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 2026 in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Caulfield. It needs MDC5210 or MDC5210.
- Credit points
- 18
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1, Semester 2
- Caulfield
- Assessment
- No exam
- 2 tasks
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before MDC5310
Prerequisites
Pass these before you enrol.
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
- MDC4216Interaction design lab 2
- MDC5215Interaction design lab 3
- MDC4201Fundamental interaction design studio 1
- MDC4215Interaction design lab 1
After MDC5310
No unit lists MDC5310 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be enrolled in the Master of Design (F6002).
Overview
This unit consolidates learning from previous studio units in the Interaction Design (UX) specialisation sequence and completes the technical, cognitive, and creative skills required to design for industry. You will design interactive artifacts, systems, or services based on equivalent industry projects or work on actual industry problems. You will be exposed to specific and relevant industry and/or social issues and required to produce innovative solutions that integrate technology, place, product, and user.
The unit encourages experimentation, design skill development, and exploration of emerging digital technologies through heuristic user research, evaluation, and design. You will produce high-quality designs that explore innovative solutions as a service and create user interfaces that help users achieve their goals with digital technologies.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Caulfield | Blended |
| Second semester | Caulfield | Blended |
Assessment
- Project 1Project60%
- Project 2Project40%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Demonstrate advanced Interaction design (UX) principles, theories, and emerging technologies, and articulate their relevance to contemporary UX practice;
- 2
Apply user research methods, technical skills and interface design principles to develop innovative, high quality interaction design outcomes that address complex industry or societal challenges;
- 3
Integrate insights from user behaviour, design research, and contextual factors (technology, place, product, and user) to produce cohesive and impactful interactive systems or services;
- 4
Reflect on personal design identity and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders to create inclusive, user-centred design outcomes that respond to real-world needs;
- 5
Demonstrate ethical and social responsibility in design decisions by considering accessibility, sustainability, and the broader social and cultural impact of digital technologies;
- 6
Evaluate and adapt personal learning strategies to remain agile and responsive to emerging UX tools, technologies, and professional practices.
Workload and teaching
- Studio activities96 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- Teaching approachResearch activities
36 hours per week including 9 contact hours plus 27 hours of independent study.
Learning resources
Required resources
Löwgren, Jonas., and Stolterman, Erik. Thoughtful Interaction Design : A Design Perspective on Information Technology. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004.
Chapman, Jonathan. Emotionally Durable Design: Objects and Experiences and Empathy. Sterling, VA: Earthscan, 2005.
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.
Cialdini, Robert B. Influence : The Psychology of Persuasion. First Collins Business Essentials ed. Collins Business Essentials. New York: Collins, 2007.
Thackara, John. In the Bubble : Designing in a Complex World. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005.
Russell, Wendy, Ryall, Emily, Editor, Maclean, Malcolm, Editor, and ProQuest. The Philosophy of Play as Life. 2018.
Kumar, Janaki., and Herger, Mario. Gamification at Work : Designing Engaging Business Software. 1st ed. Aarhus, Denmark]: Interaction Design Foundation, 2013.
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.
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.
McGonigal, Jane. Reality Is Broken : Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. New York: Penguin Press, 2011.
Grudin, Jonathan. From Tool to Partner : The Evolution of Human-computer Interaction. Synthesis Digital Library of Engineering and Computer Science. 2017.
Moore, Geoffrey A. Crossing the Chasm. Oxford: Capstone, 1998, 1998.
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.
Gengnagel, Christoph, Nagy, Emilia, and Stark, Rainer. Rethink! Prototyping: Transdisciplinary Concepts of Prototyping. 1st Ed. 2016 ed. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2016.
Thaler, Richard H., and Sunstein, Cass R. Nudge : Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Rev. and Exp. ed. New York: Penguin, 2009.
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.
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.
Martin, Shelly. "Design For Sustainability." Textile World 166, no. 1 (2016): 34-36.
McKee, Robert. Story : Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting. 1st ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997.
Walsh, Toby. "What If… We Create Human-level Artificial Intelligence?" New Scientist 232, no. 3100 (2016): 32-34.
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.
Meinel, Christoph, Leifer, Larry, and Plattner, Hasso. Design Thinking: Understand – Improve – Apply. Understanding Innovation. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2011.
Dahlström, Anna, and Safari, an O’Reilly Media Company. Storytelling in Design. 1st ed. 2017.
Benjamin, Walter, and Underwood, J. A. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Great Ideas ; 56. London: Penguin, 2008.
Focillon, Henri. The Life of Forms in Art. New York: Zone Books, 1989.
Parrish, Patrick. "Design as Storytelling." TechTrends 50, no. 4 (2006): 72-82.
Rogers, Yvonne, and Marshall, Paul, Author. Research in the Wild. Synthesis Lectures on Human-centered Informatics ; # 37. 2017.
Pavliscak, Pamela, and ProQuest. Emotionally Intelligent Design : Rethinking How We Create Products. First ed. 2019.
Quesenbery, Whitney, Brooks, Kevin, Author, and Ebooks Corporation. Storytelling for User Experience Crafting Stories for Better Design. 2010.
Martelaro, Nikolas, and Wendy Ju. "Cybernetics and the Design of the User Experience of AI Systems." Interactions 25, no. 6 (2018): 38-41.
Ryall, Emily., and Ebooks Corporation. The Philosophy of Play. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013.
Maeda, John., and Ebrary, Inc. The Laws of Simplicity. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2006.
Clarke, Alison J. Design Anthropology : Object Culture in the 21st Century. Edition Die Angewandte, University Press. Wien ; New York: Springer, 2011.
Benyus, Janine M. Biomimicry : Innovation Inspired by Nature. New York: Perennial, 2002.
Preece, J., Rogers, Yvonne, author, & Sharp, Helen, author. (2015). Interaction design : Beyond human-computer interaction (Fourth ed.).
Molich, Rolf., Nielsen, Jakob, and Nielsen Norman Group. 230 Tips and Tricks for Better Usability Testing. Fremont, CA: Nielsen Norman Group, 2000.
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.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Indae Hwang
- Unit Coordinators
- Ji Yoon Lee
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 2026, MDC5310 runs in Semester 1 and Semester 2 at Caulfield.
Does MDC5310 have an exam?
No. MDC5310 has 2 assessment tasks and no exam.