation and implication.