B.Design Interaction Design

School of Industrial Design
Industrial Design deals with products, services and systems addressing usability, form, function, aesthetics, material, technologies, and sustainability. Our students explore creative thinking and problem-solving processes to bring value to companies, communities and people. Our focus is on designing products, systems and services that make life easier. At the School of Industrial Design, we balance creativity, technology, cultural concerns, and environmental needs, exploring materials, production techniques, aesthetics, the emerging fields of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Artificial Intelligence, and social issues in both local and global contexts. We encourage our students to create solutions that are empathetic to the end-user and have contextual insight. Our new B. Des. in Interaction Design has been programmed and launched in response to the needs of users and Industry.

Why study Interaction Design (IxD) at UID?

UID offers a specialized IxD course for four years culminating in the award of a B. Des Degree. A dedicated faculty with experience in IxD from industry transmit learning through in-depth theory and hands-on practice in well-equipped labs, purpose built for the subject. With its close links with professional bodies like IxDA and inputs from a stellar array of industry experts, high class infrastructure and a wonderful learning environment, UID is a natural choice for aspirants of IxD in India.

Course Structure

The course spans eight semesters, the first two being foundation semesters with emphasis on developing requisite skills for design practice and understanding of the process of design. Subsequent semesters take a student through specific IxD related courses spanning Human Computer Interaction, Usability Design, Information Architecture, Testing, Computing, Ethnography, Mobile applications, Human -Robot Interaction, User Interfaces, Ergonomics, Research & Experimental Methods, Visual Communication & Industrial Design methods, future trends; exposure to real-life situations through study tours and industry internships, culminating in a Graduation Project with Industry that exposes students to real-world applications and professional practice.

Students will be able to choose between broad specializations in Communication Design and Industrial Design from their fifth semester onwards. Agile learning, future forecasting and inter-disciplinary courses will however equip graduates to seamlessly fit into the myriad professional applications of Interaction Design.

Graduates of IxD can further do their Masters in HCI, AI and allied fields in the coming years. A comprehensive program is in development and will offer end to end learning at UID.

Career Prospects in IxD

Interaction Design is closely allied with and indispensable in a myriad of fields including:

· UI/UX
· VR/MR/AR
· Installation
· Playful experiences
· Storytelling/Film
· Culture/Issues
· Speculative/Critical
· Product design
· Communication Design
· Education
· Wearables
· Mobile applications
· HCI
· Human – Robotics Interaction
· Web design
· Service Design

The role of IxD is vast and growing and will continually evolve. In India there has been an enormous demand for Interaction Design and allied jobs. To quote an expert in the field, “The market will continue to expand once we put our mind to the future ahead of us. If we make our products tangible enough for users, the scope is never ending.”