In this course, we co-educate computer scientists and product designers. Beyond experiencing interdisciplinary work, we want students to envision interactive systems that are intelligent: by this, we mean an intelligence through code that is carefully using material, form, and context, while profoundly respecting both human capabilities and vulnerabilities.
We understand this course as experimental space, where different perspectives meet, exchange, and evolve. Each semester, based on small project teams of up to five members, students are challenged to examine a specific application context. Within this context, the teams envision a new application or product concepts.
We guide this process through various carefully tuned methods that are used to spark their ideas. Students iterate through several rounds of ideation and refine their concept in different prototype versions. The most compelling or promising interaction concept, the one that allows grasping the quality and essence of the product concept is implemented in a working prototype.
Students are accompanied by a team of experienced designers and computer scientists but also by guest experts that provide feedback to the various design iterations. If needed, special workshops are organized to cover specific topics ranging from prototyping to project management. The whole course is evaluated continuously to enhance our methodological toolbox.
This course offering is a cooperation of the research group Human-Centered Computing at the institute of computer science at the Freie Universität Berlin and the Product Design Department at the Weißensee Kunsthochschule Berlin (KHB).
Besides the regular weekly meetings, the KHB provides complimentary workshops each Monday from 10 AM to 1 PM where participation for computer science students is optionally.
Each term, we have a different topic. Please check out the HCC website for further information.