VCD 331 | Course Introduction and Application Information - Department of Visual Communication Design

Course Name

Interaction Design Fundamentals

Code	Semester	Theory (hour/week)	Application/Lab (hour/week)	Local Credits	ECTS
VCD 331	Fall	3	0	3	4

Prerequisites	None
Course Language	English
Course Type	Required
Course Level	First Cycle
Mode of Delivery	face to face
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course	Discussion Q&A Critical feedback Role Playing Application: Experiment / Laboratory / Workshop Lecture / Presentation
National Occupation Classification	-
Course Coordinator	-
Course Lecturer(s)	Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Daniele SAVASTA
Assistant(s)	Araş. Gör. Sena ADALI

Course Objectives	This course aims to develop the understanding of goal-directed design processes and the fundamental principles of interaction design in students and to show its contemporary applications.
Learning Outcomes	The students who succeeded in this course; Explore a range of formal and conceptual issues including user interface, organization, narrative, motion, time and sound. Explore user testing and research methods for generative, participatory and evaluative stages of interaction design. Execute design concepts unique to user-centered interaction in digital media. Design human-technology/human-human interactions that integrate objects, environments, or on-screen controls/information. Develop goal-directed projects that improve human-technology interactions.
Course Description	Interaction design, as a relatively new field, deals with the human-computer, human-technology and human-human interactions and recognizes the need to balance not only technology issues but also business, design and social ones. In order to be a better interaction/visual communication designer, one must integrate knowledge from a variety of disciplines including: engineering, programming, storytelling, psychology, anthropology, sociology, information design, visual design, art and design history, typography, illustration, photography, architecture, marketing, projects, people and client management and design thinking. Interaction design focuses on something that traditional design disciplines do not often explore: The design of behavior. In this course, the students will be exploring interaction design studies and examples to get an understanding of how to develop products, services and environments in our contemporary society with user needs in mind. It is important for visual communication designers to understand the interactive nature of today’s communication and to be able to design according to its principles.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

Course Category	Core Courses	X
	Major Area Courses
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
1	Familiarity: on the course and on interaction design as a practice and discipline
2	Interfaces: the interface as the object of design	Verplank B. (2006) “Chapter 2”, in Designing Interactions.
3	People: the inclusion of people from user to actors, to ecologies, introduction to methodologies for research	Crampton Smith G. (2006) “Preface”, in Designing Interactions. Crampton Smith G. (2014) “Keynote”, at Interaction14.
4	Thoughts: mental model, affordances, signifier, gestalt and psychology role in interfaces	Cooper, A. et al. (2014) “Modeling User: Personas and Goals”, in About face: The essentials of interaction design.
5	Representation: mapping and metaphors for visual content	Norman, D. (2013) “The psychopathology of everyday things”, in The Design of Everyday Things.
6	Principles: rules and tips for creating effective interfaces	Roth, RE. (2017) “Visual Variables” in The International Encyclopedia of Geography.
7	Posture: behavior of devices and ecologies	Hess, W. (2010) “Guiding Principles for UX Designers” in UX Magazine. “Design Principles” (2024). Interaction Design Foundation Encyclopedia
8	Midterm Week	Presentation of Study Booklet and Study Boards
9	Hyper: the web and its patterns	Cooper, A. et al. (2014) “Platform and Posture”, in About face: The essentials of interaction design
10	Flow: organizing time-based products, repetition and transformation	Tidwell, J. et al. (2020) “Organizing the Content: Information Architecture and Application Structure” in Designing Interfaces
11	Atoms: ui libraries, components	Tidwell, J. et al. (2020) “Getting Around: Navigation, Signposts, and Wayfinding” in Designing Interfaces
12	Harmony: participatory actions and services	Tidwell, J. et al. (2020) “User Interface and Atomic Design” in Designing Interfaces
13	Transition: design in time of crisis	Slingerland, G.; Wang, Gubing (2024) “Co-design for change: Propositions and dilemmas”
14	Now: future of the practice and new areas of research	Terry Irwin \| Transition Design: Design for Systems-Level Change Irwin, T. et al. (2019) “Transition Design: An Educational Framework for Advancing the Study and Design of Sustainable Transitions”
15	Review of the semester
16	Review of the semester

Course Notes/Textbooks

Cooper, A. et al. (2014) About face: The essentials of interaction design. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

Norman, D. (2013) The design of everyday things. New York: Basic Books.

Portigal, S. and Burge, J.D. (2023) Interviewing users: How to uncover compelling insights. New York: Rosenfeld Media.

Tidwell, J., Brewer, C. and Valencia, A. (2020) Designing interfaces: Patterns for effective interaction design. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media.

Suggested Readings/Materials

Goodwin, K. (2009) Designing for the digital age: How to create human-centered products and services. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Pub.

Semester Activities	Number	Weigthing
Participation	1	10
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques		-
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments	1	20
Presentation / Jury	1	70
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm
Final Exam
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade	3	100
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
Total

Semester Activities	Number	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Theoretical Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours)	16	3	48
Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: '.16.' x total hours)	16		0
Study Hours Out of Class	1	14	14
Field Work			0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques		-	0
Portfolio			0
Homework / Assignments	1	14	14
Presentation / Jury	1	32	32
Project			0
Seminar / Workshop			0
Oral Exam			0
Midterms			0
Final Exam			0
		Total	108

#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	* Contribution Level
#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To be able to apply the fundamental principles of design in creating visual narratives and messages, using physical and digital media,	-	-	-	-	-
2	To attain complex problem-solving skills, using various design methods,	-	-	-	X	-
3	To have a clear understanding of creative/art direction,	-	-	-	-	-
4	To be able to use the advanced theoretical and applied knowledge attained in the areas of Visual Communication Design,	-	-	-	-	-
5	To act with social and ethical awareness and to take responsibility, both individually and collectively, for developing aesthetic and effective design solutions,	X	-	-	-	-
6	To be able to investigate, interpret and evaluate the developments on Visual Communication Design in the world and in Turkey,	X	-	-	-	-
7	To have an advanced level of knowledge and experience in producing/editing still and moving images,	-	-	-	-	-
8	To attain proficiency in using related software, media, and communication technologies,	-	-	-	-	-
9	To gain reflexive and critical thinking abilities,	-	-	-	X	-
10	To undertake self-directed and continuous education in the discipline, to develop a lifelong learning attitude,	-	-	-	-	-
11	To be able to collect data in the areas of Visual Communication Design and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1),	-	-	-	-	-
12	To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently,	-	-	-	-	-
13	To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout the human history to their field of expertise.	-	-	-	-	-