Syllabus

WORKING WITH PROTOTYPES
Pencils, Polymer & Pixels
Instructor: Michael Jefferson
Contact: michael dot jefferson at frogdesign dot com
October 31, 2008

OVERVIEW
[This syllabus is a work in progress and will be updated in the weeks leading up to and during the semester. Assignments, readings, and references will be detailed and finalized prior to each course week.]

This course is an introduction to prototyping as both a set of methods and way of thinking in the context of marketable products and the arts. It focuses on the use of the prototype as a practical and pragmatic way to approach a design. The goal is to develop critical thinking through a semester long concentration on the iterative process of creating, testing, presenting, and refining an idea through the prototype.

There are speakers throughout the semester presenting work and facilitating open discussion in three topic areas:

  • Methods - working in the right medium for the right problem.
  • Storytelling - what you tell users and what they in turn tell you
  • Proof - gathering and applying and building upon findings.

Assignments
The term is structured into two parts. The first weeks involve hands on exploration of a broad range of prototyping methods and practices in the form of short, individual and group assignments. These first exploratory and creative exercises are used to seed weekly discussion around the value, challenge and application of various methods. In the second half of the semester, students pursue a final project. Final projects will be evaluated on the evolutionary development of of the idea, expressed through a series of prototype driven approaches.

Weeks 1 - 6:

  • Introduction, Overview, Samples of Work
  • Ideas & Sketching
  • Molding & Shaping
  • Observing & Testing
  • Refining, Adapting, Iterating
  • Communicating

Weeks 6-11:

  • Final Project Proposals
  • Review
  • Mid Review
  • Final Presentations
  • Final Presentations

Requirements
Class participation and attendance
Weekly participation in exercises and discussion.
Project documentation
Presentation of work
Completion and presentation of the final project

Instructor Bio
Michael Jefferson is a Principal Designer with frog design, a global innovation firm bringing meaningful products, services and experiences to market. His work is focused on user experience, design research and accessibility. Projects and experience range from experimental mobile voice recognition, to distributed rural healthcare solutions. Recent projects and the work of frog design share the common characteristic of exploring the unknown through an iterative, innovative design process.

Early in his career, Michael wrote and produced television series content for ESPN and Discovery. Transitioning to interactive media in ‘97, Michael has since worked on interaction design, strategy and implementation for a client list that includes GE, Verizon, Oracle, Qualcom and Alcatel-Lucent. Michael holds a BA in Communications from the University of Massachusetts and MA from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program.