B.A. Interaction Design
Interactive media increasingly determine our every-day lives and our communication. At the interface between humans and computers, i.e. on websites, mobile apps as well as other interactive functions, user-friendliness, accessibility and intuitive learnability play primary roles.
Content, Objective and Course Structure
Interactive Design: conception and implementation/realisation for digital media
The BA course Interaction Design at hdpk focuses on the perfect design of human/machine-dialogues. Well-designed interactions will either go unnoticed by the user, or will even be perceived as pleasurable.
The modular structure of the study course Interaction Design includes seven semesters, during which you will be expected to achieve a total of 210 credit points, and to attain the academic degree of Bachelor of Arts Media Design (B.A. Media Design). During the first two semesters, your accredited courses will focus on the basics of design, media psychology and cross-media models and strategies. During the third and fourth semester, successive courses will sharpen your design skills and your knowledge in the fields of interaction and programming. The syllabus is completed by courses on user experience, software interfaces, creative programming and app-development, preparing you for a professional career in your chosen field.
The Sample course schedule gives an overview of the individual course elements, which module they are part of, and when they are timetabled. During their 5th term, students complete an internship or a semester abroad. The Design course is characterised by flexibility. Due to its modular structure, students can take advantage of all courses and activities offered by the Media Design department. Following your joint basic studies and your specialised main courses, you may also attend courses on Communication Design and Motion Design BA courses, as illustrated by Module options.
A primary aspect of studying at hdpk is to participate in the network of the six major bachelor programs Music Production, Popular Music, Audio Design, Media Management, Media Design and Creative Industries Managament: cross-disciplinary courses are intended to bring together students from different programmes, providing them with a head start into their careers, for which they will need to cooperate with clients and partners. These cross-disciplinary projects also serve to establish contacts among future professionals, and later on often serve as a first interdisciplinary professional – and personal – network.
Career Perspectives
Interaction Design: to design interfaces – it pays to be innovative
Touchscreens on tablets and smartphones, interactive systems for computer-controlled residential shutters, air-conditioning in automobiles and homes: these are just a few examples of daily interaction. `Smooth and pleasant´ is in general the result of excellent design.
The user-experience needs to be intuitive and fast. Design and technology-know-how play major roles in promoting these experiences. Engineers develop technoid solutions and devices, which without proper design would remain useless to the user. Web-design and usability are becoming more and more important, not only for app development. This is where Interaction Designers come into play, by transferring the technically feasible to the realm of the actually applicable, bridging the gap between the designer’s creativity and the software-technological know-how usually ascribed to programmers and IT-experts. A Bachelor in Interaction Design offers a wide range of excellent career opportunities. You may decide to work as:
- web-designer
- screen/interface designer
- UX designer
- software manufacturer
- app-/ game-developer
- designer for PR and marketing agencies
- Designer for corporate marketing departments, e.g. publishers, media, film productions, TV-studios
Application
“Show what you’ve got!” – How to apply for the Bachelor programme Interaction Design at the hdpk:
The admission procedure for the course Interaction Design includes your application in writing and an entrance examination in Berlin.
APPLICATION
Applicants to the SRH Hochschule der populären Künste (hdpk) must have either general entrance qualification for university or for advanced technical college and, as part of the enrolment procedure, will be asked to provide evidence of their aesthetic/design talents. We will specifically be looking for:
- a strong motivation to express yourself and to design
- presentation of a portfolio consisting of own work
- coming up with a solution for a design problem presented prior to the exam
Students applying from abroad are requested to provide proof of adequate German language skills, both verbal and in writing (level B2 minimum).
The following documents will need to be submitted:
- completed and signed Application form
- letter of motivation (integrated into the application form) stating: Why are you interested in studying at the hdpk? What are your expectations? What are your professional perspectives?
- personal data sheet, together with passport photo, place, date, signature
- school leaving certificate: notarised copy, may be handed in later
- in case you have previously studied at another university, please provide de-registration certificate (may also be handed in later)
ENTRANCE EXAMINATION
Following your successful pre-selection screening you will be invited to the hdpk for a practical examination. This will allow us to assess your study-programme-specific knowledge, your creativity and your motivation. The entrance examination consists of a 30-minute interview conducted by two teachers/lecturers, focussing on your artistic and design talents. We ask applicants to bring a portfolio consisting of a minimum of 10, maximum 20 examples of their own work, including drawings, sketches, photography, your own texts and concepts, storyboards, videos or other works from the field of digital media production (screens and web-applications may be submitted as prints, or as Internet addresses).Your abilities as a designer and artist as expressed by these samples need to focus on at least two of the above-listed fields. You may also present a solution to a problem sent to you by us two weeks prior to the exam. The quality of these artistic works will be decisive for your admission to study at the hdpk. More detailed information is available at Information on admission exam.
For more information please click "Further Official Information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.hdpk.de/en/studies/bachelor/interaction-design/