MFA in Interaction Design: Home

Events

  1. Spring Lecture Series: Craig Mod, “Post Artifact Book Design Thinking”

    As designers, how should we approach the digital book? What formats will ebooks be defined by moving forward? How much of the design is interaction design? How many of the surface design precepts of traditional book typography can we bring to the screen?

    Craig will explore these questions by considering the theory behind what books mean in a digital context.

    • Wednesday, January 19

      6-8PM

    • Location

      Branding and Innovation Lab
      132 West 21 Street
      11th Floor
      New York, NY 10011

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Craig Mod is a writer, designer, publisher and developer concerned with the future of publishing & storytelling. He is co-author and designer of Art Space Tokyo, an intimate guide to the Tokyo art world. Since October 2010 he’s been in Palo Alto collaborating with the amazing folks at Flipboard.

  2. Save the Date: MEET-IXD 2011

    We are delighted to announce MEET-IxD, Feb 24-25, an event that gives prospective employers the opportunity to learn about, talk with, and meet interaction designers from the MFA Interaction Design program at the School of Visual Arts.

    MFA candidates who will graduate in May 2011 and first-year students available for internships will demonstrate work and work process. Employers can come and observe, or take part by requesting interviews with students.

    If you’d like to attend, let us know. We’ll notify you with more details.

    Looking forward to seeing you there,
    MFA Interaction Design

    • Thursday, February 24

      Feb 24, 7PM, Feb 25 9–5PM

    • Location

      Branding and Innovation Lab
      132 West 21 Street
      11th Floor
      New York, NY 10011

      (View Map)

    Who is it for?
    Employers interested in hiring or engaging with graduates or current students for full-time or part-time jobs and internships.

    What will I do there?
    Employers can see work and work process from students, and/or request private interviews with specific students over the course of the event.

    How can I find out more about the students?
    MEET-IxD will release a website with a resume and case study book in early January. Learn more about the students and projects.

    How do I receive more information about the event?
    Add your name to the MEET-IxD mailing list. We’ll notify you with more details.

  3. Fall Lecture Series: Douglas Bowman, “Redesign or Realign”

    Half a decade ago, Cameron Moll wrote the well-received article, “Good Designers Redesign, Great Designers Realign” for A List Apart. Many of today’s interactive experiences (Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, the iPhone) were still in their infancy or didn’t even exist when Moll wrote that piece. Now, a new generation of web and mobile apps are standard utilities for millions of people every day. Fresh off the #NewTwitter redesign, I’d love to explore this question of whether to redesign or realign once again under new contexts of current product design.

    • Friday, November 12

      6-8PM

    • Location

      Branding and Innovation Lab
      132 West 21 Street
      11th Floor
      New York, NY 10011

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Douglas Bowman is an influential designer whose creations and strong convictions have pushed him to the forefront of modern web design. Bowman left a long career at Wired in 2002 to focus on Stopdesign, a small consulting firm he founded in San Francisco. Under Stopdesign, he designed sites and applications for Google, Capgemini, Blogger, Cathay Pacific Airways, Adaptive Path, and Mighty Goods. In 2006, he put work for Stopdesign on hold to join Google as Visual Design Lead. In 2009, Bowman left Google to join Twitter as its Creative Director, where he leads the Design and Design Research teams, and is helping change the world, one hundred and forty characters (or less) at a time.

  4. Dot Dot Dot Lecture: The Currency Makers

    What once was unconsidered is now an explosion. How people consider and exchange value is shifting in ways creative and unpredictable. Not only is what we are exchanging of interest, but almost more so, how we are doing it is remarkable. These redefinitions are transforming neighborhoods, businesses, and the cultures all around us. As designers, do we have new responsibilities? As citizens, how and do we prepare? Hear from four experts who are leading changes in our own cities on the imaginative ways new currencies are shaping our world.

    • Wednesday, October 27

      6:30-8:30PM

    • Location

      136 West 21st Street
      Between 6th and 7th Avenues
      2nd floor

      (View Map)

    Speakers

    About the Dot Dot Dot Lecture Series

    The Dot Dot Dot Lecture Series is meant for broad explorations of interaction design, business, and aesthetic inspiration. Practitioners and thought leaders give short talks in an informal setting. Wisdom will be revealed and methods will be shared in a environment intended to satisfy both social and scholarly pursuits.

  5. Fall Lecture Series: Steven Heller, “Nostalgia for the Future: Or Did Design Save the World?”

    In the past the future looked much brighter than it does today—and also more futuristic. Design played an essential role in speculating and defining “what’s next” through technologies and veneers. Our future was at once streamlined and primitive. There was a sense of wonder and wonderment that, curiously, does not exist today. The future is bland. This talk looks at the promise of the past through the fairs and expositions that sold optimism. It looks at the dystopias as well and how designers and design contributed to both.

    • Wednesday, December 1

      6-8PM

    • Location

      Branding and Innovation Lab
      132 West 21 Street
      11th Floor
      New York, NY 10011

      (View Map)

    Steven Heller is the co-chair of MFA Designer as Author and co-founder of MFA Design Criticism, Interaction Design, and MPS Branding at SVA. His recent books are Born Modern: The Life and Design of Alvin Lustig (with Elaine Lustig Cohen) and Graphic: Sketchbooks of the World’s Great Graphic Designers (with MFAD co-chair Lita Talarico). His forthcoming book is Scripts (with Louise Fili).

  6. Fall Lecture Series: Chris Woebken, “Animal Superpowers”

    Our senses evolved to equip us with the skills necessary for survival in the natural world. Rather than enhancing the functional aspects of products, I am interested in designing new sensory experiences in relation to the invisible. We know that animals have extraordinary abilities allowing them to sense information and perceive the world through sensory experiences far beyond anything humans will know. We call these Animal Superpowers.

    • Wednesday, November 3

      6-8PM

    • Location

      Branding and Innovation Lab
      132 West 21 Street
      11th Floor
      New York, NY 10011

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Chris is an independent designer based in New York City. He studied Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art in London, did a post grad research fellowship with Natalie Jeremijenko at the NYU. He has worked as an Interaction Designer for Adobe and IDEO. Currently he runs a design studio developing visualisations and objects to think with.

  7. Dot Dot Dot Lecture: The Teachers’ Edition

    September means back to school in many cultures. From classrooms and conference rooms to the public square, learning takes places in unexpected spaces. Design helps topics become more accessible. Whether we use it to give access, create awareness, build communities of learning, or more, design has the power to unite minds and change culture. “Dot Dot Dot: Teachers’ Edition” charts the landscape with four educators from unexpected places. Join us for the kick off to the Dot Dot Dot season on a special Friday evening edition that is sure to celebrate back to school.

    • Friday, September 17

      6:30-8:30PM, $6 at Door

    • Location

      Galapagos Art Space
      16 Main Street
      Brooklyn, NY 11201

      (View Map)

    Speakers

    About the Dot Dot Dot Lecture Series

    The Dot Dot Dot Lecture Series is meant for broad explorations of interaction design, business, and aesthetic inspiration. Practitioners and thought leaders give short talks in an informal setting. Wisdom will be revealed and methods will be shared in a environment intended to satisfy both social and scholarly pursuits.

  8. October Open House

    We’re two years old and still breaking new ground. Join us as we open our doors. Discover our vision for fall 2011.

    You’re warmly invited to join faculty members, students, and staff for informal presentations, questions and answers, and open discussion. This year, prospective students can attend an MFA Interaction Design Open House session in the morning from 10-12PM, or the afternoon from 2-4PM. Reception will follow both sessions, when you can get to know some of the faculty and students, and prospective students can ask additional questions about applying.

    Spend a Saturday considering your plans for fall 2011, and meeting some of the leading thinkers and practitioners in the field.

    Session One

    Sat, Oct 23, 2010
    10:00-12:00PM

    Session Two

    Sat, Oct 23, 2010
    2:00-4:00PM

    For more information, please contact the department at interactiondesign [at] sva.edu or 212.592.2703.

    • Saturday, October 23

      10–12PM, 2–4PM

    • Location

      Branding and Innovation Lab
      132 W 21 Street, 11th Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

  9. Fall Lecture Series: Frank Chimero, “Cut My Teeth. Wash My Hands.”

    A retrospective on the first five years of running a design practice and working for yourself. A talk about starting up a studio right after finishing school, loving it, then hating it, then loving it again, then hating it again, then hovering your hand over that big red button. Includes: one lawsuit, one mugging at gunpoint, one low ceiling, one smashed-in window, one euphoric high, and one guy falling off the roof. Oh, and vectors. Happy endings guaranteed, maybe!

    • Friday, October 8

      6–8PM

    • Location

      Branding and Innovation Lab
      132 W 21st Street, 11 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Frank Chimero is a graphic designer, teacher, writer, and creative person in Portland, Oregon. His fascination with the creative process, curiosity, and visual experience informs all of his work. Each piece is part of an exploration in finding wit, surprise, honesty, and joy in the world around us, then, trying to document those things with all deliberate speed.

    His clients include The New York Times, Nike, Wired, Microsoft, Bloomberg/BusinessWeek, Newsweek, The Atlantic, Starbucks, GOOD Magazine, and others. He has been featured by Print Magazine, the Art Directors Club of New York, Vanity Fair, Monocle, and The Society of Illustrators. Frank’s work has appeared on both The Colbert Report and The Suite Life with Zach and Cody, spanning the full quality-spectrum of television.

  10. Fall Lecture Series: Mig Reyes, “Designing for a Million+ of your Friends”

    Spend an evening with Threadless and their Interactive Designer, Mig Reyes, as they take you behind the scenes of their in-house creative department. You’ll hear stories about creating for community, screwing up and staying scrappy. And since the theme is all about designing for (and with!) friends, you can expect some video cameos from their cronies at Facebook, Digg and a few others chiming in on the topic. (And no, there’s no need to wear your favorite Threadless tee to the lecture.)

    • Wednesday, September 29

      6–8PM

    • Location

      Branding and Innovation Lab
      132 W 21st Street, 11 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Mig Reyes is a designer from Chicago, having worked with a variety of studios and agencies. Now, he serves as an interactive designer at Threadless. There, you’ll find him creating a variety of things, including additions to threadless.com, email newsletters, motion graphics, Photoshop automation scripts – and yes – he even moonlights as a tee model. Beyond Threadless, Mig also serves as a mentor in AIGA’s Chicago Chapter, teaches at The Chicago Portfolio School and interviews inspiring people on Humble Pied. You can catch Mig on Twitter and see more of what he’s up to on his website.

    About the Threadless Everywhere Tour

    To celebrate their 10th anniversary, Threadless is hitting the road, touring all over the country. They’re visiting the big cities, setting up popup shops and hanging with friends from far and wide. Find ‘em at art parties and craft fairs, too! Check out the Tour page to see a list of tour stops, as well as photos and videos from each leg of the adventure.

  11. Summer Friday Lecture Series: Masashi Kawamura, “How I Think of Ways to Think”

    • Friday, July 23

      12-1PM

    • Location

      MFA Social Documentary Amphitheater
      136 West 21st Street
      1st Floor
      New York, NY 10011

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Masashi was born in Tokyo, and raised in San Francisco. He attended Keio University where he studied computer science. After becoming a member of Masahiko Sato Laboratory, it wasn’t long before he was lured into the world of design. There he worked on a variety of projects such as the flipbook collection Ugoke Enzan, the 3D book Arbitrary Point P, and the kids TV show “Pythagora Switch”.

    From there he started to work for advertising agencies such as Hakuhodo, BBH Japan, and 180 Amsterdam, where he created campaigns for global brands such as Nissan, PlayStation, Levi’s, Adidas, Google, and Axe.

    Outside of advertising, Masashi continues to explore the world of design, working on music videos, product design, among other endeavors.

    His work has been recognized at international award shows & festivals including the New York ADC, Annecy Animation Festival, Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, amongst others.

    Masashi currently works as a Senior Art Director at BBH New York.

    www.masa-ka.com
    vimeo.com/masa
    @masakawa

  12. Summer Friday Lecture Series: Gene Liebel

    • Friday, August 6

      12-1PM

    • Location

      MFA Social Documentary Amphitheater
      136 West 21st Street
      1st Floor
      New York, NY 10011

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Gene Liebel (Partner, Executive Director, Research and User Experience) oversees the user research, product strategy, interactive marketing, interaction design and analytics disciplines at HUGE. He is responsible for the development of successful user experiences for flagship clients including IKEA, JetBlue, About.com, Pepsi, Electrolux and HBO.

    Before joining HUGE, he was Vice President, Product Management at Silverpop Systems, responsible for the definition and development of all products. At Silverpop, he created the company’s first software and oversaw implementation for key clients including UPS and The Coca-Cola Company, leading Forrester Research to call Silverpop “the vendor to beat in the best-of-breed e-mail marketing category.”

    Prior to this, Liebel was Director of Integration at Deutsch Advertising where he oversaw award-winning integrated marketing programs for clients such as Expedia, Bank One, Pfizer and Mitsubishi Motors. Liebel’s product designs have won numerous industry honors including an International ANDY Award, Communications Arts’ Interactive Media Award and several AdTech Prizes. Liebel received a B.A. in Classics from Bard College.

  13. Summer Friday Lecture Series: Michael Rock, “A Brief History of the Screen”

    • Friday, July 30

      12-1PM

    • Location

      MFA Social Documentary Amphitheatre
      136 W 21st Street, 1st floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Michael Rock is a founding partner and creative director of multi-disciplinary design studio 2x4 Inc., New York City, and Director of the Graphic Architecture Project at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Since 1991 he has been a member of the design faculty at the Yale School of Art where he currently holds the rank of Professor (Adjunct). In addition he is a 2010/2011 visiting Professor of Practice at Tsinghua University in Beijing. At 2x4, he leads a wide range of projects, both cultural and commercial, for Nike, MTV, Prada, Vitra, Harvard Art Museum and CCTV. He holds an A.B. in Humanities (Literature) from Union College and a M.F.A from the Rhode Island School of Design. He was the recipient of the 1999/2000 Rome Prize in Design from the American Academy in Rome and currently serves on the board of the Academy.

    In 2005, the work of 2x4 was the subject of a mid-career retrospective at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the following year they received the National Design Award in Communication Design from the Smithsonian Institution, the highest design honor in the United States. In 2008, 2x4 was featured in a 12-month exhibition at the Architecture and Design galleries at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In 2009, a selection of projects opened at the Gyre Gallery in Tokyo. The catalogue/book from that exhibition, titled “it is what it is” was released in 2010. A new book of writing, Multiple Signatures is forthcoming.

  14. Nate Bolt, “Remote UX Research”

    Nate Bolt, El Presidente of Bolt | Peters, will be joining us to talk about his new book Remote Research. Nate has overseen hundreds of remote user research studies for Sony, Oracle, HP, Greenpeace, Electronic Arts, and others. Beginning in 2003, he led the creation of the first moderated remote user research software, Ethnio, which is being used around the world to recruit hundreds of thousands of live participants for research.

    • Wednesday, June 30

      6–8PM

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Nate is fascinated by the personal, social, and cultural role of technology, and how research and design can transform those roles. After pioneering and directing the User Experience department at Clear Ink in 1999, which included the construction of Natural Environment and Remote Observation laboratories, Nate co-founded Bolt | Peters. He now serves as el presidente, where he has overseen hundreds of user research studies for Sony, Oracle, HP, Greenpeace, Electronic Arts, and others. Beginning in 2003, he led the creation of the first moderated remote user research software, Ethnio, which is being used around the world to recruit hundreds of thousands of live participants for research.

    Nate regularly gives presentations on native environment research methods in both commercial and academic settings, and recently co-authored Remote Research, a book on remote testing. Working with faculty at the University of California, San Diego, he created a degree titled “Digital Technology and Society,” which focused on the social impact of technology. He also completed a year of communications studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he was jailed briefly for playing drums in public without a license. You can find more about him at all these handy places: boltron.com, twitter, flickr, and vimeo.

  15. Sunni Brown “Storm the Games: Bringing on the Doodle Revolution”

    “Place a pencil and pad near the telephone of any human of more than primeval intelligence and the bet is ten to one that he’ll doodle during his next telephone call.” So said Steven Arundel, author of Everybody’s Pixillated, in 1937 and not much has changed since then. Virtually all humans doodle once they have the physical tools, but what most of us don’t realize is that doodling is neither dilly-dallying nor pointless motion. The act of doodling engages all three of the major cognitive learning modes in our brains. Doodling, therefore, is a skill that should be strategically honed and intentionally capitalized upon. In this session, Sunni will present some of the latest research on doodling and the brain and then we’ll all work together to apply “the Doodle” using games from the book Gamestorming, coming out in July of this year.

    This event is presented by VizThink NYC.

    • Thursday, June 24

      6:30–8:30PM

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Sunni Brown is best known for her large-scale graphic recordings and live content visualizations at all kinds of meetings and events. But she is also the leader of The Doodle Revolution - a growing effort to debunk the myth that doodling is a distraction. Using common sense, experience and neuroscience, Sunni is setting out to prove that to doodle is to ignite your whole mind. Sunni is a business owner, author, and information designer, and her consultancy, BrightSpot I.D., specializes in visual thinking and the broad range of its applications. She was trained in graphic recording and facilitation at The Grove Consultants International, a San Francisco-based company that pioneered the use of large-scale visuals in business settings. She is currently an Associate of The Grove, a freelance consultant for XPLANE - the visual thinking company - and an Associate of Alphachimp Studios. She is also co-Founder of VizThink Austin, one of the oldest visual thinking communities in the United States. Sunni presents regularly on the topics of graphic facilitation, graphic recording and visual thinking and the brain, and is also one really funny lady.

    About VizThink NYC

    VizThink is the global community for visual thinkers - In addition to our semi-annunal conferences and workshop series we also actively encourage and support the development of the global community outside of our regular events. VizThink NYC is the greater New York City local group who create hands-on events through the dedication of volunteer organizers and generous event partners.

  16. FullCodePress and Webstock Mini

    SVA is sending its faculty to Wellington, New Zealand this summer to participate in the Geek Olympics, the third annual FullCodePress. Web teams from different countries take each other on to build a complete website for charity in 24 hours. No excuses, no extensions, no budget overruns.

    The teams won’t know who they’ll be building the website for until a briefing at the beginning of the 24 hour period. They’re given content, images, and a briefing from a representative of the chosen charity. They have complete freedom as to the platform and setup they use — Ruby on Rails, WordPress, or LAMP, it’s all part of the fun. At the end of the 24 hours, a team of judges review both sites and select a winner. International pride, bragging rights and a trophy will follow for the winning team.

    Webstock Mini

    On Thursday, June 17, come out to hear chair Liz Danzico and faculty Jason Santa Maria give talks at Webstock Mini. These talks complement the already terrific Masterclass workshops and the 8x5s, eight people talking for five minutes on, “Here’s the one thing you probably don’t know about…”.

    This year there’s another unbelievable aspect of the weekend being held at Town Hall on Saturday, June 19. Stay tuned to see if Team USA makes it back.

    If you’re in New Zealand, hope to see you there!

    • Thursday, June 17

      6:00-9:00PM

    • Location

      Wellington, New Zealand

      (View Map)

    Why FullCodePress? We wanted a name which captured the excitement and intensity of the event and recognized the high level of teamwork needed to succeed. In basketball, a full court press is a potential game-breaker. It’s a frenetic, but organized, system where the defensive team applies pressure to the offensive team by marking them the entire length of the court. It takes a lot of effort and co-ordination to achieve, but the pay-offs are big. We think it perfectly sums up the atmosphere of our competition. For 24 hrs, teams will be working under sustained pressure to produce something. Not everyone’s going to succeed, but for the best teams, the results will be magical.

  17. Vitamins Design, “Out of The Box: Analogue Methods to Bridge the Digital Divide”

    A talk describing the design and research process in developing new methods of teaching the elderly how to use cellular phones. Instead of creating new products, this project is aimed at using existing and familiar systems, such as books, maps and cards to teach complex digital devices. Clara Gaggero and Adrian Westaway of Vitamins Design worked with The Royal College of Art’s Helen Hamlyn Center, and Samsung Design Europe to create three products which can teach absolutely anyone how to use a phone!

    • Monday, May 17

      6–8PM

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About Clara Gaggero

    Clara Gaggero is an award‐winning designer, Co-founder and Creative Director of Vitamins, Inclusive Technology Research Associate at the Royal College of Art (Helen Hamlyn Centre), and Assistant Professor of Design and Innovation at Goldsmith College and Queen May University. She studied Industrial Design at the Politecnico (Institute of Technology) of Torino, specialising in industrial production and manufacturing process. In 2003, she moved to Berlin where she founded her own fashion label and worked in the furniture and interior design field before coming to London where she studied Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College and Industrial Design Engineering at the Royal College of Art.

    After working for the prestigious Design Studio Ross Lovegrove and at the BBC Innovation Unit, Clara now runs her own design consultancy, Vitamins. Vitamins help technology companies to create products, services or experiences that are better for people. Clients for the consultancy include Samsung, RIM (BlackBerry) and Olympus, creating new unexpected innovation directions thanks to a close collaboration with the end users.

    About Adrian Westaway

    Adrian Westaway is a Designer, Inventor and Magician whose work aims to make technology invisible to create meaningful magical experiences that benefit people. He is Co-founder and Director of Vitamins, Royal Commission of 1851 Innovation Fellow, James Dyson Innovation Fellow, and regularly tutors at the Royal College of Art, Goldsmiths College and Queen Mary’s University London.

    Adrian started learning magic at the age of 11, going on to study a Masters in Electronic Engineering at Bristol University. Joining the prestigious Innovation Design Engineering Masters programme at the Royal College of Art, London, Adrian succeeded in combining all of his interests and expertise, designing magical and astonishing solutions in a product design context. Adrian’s work ranges from product and user experience design through to performance. He has worked with large product design companies to small theatre groups, individuals and charities creating new engaging magical inventions.

    Adrian recently finished a year-long research study with Samsung Design Europe and the Helen Hamyln Centre to create solutions for enabling older uses to engage with mobile technology. The project created Analogue solutions to Digital problems and has toured the world in the form of lectures and exhibitions.

    He is currently bringing an interactive lighting product, Magic Light, to market, advising an inventing television series, and consulting on several large projects with the Vitamins Design group.

  18. Workshop: Funding Social Change

    Worldstudio is offering a new workshop to assist designers in bringing their social change concepts to fruition.

    The workshop will focus on funding strategies for socially responsible projects that are not client-based, as well as how to partner with non-profits. This is not a business plan class for building a business – it is a workshop that teaches the skills needed to develop and fund project ideas for the public good.

    Topics that will be covered include:

    • Engaging non-profit partners who can benefit and legitimize your idea
    • Creating a project budget, marketing plan and funding model
    • Determining the key values that drive various types of funders
    • Primary assets that should be offered to potential sponsors/funders
    • PR as a primary driver for sponsors/funders
    • Assessing appropriate project partners, sponsorship prospects and grant opportunities
    • Effectively presenting and engaging appropriate sponsors and partners
    • Involving stakeholders in the process
    • Sponsorship vs. foundation grants

    This workshop is presented by Sappi’s Ideas that Matter Program.

    • Wednesday, May 26

      9-4:30PM

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

  19. Entrepreneurial Design Student Expo

    8 groups. 8 innovative ideas. One evening to celebrate. Join MFA Interaction Design students and instructor Bek Hodgson for an end-of-year celebration of ideas. Students in the “Entrepreneurial Design” course will present product and service design solutions that aim to connect personal passions with socially conscious endeavors.

    • Wednesday, April 28

      6–9PM

    • Location

      White Rabbit
      145 East Houston Street
      New York NY, 10002-1046

      (View Map)

  20. Planning Web Sites: A Visual Approach Workshop with Dan Brown

    Despite the temptation to dive into designing screens for a new web site, good designers know that a more deliberate, considered approach leads to better design. The more complex the system, the truer this is. Designers working on elaborate business applications have to deal with dozens of features, scenarios and business rules. A little planning goes a long way. Two diagrams essential to the planning process are flow charts and concept models. Flow charts help designers envision processes and tasks while concept models illustrate a site’s underlying structure. In this workshop, participants will learn how to create their own diagrams and use them in the planning process.

    Fee

    $150 (includes lunch)

    • Saturday, April 17

      10–5PM, $150

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About Dan Brown

    Dan Brown is founder and principal at EightShapes, LLC, a user experience consulting firm based in Washington, DC that has engaged with clients in telecommunications, media, education, health, high-tech, and other sectors. Dan has been practicing information architecture and user experience design since 1995.

    He speaks widely on design methodology, information architecture, and challenges facing designers. In 2006, he published Communicating Design (New Riders), a book about creating and using documentation during the web design process. Amazon reviews call it “authoritative”, “practical, personal, comprehensive” and “a cool nerdbook”.

  21. Ryan Singer, “Designing with Forces: How to Apply Christopher Alexander in Everyday Work ”

    Designing with Forces: How to Apply Christopher Alexander in Everyday Work

    In 1964 architect Christopher Alexander introduced a new way of thinking about design in his book Notes on the Synthesis of Form. Since then, Alexander’s ideas are often cited but rarely applied or explained. Ryan will explain the core ideas behind Alexander’s approach and demonstrate how 37signals applies those ideas to produce industry-leading user interfaces. Ryan will illustrate Alexander’s theory with real-world examples so attendees can apply the understanding they gain to their own everyday work.

    Video

    Tickets sold out or can’t make it to the event? Not to worry, we will be filming this lecture and make the presentation available with the speaker’s permission through our Vimeo account. Follow our blog or Twitter for an announcement when the video will be available.

    • Wednesday, April 7

      6:30-8:30PM

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Ryan Singer is a lead designer and product manager at 37signals. Since 2003, Ryan’s interface and software designs have pushed the standards of web application usability and clarity. He is an internationally recognized speaker on interface design and web app production. Ryan lives in Chicago.

  22. CreativeMornings: Allan Chochinov

    Organized by Tina Roth Eisenberg (swissmiss), Creative Mornings is a monthly morning gathering of creative types. Each event includes a 10 minute lecture, followed by a 20 minute group discussion. This month’s lecture features Allan Chochinov of Core77.com and Coroflot.com and will be hosted by MFA Interaction Design.

    • Friday, February 26

      8:30–10AM

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Allan Chochinov is the editor-in-chief of Core77.com, the widely read design website, Coroflot.com design job and portfolio site, and DesignDirectory.com design firm database. Some of you might be familiar with his A Manifesto for Sustainability in Design or this fantastic article: Those Who Can, Teach. 1000 words of advice for design teachers.

    Breakfast Sponsor

    Breakfast will be generously sponsored by MailChimp, a fantastic service that makes it easy to send email newsletters to your customers, manage your subscriber lists, and track campaign performance.

    Previous Creative Mornings

    Check out pictures of previous CreativeMornings over at Flickr.

    About the MFA Interaction Design Program

    The new MFA in Interaction Design is an inventive two-year program that trains students to intimately understand how design can affect human behavior, and to think more holistically about the products and services they’re creating. The program explores the strategic role of interaction design in shaping everyday life, and intends to increase the relevancy of design to business and society so designers can make a difference.

  23. Lecture: The Tablet

    Join us for the next in our lecture series featuring four speakers giving four talks in forty minutes. This month’s topic:

    “The Tablet”

    Books. Magazines. Televisions. We hear these words, and understand well what shape their content will take. But “tablet?” “Digital magazine?” How does the size of the objects frame the user experience? Influence their portability or accessibility? How will the experience with these devices compare with other more “fuller-figured” media? How do we need to consider grid, typography, and behavior differently? Hear from four perspectives how telling stories in new spaces influences new experiences.

    • Wednesday, March 10

      6:30-8:30PM, $6 at Door

    • Location

      Galapagos Art Space
      16 Main Street
      Brooklyn, NY 11201

      (View Map)

    About the Speakers

    Note of Change

    Please note that Alexis Lloyd will be replacing Khoi Vinh as speaker for the evening. Alexis joins us from the Research and Development Lab at The New York Times, where she investigates technology trends and prototypes future interfaces for content delivery. If you have inquiries about your ticket or would like to request a change, please contact us at interactiondesign at sva.edu.

    Event Partner

    Select attendees will receive gifts from our event partner, Rosenfeld Media.

    About the Lecture Series

    The Dot Dot Dot Lecture Series is meant for broad explorations of interaction design, business, and aesthetic inspiration. Practitioners and thought leaders give short talks in an informal setting. Wisdom will be revealed and methods will be shared in a environment intended to satisfy both social and scholarly pursuits.

    About the MFA Interaction Design Program

    The new MFA in Interaction Design is an inventive two-year program that trains students to intimately understand how design can affect human behavior, and to think more holistically about the products and services they’re creating. The program explores the strategic role of interaction design in shaping everyday life, and intends to increase the relevancy of design to business and society so designers can make a difference.

  24. The Arkadium Game Design Workshop Series: Session 3

    At the heart of every successful game is strong game design – the systems and interactivity that create meaningful experiences for players. Systems of Play is a workshop series brought to you by Arkadium that combines informative lectures with hands-on design exercises to explore the unique challenges of game design.

    Intended for working game developers, media professionals, design academics, and students, the workshop will cover the theory and practice of game design. The focus will be on concepts and methods for digital platforms that are most relevant to the NYC game design community, such as casual games, multiplayer online games, and games for social networks.

    The workshop series will include five two-hour sessions. The majority of each session consists of actually modifying or creating non-digital games. Lecture and discussion content will cover related game design concepts, as well as practical information about relevant games and platforms. Come join us to network and collaborate with other game designers.

    Wednesday, February 24 - Session 3: Multiplayer Game Design
    Topics: online multiplayer games, game economies, player roles and social interaction

    • Wednesday, February 24

      6:30-8:30

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    Naomi Clark has been making games for more than a decade, including lead design positions at LEGO.com and Gamelab, and has taught courses in multiplayer game design at Parsons School of Design. Eric Zimmerman, co-founder of Gamelab and co-author of Rules of Play, has taught game courses at MIT, NYU, SVA, and Parsons.

  25. Lecture: The Entrepreneurs

    Join us for the next in our lecture series featuring four speakers giving four talks in forty minutes. This month’s topic:

    “The Entrepreneurs”

    Ideas are important. Yet as ideas evolve from thoughts to action to revenue, what insights can we gain? With new projects under their belts and major successes underway, entrepreneurs at every stage have a great deal to offer. Hear from four different founders’ perspectives on topics from persistence, engaging with people, the rate of change and growth, the role of unencumbered luck, and more. Join us in an evening considering new possibilities.

    • Wednesday, April 14

      6:30–8:30PM, $6

    • Location

      Galapagos Art Space
      16 Main Street
      Brooklyn, NY 11201

      (View Map)

    About the Speakers

    Event Partner

    Select attendees will receive gifts from our event partner, BAGGU. “Be Good and Reuse.”

    About the Lecture Series

    The Dot Dot Dot Lecture Series is meant for broad explorations of interaction design, business, and aesthetic inspiration. Practitioners and thought leaders give short talks in an informal setting. Wisdom will be revealed and methods will be shared in a environment intended to satisfy both social and scholarly pursuits.

    About the MFA Interaction Design Program

    The new MFA in Interaction Design is an inventive two-year program that trains students to intimately understand how design can affect human behavior, and to think more holistically about the products and services they’re creating. The program explores the strategic role of interaction design in shaping everyday life, and intends to increase the relevancy of design to business and society so designers can make a difference.

  26. The Arkadium Game Design Workshop Series: Game Design Fundamentals

    At the heart of every successful game is strong game design – the systems and interactivity that create meaningful experiences for players. Systems of Play is a workshop series brought to you by Arkadium that combines informative lectures with hands-on design exercises to explore the unique challenges of game design.

    Intended for working game developers, media professionals, design academics, and students, the workshop will cover the theory and practice of game design. The focus will be on concepts and methods for digital platforms that are most relevant to the NYC game design community, such as casual games, multiplayer online games, and games for social networks.

    The workshop series will include five two-hour sessions. The majority of each session consists of actually modifying or creating non-digital games. Lecture and discussion content will cover related game design concepts, as well as practical information about relevant games and platforms. Come join us to network and collaborate with other game designers.

    Wednesday, January 27 - Session 1: Game Design Fundamentals
    Topics: rules and play, designing game systems, the design process

    • Wednesday, January 27

      6:30-8:30PM

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    Naomi Clark has been making games for more than a decade, including lead design positions at LEGO.com and Gamelab, and has taught courses in multiplayer game design at Parsons School of Design. Eric Zimmerman, co-founder of Gamelab and co-author of Rules of Play, has taught game courses at MIT, NYU, SVA, and Parsons.

  27. Jared Spool: What Makes a Design Seem Intuitive?

    What Makes a Design Seem Intuitive?

    Everyone wants an “intuitive” interface: the users, the designers, and the content publishers. But building them is hard. User Interface Engineering’s recent research has given insight into why it’s hard and how to get past major obstacles.

    To build an “intuitive” interface, a designer has to do two things: (1) Take complete advantage of what the user already knows, so what they see is completely familiar to them and (2) make the act of learning anything new completely imperceptible to the user. It turns out, if the interface requires the user to realize they are learning something, the “intuitive” label disappears instantly.

    In this talk, Jared will show:

    • How users need both tool knowledge and domain knowledge to complete their tasks
    • How simple problems with designs can cause big problems for users
    • What successful teams are doing to create experiences that delight

    Jared will show examples from Microsoft Word, MSN, Google Talk, Flickr, Avis, and many more.

    • Wednesday, January 20

      12-1PM: Lecture | 1-2PM: Mingling

    • Location

      MFA Interaction Design Department
      132 W 21st Street, 6 Floor
      New York City

      (View Map)

    About the Speaker

    Jared Spool, Founding Principal, User Interface Engineering.

    If you’ve ever seen Jared speak about usability, you know that he’s probably the most effective, knowledgeable communicator on the subject today. What you probably don’t know is that he has guided the research agenda and built User Interface Engineering into the largest research organization of its kind in the world. He’s been working in the field of usability and design since 1978, before the term “usability” was ever associated with computers.

    Jared spends his time working with the research teams at the company, helps clients understand how to solve their design problems, explains to reporters and industry analysts what the current state of design is all about, and is a top-rated speaker at more than 20 conferences every year. He is also the conference chair and keynote speaker at the annual User Interface Conference, is on the faculty of the Tufts University Gordon Institute, and manages to squeeze in a fair amount of writing time.

About MFA Interaction Design

The MFA in Interaction Design program trains students to research, analyze, prototype, and design concepts in their business, social, and cultural contexts. It explores the strategic role of interaction design in shaping everyday life, and intends to increase the relevancy of design to business and to society so designers can make a difference.

Learn more…

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