Foundations of Interaction Design
What does it mean to “use” a computer? How do you “talk” to the machine in a way that it will understand, and how do you interpret its response to you? Many principles of how we interact with computers are so familiar to us that we don’t stop to think how they came to be that way. In this class, we’ll discuss this history of how people have adapted themselves to these “thinking machines,” learn about many of the innovators who defined how we interact with computers today, and explore how over time we’ve changed the way computers work so they better meet our needs.
How it Benefits You
For anyone who designs, builds, markets, or manages digital products (like websites, software, or devices), an understanding of the foundations of the field will help you make more effective decisions. You will learn the essential history that shaped the industry, making you better prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow.
An Invitation
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Teacher: Karen McGrane
Senior Partner, Bond Art and Science
MS, Technical Communication, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
BA, Philosophy, American Studies, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Karen is a Senior Partner in Bond Art and Science, a digital services firm focused on simplifying interactions between people and the devices they use to share information, store media, and communicate with each other. She designs user experiences for information-intensive industries such as media and publishing, travel, and financial services. Previously Karen spent nearly ten years as a leader in the user experience practice at Razorfish, most recently serving as the Vice President and National Lead for User Experience, based in the New York office of Avenue A | Razorfish.
Karen's clients have included several in the financial services industry, such as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Manulife Financial, Bank One, J.P. Morgan, and Citibank, as well as travel industry clients like Travelocity and Cendant. Her media and publishing experience includes work for The Week, Inc., and Fast Company magazines, as well as a variety of projects with Condé Nast, Nielsen Media Research, The New York Public Library, and The Disney Internet Group. Her redesign of The New York Times website has won several awards, including a Webby.
Karen received an M.S. in Technical Communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, focusing her research and studies on interface design and usability. She taught courses in HCI and usability via distance learning to IBM campuses across North America, and acted as the Assistant Director of Writing Programs in the Department of Language, Literature, and Communication. During her graduate studies was employed by the Human Factors lab at Eastman Kodak, conducting user research and usability tests on a variety of Kodak hardware and software devices. Karen holds B.A. degrees in Philosophy and American Studies from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.