Learning How To Make The World A Better Place: A Masters in Human-Computer Interaction Design
The first semester of my MSc in Human-Computer Interaction Design (HCI/HCID) at City, University of London has flown by. And boy, what a journey it has been!
‘Like Drinking From A Fire Hose’
When I came to City University for an open day at the beginning of last year, as I was taken on a tour of their Interaction Lab alongside other prospective students, the lab manager Stuart warned us that “If you are hoping for a good work-life balance during this course, well, there isn’t one”. Undeterred, and clinging to the idea that I could get by on 40 working hours per week (as optimistically indicated in the course information), I applied anyway. On the first day of the MSc, our senior lecturer Stephann declared to the class that “This course is like drinking from a fire hose.” I felt a quiet terror creeping in.
He couldn’t have used a better metaphor. Over the next few months, I have survived four modules, three coursework assignments, two exams, and so much reading that it has made my eyes bleed. And this is only the beginning — there are four further modules to get through this coming semester, all to be crowned with a dissertation at the end.
Now, I’m no stranger to hard academic work. I have three degrees under my belt, after all, as part of my previous architectural career. While it isn’t appropriate for me to compare my past education with this one — as the timing and the context are just too far apart — the pace of this course seems faster somehow. Perhaps this is because I have ventured into an unfamiliar territory from my old, well-trodden field; as despite the fact that there is some cross-over between architecture and HCID, the emphasis, the terminology and the structure of the two disciplines are quite different.
I am hoping to cover the similarities and differences between architecture and HCID in detail in a later post. I believe that this would be a fruitful subject to explore, as I often see architectural metaphors cropping up in the talks by user experience professionals and in the HCI academic literature. This only seems to go one way — I have never come across an architect comparing themselves to a user experience designer — but this could just be because an emerging discipline is more likely to compare itself to an older one. But, as I have promised, this is for another post.
Good Deeds
Back to the MSc course. The modules on offer are broad, ranging from inclusive design to data visualisation. Achieving such breadth is no mean feat — as the field of HCI has exploded over the years and now spans across many disciplines. Our lecturers have been realistic about the level of expertise the students could realistically obtain for each module within the time given (cue: quite a lot, but not enough to cover every detail of these vast subject fields), while also encouraging us to learn more, and inspiring us by their own exemplar research.
Most importantly, teaching at City has an underlying, powerful message running through it: that we should strive for more than just being commercial designers; that the realm of HCID gives us an opportunity to do good deeds. This is one of the reasons why I have been so keen to be a part of this course, which all began with my visit to City University’s conference entitled ‘Design for Good’ last year — a diverse showcase of humanitarian, social justice and inclusive design projects ranging from ‘Decolonising In, By And Through Design’ to Angelika Strohmayer’s ‘Technologies for Justice’. The event had a recurring theme of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals and focussed on how these could be supported through the medium of HCID. Months on, the poster for the 17 Goals is pinned up in our department’s common room, and the ‘Design for Good’ theme continues through the university’s education and research.
The Tribe
One of the best perks of this MSc course is the students. This lot are a lively, sociable tribe comprising a diverse mix of ages, genders, nationalities and backgrounds. Some students have migrated to HCID from other computing disciplines, but not as many as one might expect; there is a sizeable contingent of career switchers like me, their previous jobs ranging from teacher to graphic designer. The camaraderie between the students, their willingness to step outside the course boundaries, to self-organise and to enjoy each other’s company in work and play, has been fantastic — truly something that money can’t buy.
The ‘Tate Halo’ Project
As well as making many new connections, I have enjoyed doing a team project with three other fellow students for the Interaction Design Module. Together, we have created an innovative interactive technology for visitors to the Tate Modern, following the classic 4-phase design process: user research, conceptual design, detailed design and evaluation. We have decided to call our project ‘Tate Halo’ because one of the key parts of our proposal was an interactive halo displayed on a giant digital screen.
The project spanned the first semester and was so much fun that it barely felt like work. We would meet in cafes, the student union bar or online to bounce ideas, to sketch and plan our next move. We would spend hours and hours at the Tate Modern, observing people or accosting them for interviews. I got my cutting mat and modelling scalpel out for the first time in years and built cardboard prototypes of the wearable devices we had invented; I stored the prototypes in an empty cat food box, which caused much confusion and hilarity whenever I got the box out to demonstrate them. This project was a great way for me to put the user research techniques I had been learning, straight into practice.
Indoctrinated
Recently, my partner showed me a news article covering a large technology innovation expo (I will not link to it here as I don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers). Now, it is entirely possible that the article was cherry picking some especially frivolous entries; as I had never visited the expo I could not be sure. After I read it, I couldn’t help but exclaim, “Crikey! The world is on fire, yet here they are, coming up with all this pointless stuff!”
My partner quipped, “This is a straw man argument.”
“No! No, it’s not,” I said, getting heated up, “These people are innovators who can do so much more with their talents, yet they don’t. It’s a waste.
“As a designer, you have the power to make the world a better place — so go and do it! You have no excuse.”
I added after a pause, “I realise I’ve been indoctrinated into the ways of my new tribe...”
So now that I am such a zealous convert, what am I going to do with my newly found power? Graduation is still a long way away. Readers of this story may have noticed that my ‘Tate Halo’ project hasn’t exactly followed the 17 Goals and may even be classed as frivolous — if so, touché! But I have a dissertation to look forward to, which will be an opportunity for me to put my money where my mouth is. I have some ideas for the dissertation subject already — some of which may be far too ambitious for my money or my mouth! — but the final choice will depend on many factors that are yet to be resolved. So, watch this space! For now, though — fire hose, here I come!..
