On Jan 21, 2009, at 7:08 AM, Kevin Doyle wrote:
Giving the concept some thought, while it's probably not the best way to learn something as kinesthetic as interaction design, I think to throw out the baby with the bathwater with the blanket statement of "only in the classroom", imo, is unfair. I mean, isn't a large part of what we do as interaction designers to make interactions thought impossible on the web or computer possible? Perhaps, instead of saying that it's just not possible and to forget about it, we should be brainstorming ways to make learning something like interaction design online a plausible (maybe even preferred) experience...?
This is true. However, one of the things we should know as a designer is what we can replace with a technology solution, and what we cannot (or should not). The interactions with instructors (masters) and other students (apprentices) on a day-to-day working level is invaluable, and given our level of technology currently, I do not think it could be replicated effectively. Critiques, for instance, which are such a large part of a design education, would be difficult to conduct remotely.
This is not just true of education, but of business as well. There's a reason consultants fly all over the place to meet face to face with clients or why distant teams occasionally still meet face to face: because nothing yet technologically is as high-bandwidth as being together in person. The nuance that happens via body language, gesture, expression, tone of voice, physical location, etc. is nigh impossible with our current technology.
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