Master in Interaction Design

The Master in Interaction Design aims to train professionals who aspire to be tomorrow’s digital leaders equipped with the collaborative, critical thinking and technical skills required to react, adapt and leverage the impacts of digital transformation and understand how the digital can be harnessed for strategic design.

The Master provides an environment of creativity, design and technological innovation by focusing on projects through a future lens. It provides students with the skillset and mindset to challenge the status quo and produce well-rounded designers who can work across disciplinary, cultural and geographical boundaries to design solutions addressing future individual, societal and business needs by nurturing curiosity, experimentation, technical skills, and critical thinking, as well as empathic, collaborative skills.

Specializations

UX Design

The UX Design Module trains future creators of the digital economy, people capable of providing solutions to revolutionize user experience and tomorrow’s communication. Thanks to the collaboration of a partner, the program is driven by experimentation and innovation alongside solid training in critical design and new business models.

UI Design

The UI Design Module is focused on the development of the layout and the fine detail of how users interact with a product. With the collaboration of a partner, students working in multidisciplinary teams will solve the challenge given.

Creative Coding

The Creative Coding module aims to train future digital economy professionals, versatile individuals with knowledge of designing experiences, mastery of the most versatile programming languages and great entrepreneurial skills.

One of the goals of the module is to train professionals who are able to communicate between disciplines, using technologies to their advantage rather than against.

Under the umbrella of a partner, students create a portfolio based on real briefs, working in multidisciplinary teams and developing technological applications from initial idea to the final product.

Objectives

• To acquire the necessary theoretical and technological knowledge for the digital labor market.
• To develop wide-ranging skills in the design, production, and leadership of interactive projects.
• To learn from the major leading companies in the sector.
• To create a broad professional portfolio based on real briefs.
• To access the city’s business and cultural context.
• To master new digital fabrication tools and software.
• To promote efficient, multidisciplinary, collaborative, work.
• To improve communication skills for public presentations.
• To enhance student autonomy through self-assessment and learning by doing.
• To encourage creativity, experimentation, and innovation.

Methodology

The Master is divided into 2 stages, each a module: the first is a cross-cutting stage in which students are taught core skills for disciplines that address future needs, followed by a second specialized stage in which students can further develop their skillsets in the discipline of their choice: Digital Management, Creative Coding, UX/UI Design or Digital Fabrication.

The first stage lays the groundwork for the concepts of interaction design by introducing the basics of the four different course specializations.

This stage of the Master is structured around a repeated weekly schedule that follows the development phases of digital service or product (think, design, code, make and inspire), thereby providing balanced training on the cornerstones of the world of creative digital companies.

The second stage of the Master enters into the specializations and therefore follows a different structure. The students work together on projects on days of cross-cutting activities that are divided by specialties when tackling the content of their courses.

Student Profile

The leading companies in the sector and keen on entrepreneurship and innovation in one of the most promising markets.

The program is aimed at all creators interested in designing interactive experiences, such as:

• Design and communication professionals with a passion for new technologies.
• Designers who want to learn how to program and programmers with UX/UI interests.
• Future entrepreneurs and producers from the digital sector.
• Makers, product designers and digital artists.
• Managers and creatives from the world of advertising and communication.

Job Opportunities

Depending on the chosen specialisation, possible career positions on graduation include:

• Interface design and user experience positions (UX, UI) in design studios and digital content companies.
• Event producer and project leader in advertising agencies.
• Provider of facilities and interactive experiences for events and congresses.
• Maker sector professionals in fab labs and digital fabrication spaces.
• Creative in communication agencies specializing in technology and new media.

Coordinator

Jordi Planas

Designer of interactive experiences combining technology and creativity, digital art and advertising. He is the founder of the interactive installation company Vimod Studio, which together with advertising agencies like Ogilvy or S, C, P, F, etc. devises and produces technological events for brands such as Garmin, Zurich or Lenovo at the Mobile World Congress, among other events.

A fan of experimental electronic music, maker culture, DIY and digital fabrication, he is a creative programmer of Arduino, Processing, C++, Internet of Things and robotics. He teaches classes and seminars in several educational programs (Art School of the Tarragona Provincial Council, Higher Level Course in Games and Interactive Environments at IED). He holds a degree in Fine Arts from the University of Barcelona and a Master in Digital Art from Pompeu Fabra University.

Eduardo de Felipe

Independent designer and creative consultant with 20 years of experience supporting some of the best world-class clients, brands, and products through digital innovation and human-centered, design-led creativity.

He and David Boleas founded Pirata, one of London’s most innovative digital production studios and a regular player at the top table of digital production.

In 2016, after nearly 15 years of living and working in London, he moved to Barcelona, where he continues working globally with a focus on the European market.