MDC5310 Interaction design studio 4
Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
MDC5310 Interaction design studio 4 is a level 5, 18-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, offered in 2025 in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Caulfield. It needs MDC5210 or MDC5210.
- Credit points
- 18
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 1, Semester 2
- Caulfield
- Assessment
- No exam
- 2 tasks
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before MDC5310
Corequisites
Pass these before, or take them in the same semester.
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
- MDC5201Fundamental interaction design studio 3
- MDC4202Fundamental interaction design studio 2
- MDC5215Interaction design lab 3
- MDC4201Fundamental interaction design studio 1
- MDC4215Interaction design lab 1
- MDC4216Interaction design lab 2
Prerequisites
Pass these before you enrol.
After MDC5310
No unit lists MDC5310 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be enrolled in the Master of Design (F6002).
Overview
This unit aims to consolidate learning from previous studio units in the Interaction Design specialisation sequence and completes the technical, cognitive and creative skills required to design for industry. You will be designing interactive artefacts, systems or services based on equivalent industry projects; or working on actual industry problems. You will be exposed to specific and relevant industry and/or social issues; and required to produce innovative solutions that weave together technology, place and product and user.
The unit encourages experimentation and skill development with tangible materials and interactive technology via data gathering, analysis, evaluation and design. You will produce high quality designs that examine the extension of physical artefacts and tangible interfaces as elements of connectivity that help users to mediate between the real and digital worlds.
The project supports you in a broad range of interests, including the application of advanced technologies, electronics and programming, physical or virtual interface manipulation, and material and engineering fabrication.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Caulfield | Blended |
| Second semester | Caulfield | Blended |
Assessment
- Project 1Project60%
- Project 2Project40%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Research and integrate comprehensive Tangible Interaction Design concepts, theories and design approaches to design interactive artefacts, systems or services;
- 2
Utilise contextual diagrams and interfaces as core components in a design outcome with consideration of the projects industrial or societal context;
- 3
Apply research, communication and advanced technical skills to plan and manage comprehensive interaction design solutions from initial concept to final resolution;
- 4
Communicate ideas and concepts in order to critically justify designs through a process of observation, reflection, analysis, selection, interpretation and expression;
- 5
Critically analyse and evaluate the rationale for integrating interactive technologies in a design solution.
Workload and teaching
- Studio activities96 hours
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- Teaching approachResearch activities
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
36 hours per week including 9 contact hours plus 27 hours of independent study.
Learning resources
Required resources
Meinel, Christoph, Leifer, Larry, and Plattner, Hasso. Design Thinking: Understand – Improve – Apply. Understanding Innovation. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2011.
Grudin, Jonathan. From Tool to Partner : The Evolution of Human-computer Interaction. Synthesis Digital Library of Engineering and Computer Science. 2017.
Chapman, Jonathan. Emotionally Durable Design: Objects and Experiences and Empathy. Sterling, VA: Earthscan, 2005.
Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry : Innovation Inspired by Nature. New York: Perennial, 2002.
Robier, Johannes. UX Redefined: Winning and Keeping Customers with Enhanced Usability and User Experience. 1st Ed. 2016 ed. Management for Professionals. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2016.
Preece, J., Rogers, Yvonne, author, & Sharp, Helen, author. (2015). Interaction design : Beyond human-computer interaction (Fourth ed.).
Parrish, Patrick. "Design as Storytelling." TechTrends 50, no. 4 (2006): 72-82.
Thaler, Richard H., and Sunstein, Cass R. Nudge : Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Rev. and Exp. ed. New York: Penguin, 2009.
Kumar, Janaki., and Herger, Mario. Gamification at Work : Designing Engaging Business Software. 1st ed. Aarhus, Denmark]: Interaction Design Foundation, 2013.
Quesenbery, Whitney, Brooks, Kevin, Author, and Ebooks Corporation. Storytelling for User Experience Crafting Stories for Better Design. 2010.
Walsh, Toby. "What If… We Create Human-level Artificial Intelligence?" New Scientist 232, no. 3100 (2016): 32-34.
Martin, Shelly. "Design For Sustainability." Textile World 166, no. 1 (2016): 34-36.
Rezai, Maziar, and Mitra Khazaei. "THE CHALLENGE OF BEING ACTIVIST-DESIGNER. An Attempt to Understand the New Role of Designer in the Social Change Based on Current Experiences." The Design Journal 20, no. Sup1 (2017): 3516-535.
McGonigal, Jane. Reality Is Broken : Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. New York: Penguin Press, 2011.
Löwgren, Jonas., and Stolterman, Erik. Thoughtful Interaction Design : A Design Perspective on Information Technology. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004.
Clarke, Alison J. Design Anthropology : Object Culture in the 21st Century. Edition Die Angewandte, University Press. Wien ; New York: Springer, 2011.
Focillon, Henri. The Life of Forms in Art. New York: Zone Books, 1989.
Gengnagel, Christoph, Nagy, Emilia, and Stark, Rainer. Rethink! Prototyping: Transdisciplinary Concepts of Prototyping. 1st Ed. 2016 ed. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2016.
Thackara, John. In the Bubble : Designing in a Complex World. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005.
Bacha, Jeffrey A. "Mapping Use, Storytelling, and Experience Design: User-Network Tracking as a Component of Usability and Sustainability." Journal of Business and Technical Communication 32, no. 2 (2018): 198-228.
Russell, Wendy, Ryall, Emily, Editor, Maclean, Malcolm, Editor, and ProQuest. The Philosophy of Play as Life. 2018.
Pavliscak, Pamela, and ProQuest. Emotionally Intelligent Design : Rethinking How We Create Products. First ed. 2019.
McKee, Robert. Story : Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting. 1st ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997.
Matsumoto, Mitsutaka, Masui, Keijiro, Editor, Fukushige, Shinichi, Editor, Kondoh, Shinsuke, Editor, and SpringerLink. Sustainability through Innovation in Product Life Cycle Design. EcoProduction. Singapore: Springer, 2016.
Tan, Lauren. Understanding the Different Roles of the Designer in Design for Social Good: A Study of Design Methodology in the Dott 07 (designs of the Time 2007) Projects, 2012, PQDT - UK & Ireland.
Maeda, John., and Ebrary, Inc. The Laws of Simplicity. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2006.
Dahlström, Anna, and Safari, an O’Reilly Media Company. Storytelling in Design. 1st ed. 2017.
Moore, Geoffrey A. Crossing the Chasm. Oxford: Capstone, 1998, 1998.
Benjamin, Walter, and Underwood, J. A. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Great Ideas ; 56. London: Penguin, 2008.
Ferguson, Sam, Edmonds, Ernest, Nake, Frieder, Bryan-Kinns, Nick, Candy, Linda, England, David, Hugill, Andrew, Amitani, Shigeki, Riecken, Doug, Lowgren, Jonas, Yi-Luen Do, Ellen, Vermeeren, Arnold, Calvi, Licia, and Sabiescu, Amalia. Museum Experience Design: Crowds, Ecosystems and Novel Technologies. Springer Series on Cultural Computing. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018.
Cialdini, Robert B. Influence : The Psychology of Persuasion. First Collins Business Essentials ed. Collins Business Essentials. New York: Collins, 2007.
Molich, Rolf., Nielsen, Jakob, and Nielsen Norman Group. 230 Tips and Tricks for Better Usability Testing. Fremont, CA: Nielsen Norman Group, 2000.
Rogers, Yvonne, and Marshall, Paul, Author. Research in the Wild. Synthesis Lectures on Human-centered Informatics ; # 37. 2017.
Blythe, Mark A., Monk, Andrew, Editor, and SpringerLink. Funology 2 : From Usability to Enjoyment. Second ed. Human-computer Interaction Series. 2018.
Bürdek, Bernhard E. Design History, Theory and Practice of Product Design. Second Revised ed. Basel: Birkhäuser, 2015.
Martelaro, Nikolas, and Wendy Ju. "Cybernetics and the Design of the User Experience of AI Systems." Interactions 25, no. 6 (2018): 38-41.
Lim, and Kim. "Experience Design Board: A Tool for Visualizing and Designing Experience-centric Service Delivery Processes." Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 45 (2018): 142-51.
Ryall, Emily., and Ebooks Corporation. The Philosophy of Play. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Ji Yoon Lee
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Indae Hwang
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for MDC5310?
You need MDC5210 or MDC5210 before you enrol; and OHS1000 before or alongside it. Enrolment rules also apply.
When is MDC5310 offered?
In 2025, MDC5310 runs in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Caulfield.
Does MDC5310 have an exam?
No. MDC5310 has 2 assessment tasks and no exam.