Course Topics
The course introduces students to the basic principles of Information Architecture (IA), Interaction Design (IxD), User Experience (UX), Accessibility (Ax), and Interface Design (UI) in the field of digital communication, according to a life-centred approach and addressing interaction as a relationship between bodies, gestures, objects, surfaces, spaces, data, interfaces, and contexts. Throughout the course, students are challenged to work on the core idea of the project from a conceptual, metaphorical, and media-language perspective, in order to transform information into communication, and communication into experience. Students are encouraged to consider the behaviours, needs, fears, motivations, expectations, and emotions of the people with or for whom they are designing, using personas and user scenarios as design tools to orient project choices. Students are then invited to translate the concept and communication metaphor into a physical-digital communication system and an interactive prototype, developed on the basis of a brief and target users provided, that can be experienced, navigated, and tested.

Propaedeutic courses
None

Teaching format
Lectures, readings, individual and team exercises, workshops, reviews, prototype testing, and the project. The results of the exercises and the group project will be part of the oral discussion and final evaluation, along with the topics and content covered during the course and the mandatory readings. The course combines theoretical inputs with design-based activities. Students will be asked to analyse references and case studies, develop physical and digital touchpoints, work on wireframes and prototypes, and progressively refine their project through feedback and iteration.

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding - have acquired the basic knowledge necessary to realise a project in the field of Artistic production; - have acquired the basic knowledge necessary for further Master's studies in all components of project culture as well as in technical subjects, with a particular attention to the field of Artistic production. Applying knowledge and understanding - use the basic knowledge acquired in the technical fields to realise a mature project; - make use of the skills acquired during the course of study in the event of continuing studies in a Master's degree programme and to develop them further. Transversal competence and soft skills Making judgements - Be able to make independent judgements for the purpose of developing their own design skills and in relation to all those decisions that are necessary to bring a project of Artistic production to completion. Communication skills - present an independently realised project in the field of Artistic production in the form of an installation, orally as well as in writing in a professional manner. Learning skills - have learned a work methodology at a professional level - in the sense of being able to identify, develop and realise solutions to complex problems by applying the acquired knowledge in the different fields, with a particular attention to the field of Artistic production - in order to start a professional activity and/or continue their studies with a master's degree programme; - have developed a creative attitude and learned how to enhance it and develop it according to their own inclinations; - have acquired basic knowledge in the field of Artistic production as well as a study methodology suitable for continuing studies with a Master's degree programme.

Additional educational objectives and learning outcomes
Acquisition of basic concepts of information architecture (IA) and interaction design (IxD) within digital communication ecosystems, with particular attention to the organisation of content, navigation systems, interaction flows and the relationship between physical and digital touchpoints. Understanding the main aspects of user experience (UX), Accessibility (Ax) and Interface Design (UI) according to a life-centred approach, considering interaction as a relationship between people, bodies, gestures, objects, surfaces, spaces, data and interfaces. Acquisition of basic principles of usability and ergonomics applied to physical-digital interaction, including legibility, orientation, cognitive load, affordance, feedback, comfort of use, accessibility and inclusion. Development of the ability to translate a communication concept into a simple responsive web prototype, designed for desktop and mobile, and connected to a physical touchpoint.

Assessment
Regarding the exam date, each student must upload detailed documentation of the work carried out during the course to the official platform indicated by the teaching staff. This documentation is an essential part of the exam and must include visual materials alongside a project abstract, the documentation of the physical touchpoint, and a link to the interactive responsive prototype. During the final exam, students will discuss the activities and content developed during the semester, as well as the mandatory bibliography, both individually and in groups. The exam involves giving a critical presentation on the project carried out during the semester, accompanied by an oral discussion of the course activities, lecture topics and required bibliography. The documentation, including exercises and workshops, the project booklet, the physical touchpoint documentation, and a link to the interactive prototype for desktop and mobile, must be submitted one week before the exam date. ALL THE STUDENTS ATTENDING THE EXAM AS “OPT” OR AS NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS MUST AGREE UPON THE CONTENTS WITH THE TEACHER.

Evaluation criteria
The final evaluation will be based on the progress, growth, and active participation of the students in all exercises, workshops, the final project and the project documentation according to the following criteria: Ability to analyse and conceptualise the project topic in relation to the assigned brief, target users and use cases/scenarios provided by the course lecturer. Ability to use personas, scenarios and user journeys as design tools to orient project choices. Originality, maturity, and quality of the design concept and overall project development. Ability to translate the design idea into a meaningful, engaging and interactive physical-digital experience. Quality, coherence and usability of the physical touchpoint and its connection with the digital prototype. Richness, completeness and accuracy of the responsive web prototype, in both desktop and mobile versions. Quality of the interface design, with particular attention to visual hierarchy, typography, colour, imagery, microcopy, components, accessibility and consistency. Quality of project documentation. Ability, maturity and competence to critically discuss the design choices and solutions adopted, including usability, accessibility, interaction, communication and visual design aspects.

Required readings

Schlatter, T. & Levinson, D. (2013). Visual Usability. Principles and Practices for Designing Digital Applications. Morgan Kaufmann.

Supplementary readings

Additional resources will be shared during the course on the main topics addressed in the lectures. Further references will also be provided according to the specific field of application of the assigned project brief, as well as practical resources and tutorials for the use of prototyping and interface design tools such as Figma or similar software.

Further information
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