A . Y .

2 0 2 3 / 2 0 2 3

Master of Arts | U S E R E X P E R I E N C E D E S I G N |

C O U R S E P R O G R A M

Sustainable Interaction Design

Paolo Atzori 2022

 Sustainable Interaction Design

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INTERACTION DESIGN
S U S T A I N A B L E
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 COURSE THEME
‘IT’S NOT DESIGN UNLESS IT’S SUSTAINABLE’

The natu re o f Design has alw ays been related to the so c io -tec hno lo gic al f o rc es o f its tim e. In the last dec ade, the im pac t o f inf o r m atio n and
c o m m u nic atio n tec hno lo g ies (I CT) has inf lu enc ed ever y so c ial, ec o no m ic and c u ltu ral asp ec t.
These tec hno lo gies ac t as env iro nm ental and anthro po lo gic al f o rc es, per vasively deter m ining interac tio ns w ith physic al and intellec tu al reality.
S ta r ting f ro m the c o nsid era tio n tha t the ec o l o gi c a l c ri s i s is the greatest planetar y em ergenc y and bear ing in m ind that 80% o f the
env iro nm ental im pac t o f ever yday pro du c ts, ser v ic es and infrastr u c tu res is already deter m ined in the design phase, the m ain q u estio n o f
design is how to im prove our lives and our e nv ironm e nt si gnifi cantl y.
The pro gram o f 2023 c o u r se is f o c u sed o n u nder standing the inter relatio nships betw een man , en v i ro n men t a n d ICT, o n im a g ining , c o nc eiv ing ,
and exper im enting interac tions through a spec ific m ethodology (E n v i ro n me n t Ce n tre d D e s i gn ) and transd isc iplinar y approac h, pur suing a
design c entered o n m an but above a ll on en viro nm enta l sus tai nabi li ty. The backbone of the course is indeed focused on the l i n k betw een
en v i ro n men ta l s us t a i n a b i l i t y a nd the en a b l i n g tec hn o l o gi es o f the f o u r th ind u str ia l revo lu tio n; ho w tec hno lo g ies c a n b e u sed to d es i gn
i n t era c t i ve sy stem s 4. 0, the so -c alled cybe r-phys i cal s ys te ms (CPS), w hic h are essentially the new produc ts and ser v ic es of the digital
revo l u t i o n , to i m p rove t h e u s e o f n a t u ra l re s o u rc e s a n d p ro m o t e m o re s u s t a i n a b l e a c t i o n s .
The planning par t o f the c o u r se refer s to an intelligent c ity m o del c alled "E nhanc ed City "; an idea o f the c ity o f the Fo u r th Indu str ial Revo lu tio n,
an operational c onc ept that c om bines the idea of 'sm ar t' w ith those of a c reative and c ultural c ity, in w hic h the for m of 'intelligenc e' der ives
su bstantially f ro m the u r ban im plem entatio n o f enabling tec hno lo gies f o r a su stainable interc o nnec ted c ity o f the 4. 0 era.

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 USER
EXPERIENCE
DESIGN

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
ARCHITECTURE

U X / I x D TRANSDISCIPLINARY
MULTIMEDIA

FRAMEWORK CONTENT

HUMAN
INDUSTRIAL
DESIGN
FACTORS

VISUAL INTERACTION DESIGN

DESIGN

SOUND
DESIGN

HUMAN
COMPUTER
INTERFACE

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 CONTENTS

TRAINING
OBJECTIVES METHODOLOGY

1 2

BIBLIOGRAPHY PREREQUISITES

6 IxDs 3

ASSIGNMENTS & E D U C AT I O N A L
EXAM GOALS

5 4

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1
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
⁃ The course highlights the main strategies and representation techniques for the development
and communication of an Interaction Design project.
Students will learn how to use new tools and apply techniques collaboratively through a project
that will be started together with the teacher in the second half of the course and which will be
concluded with the presentation to the exam. These are the main objectives:
⁃ acquire an autonomy of reading and understanding of emerging techno-scientific processes
and stimulate the formation of a personal idea on the transformations taking place, also in
relation to the more general cultural trends
⁃ learn the practice of Interaction Design in the context of a practical and collaborative project:
work in teams to solve complex problems and create interactive, innovative and sustainable
experiences, services and products by implementing the specific plans of Human Computer
Interaction (HCI): User Experience (UX) User Interface (UI), Interaction Design (IxD), Information
Architecture (IA)
⁃ achieve a specific preparation for the realisation of an interactive prototype in one of the
design fields presented during the lessons
⁃ p r o v i d e t r a i n i n g i n t r a n s d i s c i p l i n a r i t y, t e a m w o r k i n g a n d p r o j e c t m a n a g e m e n t , k n o w i n g h o w t o
lead, share and communicate a project, encouraging the decision-making, creative and
management skills of the study group
⁃ enhance the soft skills and adaptability of individual students; knowing how to propose
innovative solutions that respect the criteria of sustainability and inclusiveness
⁃ increase critical knowledge on environmental sustainability by examining the objectives of the
UN Agenda 2030.

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 2
ME THODOLOGY

The methodology of the Interaction Design course is based on a reworking of the conceptual

structure of D e s i g n T h i n k i n g integrated with the D o u b l e D i a m o n d process as defined by the

British Design Council. The main change consists in assuming the centrality not only of man but

also and above all the environment to define a coherent sustainable design.

The resulting method is called E n v i ro n m e n t C e n t r e d D e s i g n ( E C D ) .

Interaction design planning is based on 3 fundamental principles: Sustainability, Circular

Economy and Digital Sovereignty and it is carried out by - iteratively- going through all the

phases of the design methodology: research, ideation, wireframing/prototyping, testing and

implementation.

To m e e t t h e s u s t a i n a b i l i t y r e q u i r e m e n t s a n d d e s i g n c o m p a t i b l e i n t e ra c t i v e s y s t e m s , s o m e u s e f u l

models will be introduced, such as footprints (Carbon, Eco, Water), urban metabolism, human

exposome and characteristics of Industry 4.0 such as Digital Twins and CPSS (Cyber-Physical-

Social-System).

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METHOD

USER Centered Design HUMAN Centered Design ENVIRONMENT Centered Design

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PREREQUISITES
Prerequisites of the course are to have hard/soft skills in at least one of the 7 fields listed below:

• 1 k n o w l e d g e o f U X / U I d e s i g n t o o l s f o r w i r e f r a m i n g a n d p r o t o t y p i n g ( F i g m a , I n V i s i o n , F r a m e r,
P r i n c i p l e , U x P i n , S k e t c h , M a z e , M a r v e l , A d o b e X D, P r o t o P i e , W i r e f r a m e . c c , A x u r e )
• 2 k n o w l e d g e o f t h e m a i n I n t e r f a c e D e s i g n p l a t f o r m s ( M a x - M s p , V V V V, To u c h D e s i g n e r, P r o c e s s i n g
/ P5)
• 3 k n o w l e d g e o f I n t e r a c t i o n D e s i g n p r o g r a m m i n g l a n g u a g e s ( J a v a , P h y t o n , U n i t y, H T M L , C S S ,
JavaScript, Swift)
• 4 knowledge of new digital representation techniques (data visualization, 3D simulation, graphics
and generative video)
• 5 k n o w l e d g e o f I n t e r n e t O f T h i n g s C l o u d D e s i g n ( A r d u i n o , R a s p b e r r y , S e n s o r N e t w o r k s , L o R a WA N ,
etc.)
• 6 have completed design experiences in the multimedia field with interdisciplinary methods and
practices
• 7 Having completed studies in Humanistic, Social, Cognitive, Environmental, Psychological,
Philosophical Sciences; have knowledge of the theoretical and cultural field of interaction and
media design

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E D U C AT I O N A L G O A L S
The c o u r se highlights the m ain strategies and representatio n tec hniq u es f o r the develo pm ent and
c o m m u nic atio n o f the p ro jec t. S tu d ents w ill lear n ho w to u se to o ls and ap p ly tec hniq u es thro u g h a
project t hat w ill be star ted together w ith the t eacher in the second half of the course and w hich w ill be
c o nc lu d ed w ith the p resentatio n to the exam . These are the m ain o b jec tives:
• ac q uire an autonom y of reading and under standing of em erging tec hno-sc ientific proc esses and
stim u late the f o r m atio n o f a per so nal idea o n the transf o r m atio ns taking plac e, also in relatio n to the
m o re general c u ltu ral trends
• lear n the prac tic e o f Interac tio n Design in the c o ntext o f a prac tic al and c o llabo rative pro jec t: w o r k in
team s to so lve c o m plex pro blem s and c reate interac tive, innovative and su stainable exper ienc es,
ser v ic es and pro du c ts by im plem enting the spec if ic plans o f Hu m an Co m pu ter Interac tio n (HCI): U ser
E xp er ienc e (U X ) U ser I nter f ac e (U I ), I nterac tio n Desig n (I xD), I nf o r m atio n A rc hitec tu re (I A )
• ac hieve a spec ific preparation for the realization of an interac tive prototype in one of the design
f ie ld s p re se n te d d u r in g th e le sso n s
• provi de training in interdisciplinarity, team w orking and project m anagem ent, know i ng how to lead,
share and c o m m u nic ate a pro jec t, enc o u raging the dec isio n-m aking, c reative and m anagem ent skills
o f the stu d y g ro u p
• enhanc e the so ft skills and adaptability o f indiv idu al stu dents; kno w ing ho w to pro po se innovative
so lu tio ns that respec t the c r iter ia o f su stainability and inc lu siveness
• inc rease c r itic al kno w ledge o n env iro nm ental su stainability by exam ining the o bjec tives o f the U N
A g end a 2030.

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 MIRO INFOGRAM
01 Collaborative Digital Whiteboard 04 infographic and visualization

I x D C O U R S E

TOOLS 02
SLACK
Cloud-based project collaboration &
team interaction software
05
TOUCHDESIGNER
Integrated Interface Design
Environment

FIGMA ARDUINO Cloud

03 Ux/Ui Wireframing & Prototyping 06 IoT Interface Design

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EXAM PROJECT
▪ As previously mentioned, the theme of the exam is Enhanced City, the

city of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

▪ Due to the fundamental transdisciplinary nature of Interaction Design

course, both research and prototyping will be carried out in groups.

▪ Student teams will develop a project of new urban systems and

services, operated by interactive interfaces and applications, made up

of sensors connected to IoT networks, Artificial Intelligence systems,

Augmented Reality scenarios, digital twins models, etc.:

the city implementation of the enabling technologies of Industry 4.0.

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1 2
S e l f p o r t ra i t
▪ The first task consists in
the sketch of a digital self-
portrait to be created with a
technique chosen
student;
(maximum score: 3/30)
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ASSIGNMENTS
•During the course there are will be 3 tests;
•at least 2 revisions are foreseen during the planning, carried out by the teacher for each team.
•The nal grade will be determined by the sum of the points obtained on each test, together with the evalua on of the exam.
•To reach the maximum score, it is advised to read at least one of the texts indicated in the course bibliography.
3
Team Building & Research P ro j e c t D e v e l o p m e n t
▪ An intermediate test will follow; ▪ The plan defined in the first
after forming the teams, through a assignment will form the basis
brainstorming, the students will for the third test which
by the decide which themes and problems consists in the design and
to address with their projects. implementation of a prototype.
By adopting the methodology of the The interaction design process
course, they will start the research will follow an iterative path, in
phase, ending with the conception of which, the skills acquired in
the project to be carried out in the the other UX courses will be
next assignment. The result will be applied to create a coherent,
exposed by the team in an intuitive and emotionally
interactive multimedia presentation. engaging experience.
(maximum score: 7/30) (maximum score: 18/30)
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
• [ 1] Br y n j o l f sso n , E r i k - M c A fe e , - A n d re w, T h e S e c o n d - M a c h i n e - A g e , 2014
• [ 2] C o o p e r A l a n ,   R e i m a n n R o b e r t ,   C ro n i n D av i d , A b o u t Fa c e 3: T h e E sse n t i a l s o f I n t e ra c t i o n
Design, 2016
• [ 3]   G a r re t t J e sse J a m e s, T h e E l e m e n t s o f U se r E xp e r i e n c e U se r - C e n t e re d D e si g n f o r t h e We b
and Beyond, 2011
• [ 4]  va n D i j c k , J o se : T h e C u l t u re o f C o n n e c t i v i t y, Oxf o rd U . P. 2013
• [ 5] F l o r i d i Lu c i a n o , L a Qu a r t a R i vo l u zi o n e , R a f f a e l l o C o r t i n a , 2017
• [ 6] F l o r i d i Lu c i a n o , Pe n sa re l ’ I n f o sfe ra , R a f f a e l l o C o r t i n a , 2020
• [ 7] Fr i e ss Pe t e r, Ve r m e sa n Ov i d i u , Bu i l d i n g t h e H y p e rc o n n e c t e d S o c i e t y, I E R C 2015
• [ 8] Fr y To n y, D e si g n f u t u r i n g su st a i n a b i l i t y ; e t h i c s a n d n e w p ra c t i c e , BE R G 2009
• [ 9] G i ova g n o l i M a x, Tra n sm e d i a . S to r y t e l l i n g e c o m u n i c a zi o n e , A p o g e o 2013
• [ 10] J e n k i n s H e n r y, C u l t u ra C o n ve rg e n t e , A p o g e o 2007
• [ 11] M a e d a J o h n , L e l e g g i d e l l a se m p l i c i t à , I S BN 88- 424- 2005- 0, Br u n o M o n d a d o r i 2006
• [ 12] M o g g r i d g e Bi l l , D e si g n i n g i n t e ra c t i o n , T h e M IT P re ss 2007
• [ 13] M o o re J a so n , A n t h ro p o c e n e o r C a p i t a l o c e n e , K a i ro s- P M P re ss, 2016
• [ 14] T i m o t h y M o r to n , H y p e ro b j e c t s: P h i l o so p h y a n d Ec o l o g y a f t e r t h e E n d o f t h e Wo r l d ,
U niver sity o f M inneso ta Press, 2013
• [ 15] N o r m a n , D o n a l d , I l d e si g n d e l f u t u ro , I S BN 978- 88- 503- 2634- 1, A p o g e o 2008
• [ 16]   R o g e r s Yvo n n e ,   S h a r p H e l e n ,   P re e c e J e n n y, I n t e ra c t i o n D e si g n : Beyo n d H u m a n - C o m p u t e r
I n tera cti on , J oh n Wi l ey & So n s , 2015
• [ 17] R u sh k o f f D o u g l a s, P re se n t S h o c k : W h e n Eve r y t h i n g H a p p e n s N o w, Pe n g u i n 2013
• [ 18] S a f fe r D a n , D e si g n i n g f o r I n t e ra c t i o n C re a t i n g S m a r t A p p l i c a t i o n s a n d C l eve r D ev i c e s, A I G A
2006
• [ 19] S c h w a b K l a u s, l a q u a r t a r i vo l u zi o n e i n d u st r i a l e , W E F 2016
• [ 20] W i l so n S t e p h e n , I n f o r m a t i o n A r t s: I n t e r se c t i o n s o f A r t , S c i e n c e , a n d Te c h n o l o g y M IT, 2010
• [ 21] Zu b o f f S h o sh a n a , T h e A g e o f S u r ve i l l a n c e C a p i t a l i sm , 2019

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