Overview
Interaction design focuses on shaping things for people’s use and behaviour and includes designing interactive digital products, environments, visual communication systems, and services. Interaction design utilises our growing understanding of design psychology and complex systems to design interactions that allowing the user to complete the desired tasks within real environments of operation.
This programme designed for honours graduates or early career professionals in product and industrial design, multimedia and game design, visual communication design, architecture, engineering and other design related fields who have a specific interest in designing robust, usable and useful human to system interactions.
This programme has been developed by South East Technological University in consultation with industry and is delivered though a blended learning approach of condensed onsite delivery and self-directed learning supported by online resources within the structured environment of a taught programme.
The aim is to provide maximum flexibility for learners to balance their studies with their other work and life commitments. The programme is centred around the development and delivery of a major project which can be either theory based or rooted in the learners current working practices.
Special Features
This Postgraduate Diploma programme sits within the Department of Humanities at South East Technological University which facilitates the culture of interdisciplinary design lead research and learning. Through blended onsite and online delivery, the programme facilitates undertaking the programme as part of a work based continued professional development
What subjects will I study?
- Design Psychology & Framing User Experience
- Principles of Interaction Design
- Design Research Methods
- Human Interaction Design
- Prototyping Interactions
- Communication Design (Online delivery)
- Interaction Project Dissertation
Entry Requirements
A Level 8 Honours Degree in Product or Industrial Design, Games Design, Visual Communication Design, or other related design disciplines such as Architecture or Engineering(minimum 2nd class Honours). Candidates with significant experience in the design services sector (as determined by the Universitys recognition of prior learning policy), in addition to an Honours primary degree in another discipline area may also be considered for entry on a case-by-case basis through SETU Carlows RPL system. Applicants applying for entry via routes other than that listed above will be considered on a case-by case basis through SETU Carlows RPL system.
Graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma in Interaction design can go on to seek an MA qualification with the addition of a 30 credit disertation module
Study & Career Opportunities
Graduates may pursue Level 10 (PhD) study opportunities upon successful completion of this programme.
Postgraduate Diploma in Arts in Interaction Design is an embedded exit award (Level 9 - 60 credits).
This programme will provide graduateswith a unique opportunity to increasetheir value in the growing fieldof interaction design and humanfactors. Graduates may also adoptresearch and advisory roles in relationto new product development anddevelopment of the provision ofcreative services in practice.
Potential employment opportunities
- Interaction Designer
- User Experience Designer/Consultant/Engineer
- HCI Designer
- Mobile App Designer
- Design Entrepreneur
- Web Designer
- Front End/Content Developer
- Digital Media Designer
- Visual Designer
- Communications Designer
- Multi-disciplinary Design Studios
- Strategic Design Thinkers
- Design Thinking
- Product Designer
- Industrial Designer
- Service Designer
Graduate Profile
Eva McSweeney
UX Architect - Lab49 and former Owner/Head Designer - Gold House Design, The White Studio & winning team member of Public Choice Award at IxDA Awards New York.
How has the MA in Interaction Design helped your career ?
The Master of Arts in Interaction Design helped me immensely in my career; it helped to focus me towards the exciting new field of User Experience Design and opened up many doors for me. Throughout the MA course we learned the value of human centric design alongside the key technology and problem solving skills needed in this area. Working on both collaborative and individual projects we gained a real understanding of how Design Houses run their projects.
Would you recommend this course?
The interaction design field is exploding right now with job opportunities appearing almost everywhere as it is the practice of designing for technology, interactive digital products, environments, systems and services. I have learned some very much sought after design skills through this Masters course.
Career opportunities for interaction designers span disciplines from medical devices, transport to app development encompassing and design system that is interacting with users or has an interface. Graduates see employment in Interface design, HCI, Human Factors Engineering and service design fields.
