ID412
Design for the Real & Artificial World
Faculty
Lauren Celenza
Design Lead, Writer, Journalist Seattle, WA, US
Course length
Duration
Total hours
Credits
Language
Course type
Fee for single course
Fee for degree students
Skills you’ll learn
Overview
As the tech industry races towards artificial intelligence, virtual reality, voice and video-based interfaces, this course will explore how to create a balanced relationship between the everyday scenarios of real life and emerging technologies. Students will develop a new design sensitivity that thoughtfully blends the physical and digital worlds, with inclusion, safety, accessibility, and cohesion at the forefront. We’ll also explore the past, present, and future of the end-to-end design process and how to build a sustainable and healthy career amid technological and economic shifts. Classes will incorporate interactive activities, games, lectures, and studios, during which students will create their own design project to elevate their skills, craft, and portfolio.
Learning highlights
- Innovation in emerging technology, and how it’s changing the design industry.
- Discernment for how to test, scale, or limit emerging technologies in real-world scenarios.
- Navigating and enhancing the design process, from discovery to launch and landing.
- Building relationships with stakeholders and end users/customers.
- Upleveling your visual design, writing, and tastemaking skills as a designer in the age of AI.
- Identifying design patterns that induce fear, exclusion, or confusion and learn how to alleviate this.
- Designing with greater awareness and sensitivity for inclusion, safety, accessibility, and cohesion.
- Negotiating, storytelling, pitching, and presentation.
Course outline
15 classes
Intro: Design for the Real & Artificial World
Understanding today’s technological and design landscape and how to create a balanced relationship between the real and artificial world. Intro to the final project.
The End-to-End Process of Design
We’ll explore the past, present, and future of the end-to-end design process, from discovery to development to launch to post-launch. Learn how to enhance this process towards greater efficiency, equity, and sustainability.
STUDIO
Select a problem space and craft a research plan for your final project.
Designing with and for AI
The potential, the pitfalls, cautions, and use cases. We’ll explore prompt crafting, the latest advancements in AI tools, and how to explore, design, and test new technology with a critical mind and eye.
STUDIO
Assess the landscape of existing products / services. Identify where a balanced relationship between real-world scenarios and emerging technology could exist.
Tastemaking: What it is + Why it Matters
As AI tools make existing designer workflows more efficient, designers will need to uplevel their skills of “tastemaking” to stay relevant. But what does it mean to enhance our taste? How do we make a product or service distinct, memorable, and accessible in a world of AI-generated content? We’ll explore these questions + enhance our technique in visual design, communication, and relationship-building.
Seven Types of Fear in Design & Technology
When the real-world is blended with the digital world, fear, exclusion, or confusion can emerge. Identify common patterns that induce these reactions, and learn how to design a healthier, inclusive, and sustainable relationship between the physical and digital world.
Special Guest Lecture + STUDIO
Learn and connect with an industry design leader. Identify existing patterns, systems, and areas for redesign in your final project, and generate new ideas and visuals.
Understanding & Uncovering Bias
To create a balanced relationship between the physical and digital world, we must understand the role that human bias plays in the way technology is shaped. We’ll dive into the psychology of bias and how it impacts design, AI, and business today.
STUDIO
Bring it all together; create a final presentation that engages, clarifies, persuades, and mobilizes people towards action.
STUDIO
Continue refining the final project and presentation.
Design Without Losing Your Soul
Negotiating and advocating for yourself and others in the workplace; how and when to say no; how to navigate career transitions; sustaining and growing your career amid technological and economic shifts
Special Guest Lecture + STUDIO
Learn and connect with an industry design leader. Continue refining the final project and presentation.
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Course materials
Books
Prerequisites
Students should have the following software downloaded before class, along with a student account created: Figma (Desktop app) - required to register for a Figma for Education account, Google Drive
Have some familiarity / basic knowledge of AI tools (i.e. ChatGPT, MidJourney, Gemini, etc) It’s okay if you’ve only used these tools once! You don’t need to be advanced and you don’t need to install them on your computer.
Come with an open mind, ready to embrace ambiguity, discomfort, and growth.
Methodology
Case studies, stories, and latest insights from the field.
Studio / working sessions.
Interactive activities and games.
Guest lectures by industry leaders.
Discussion and debate.
Exercises and one final individual project.
Grading
Lauren Celenza is a digital designer, writer, and journalist with a decade of experience spanning multiple contexts, cultures, and industries. Her work and essays have appeared in Fast Company, Forbes, and NBC News. She has led product design at Google Maps, The World Resources Institute, and Code for America, with a focus on creating emerging technology for inclusive maps, land restoration, and accessible and efficient tax filing. Lauren is the author of Tech Without Losing Your Soul, a newsletter and interview series examining tech’s influence across geographies, burnout and loneliness, and the possibilities for a balanced relationship with technology. She is also a moderator for UNFINISHED Festival in Bucharest, Romania, celebrating art, design, and democracy. She holds a BFA in Graphic and Interaction Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design and a Master’s Certificate in Modern Journalism from New York University.
See full profileApply for this course
Design for the Real & Artificial World
by Lauren Celenza
Total hours
45 Hours
Dates
Jun 10 - Jun 28, 2024
Fee for single course
€1500
Fee for degree students
€750
Designing in the Real & Artificial World
Jun 10 - Jun 28, 2024
Lauren Celenza
Design Lead, Writer, Journalist Seattle, WA, US
How to secure your spot
Complete the form below to kickstart your application
Schedule your Harbour.Space interview
If successful, get ready to join us on campus
FAQ
Will I receive a certificate after completion?
Yes. Upon completion of the course, you will receive a certificate signed by the director of the program your course belonged to.
Do I need a visa?
This depends on your case. Please check with the Spanish or Thai consulate in your country of residence about visa requirements. We will do our part to provide you with the necessary documents, such as the Certificate of Enrollment.
Can I get a discount?
Yes. The easiest way to enroll in a course at a discounted price is to register for multiple courses. Registering for multiple courses will reduce the cost per individual course. Please ask the Admissions Office for more information about the other kinds of discounts we offer and what you can do to receive one.