Teaching and Learning Aesthetics of Interaction

Doctoral thesis, 2010

This dissertation is framed as an action research project, aiming to explore different means of teaching aesthetics of interaction. As such, it consists of a case study describing the work with a course in interaction design entitled “Aesthetics of Interaction”. Different views on aesthetics of interaction are discussed, as well as seeing interaction and temporality as design materials. These are then applied or utilized in design exercises as well as in other aspects of teaching. The result is threefold: - Firstly, the approach to teach, learn and discuss aesthetics of interaction in terms of aesthetic ideals. These are seen as aims of design, and do also illustrate that there is more than one possible, and valid, view on aesthetics of interaction. Six ideals are described; Coherency, Efficiency, Criticism, Sensing, Emotion and Playfulness. - Secondly, a series of design exercises in the form of stand-alone learning objects. They are highlighting various aspects of aesthetics of interaction such as interaction per se, temporality, and of course the different aesthetic ideals. The exercises are thoroughly described with observations on what can be considered hard, examples of outcomes and suggestions on how to skew exercises towards a slightly different aim. - Thirdly, one possible syllabus for teaching aesthetics of interaction. To some extent the case description in itself can be valuable as well since it touches upon many common issues in design teaching.