ID3 - Course Outline

IDEATION 3
New Media/Creative Interface Design+Spatial Applications
Instructors: Tak Yukawa and Cindy Sheldon
Duration: First 6 weeks = Tak Final 6 weeks = Cindy
Start Date: Thursday, September 11, 2008
Break: Thursday, October 23, 2008
End Date: Thursday, December 5, 2008

Students will learn how to create meaningful interface driven by solid, meaningful CONCEPTS and strong NARRATIVE. They will learn how to create memorable, uplifting interactive/new media EXPERIENCES that are balanced with successful usability practice. From commercial to private life, students will learn the role that NEW MEDIA is playing in all realms of SOCIETY. Time will be spent discussing the on-screen application and psychology of a computer user in ISOLATION and in the WEB 2.0 COMMUNITY

By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Conduct effective RESEARCH to satisfy particular project goals
- Effectively ANALYZE and PROCESS collected data into useful creative tangents
- Translate conceptual ideas into EFFECTIVE interface/new media design
- PREPARE and PRESENT their designs with confidence and professionalism
- Speak with confidence about the basics of a graphical user interface design (GUI)


Required Supplies:
- Sketchbook
- Drawing pencils
- Fine line ballpoint pens and different sized multi-tip black markers (Sharpie)
- A minimum of 3 different color Highlighters
- Other sketching tools may be required during the course (ie: Pencil, Markers, and Papers), and will be determined by the student’s comfort level, preference or by instructor request.
- A computer and Adobe Creative Suite Programs (Primarily Illustrator and Photoshop)
- Memory Card/Key for digital files (ideally 1 gig)


Outline:
Week 1 (4 hrs)
· What is NEW MEDIA?
· Relationship between New Media and INTERACTIVITY
· WEB 2.0 + COMMUNITY Based Design
· How is the CORPORATE World using these elements
· Cyclical Narrative to this class parallel to NEW MEDIA (visual-practical-visual)


Week 2 (4 hrs)
· Explain the CREATIVE PROCESS (systematic thinking)
· Explain the GAME of NEW DESIGN
· Knowledge is power - translates to good design
· METHODS for conducting Strategic Research in relation to New Media
· Expose them to RESOURCES and places to get information and get inspiration in the context of New Media
· How to properly ANALYZE research findings (sorting, moodboarding)
· Introduce BLOGGING as a tool for process collection
· Power of the SKETCH+PROTOTYPING


Week 3
KEY TOPICS:
· Review/Define a CONCEPT/IDEA
· Talk about A Whole New Mind (Information Age is now the CONCEPTUAL AGE)
· Review what a SOLID concept can do for your WEBSITE or NEW MEDIA application
· NARRATIVE
· Show websites with no concept and some with (advantages/disadvantages)
· How to create UNIQUE and MEMORABLE experiences (what constitutes one)
· Explain the realities of production and technical possibilities/limitations in relation to the process
· How to GENERATE ideas/concepts
· Present IDEATION and BRAINSTORMING techniques?
· The power of LATERAL-VERTICAL THINKING (present different techniques)


Week 4
· IDEATION/BRAINSTORMING #2
· CONCEPTUALIZATION #2
· How to TRANSLATE solid concept into interface
· LATERAL-VERTICAL THINKING #2
· FUNDAMENTALS of an INTERFACE that always need to be addressed
· CONTEXT and PARAMETERS within a project #2
· The POWER of VISUALS in New Media (trust, recognition, experience, mood, preference)


Week 5
· VISUAL application and considerations regarding experience
· BRANDING the User Experience
· The POWER of visuals in New Media (trust, recognition, experience, mood, preference)
· Visual IMPLEMENTATION (vertical/lateral thinking in this area)
· Present the Laws of Simplicity (Maeda)
· How much is too much? How to edit down
· Don't be self-serving (Apple Cube)
· Have you satisfied your CLIENT NEEDS?


Week 6
Final Class