“Interaction Design is the design of experiences, exchanges and interactions,” explains Gwen Kurtz, program coordinator for the summer intensive in Interaction Design. Often abbreviated to IxD, Interaction Design is a burgeoning, interdisciplinary field that tries to rethink and improve design by studying how people engage with it. From web and app design to ad campaigns in the social media or public sphere, to visualizing data to best communicate to a public, IxD has far ranging applications in many fields.
Taking place over the course of a month, the intensive program allows students to take up to four courses, such as Mobile UX Design and Visualizing Information. These concepts and ideas are applicable to a wide array of disciplines. When asked what kinds of students participate in the program, Gwen shared that, “Students come from backgrounds as diverse as architecture, film, graphic design, writing and industrial design. All with a passion to learn and an interest in exploring interaction design are welcome and encouraged to attend.”
IxD Summer Intensive was started in 2009 by the full-time MFA program in Interaction Design, originally for those interested in eventually pursuing a degree. We spoke with Liz Danzico, founder and chair of the IxD MFA, on why she started the intensive program. “Because Interaction Design students come from such a wide range of backgrounds, we believed people would take the summer program before attending the full MFA program—a kind of boot camp. What we found was that the program was also attractive to early and mid-career professionals who cannot return to school full-time. It became a career booster and energizer for people already in the profession as well.”
As an example of work made in the month-long program, we are featuring Crystal Wang, a student who went on to enroll in the MFA program. She took the Visualizing Information course, and created a fun and engaging visual mapping of the hit TV series, Friends. In an increasingly interconnected world, IxD is becoming an ever more relevant and in-demand field, where an ad or app cannot simply get by on its good looks, but must also have exceptionally good people skills.