So it turns out this whole technology thing can be a real pain. I write this having just spent perhaps the bzillionth hour of my life setting up and breaking down a rather unusual and extremely temperamental electronic musical instrument. Or, to be more precise, a device that electronically extends an existing (and very old) [...]
Design Thinking Category
Is it Synthetic?
Monday, April 8th, 2013Collaboration, Interaction, Participation: A Recent Panel at the College Arts Association Conference
Monday, February 25th, 2013Creativity is no longer the sole territory of a separate creative class. Artists and designers now face an activated public. Today’s users approach art and design with a growing expectation that they participate in the generation of content and the shaping of their own experiences. The burgeoning DIY, Open Source and Free Culture movements reflect [...]
A Call for Future Game Developers
Monday, November 26th, 2012What makes a good character design? 3D art + concept! Are you a high school student who’s serious about video games? Really serious? Or are you a casual, fun-seeking weekend gamer looking to expand your skills? Look no further. This summer opportunity is just for you. Miami University Summer Arts Camps proudly announces:
Introduction to Character [...]
Out of My Hands: Washington, DC
Monday, November 12th, 2012To launch AIGA DC Design Week 2012, participants joined workshop leaders Helen Armstrong and Zvezdana Stojmirovic to co-create a unique “DC” alphabet. The cool offices of Polygraph, a vibrant design studio tucked away in an alley behind the Capitol Building, provided the perfect setting. Working assembly-line style, each person filled up letter outlines with content in five minute intervals, [...]
Oxford Kinetics Festival, Apr 1, 2012
Monday, March 19th, 2012Co-organized by AIMS & Art Professor Jacob Tonski, the 2012 Oxford Kinetics Festival takes place April 1, 12-3pm at Millett Hall on Miami University’s campus in Oxford, Ohio. The festival is a celebration of creativity in motion, from kinetic sculpture to robotics to monster bicycles!
Find out more: http://www.oxfordKineticsFestival.org
Innovation or Renovation? Video Games and Cloning
Friday, March 16th, 2012The issue of “cloning” in video game production has garnered a lot of attention lately, even surfacing in the New York Times a few days ago. On a basic level, “cloning” describes a situation where the core gameplay mechanics of an original game are copied, repackaged, and sold as a different game with distinct graphics, [...]
Participate: Designing with User-Generated Content
Thursday, December 15th, 2011My new book, Participate: Designing with User-Generated Content, is now available (Princeton Architectural Press, 2011). Co-authored by myself (Helen Armstrong) and MICA professor Zvezdana Stojmirovic, this book addresses the following crucial question: how can designers lead the new breed of widely distributed amateur creatives rather than be overrun by them?
As non-designers busily create, designers too [...]
The Mouse and WIMP
Thursday, October 27th, 2011This history of interactive media is extremely rich and can inform us today. The development of the mouse and the graphical user interfaces that we use today can inform us of where we need to go next in interaction design and development.
The Mother of All Demos
In a huge conference room in San Francisco, Doug Engelbart [...]