Program Overview

Course Overview

The course DSDN 321, Interactive Products, is offered by the School of Design Innovation — Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation at Victoria University of Wellington. This course investigates real-world issues through interaction design methodologies to identify problems, needs, and desires that can be addressed through physical and digital interactions.

Course Details

• Dates: 23 February 2026 to 21 June 2026
• Starts: Trimester 1
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,083.45 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,235.75 for international students
• Lecture Start Times: Tuesday 9.30am
• Campus: Te Aro
• Estimated Workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.8 hours per week for 17 weeks
• Points: 15
• Availability: Limited entry

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: 60 200-level points including 30 points from the BDI or BAS schedules
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: INDN 321

Course Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Design user-experience interactions from a user-centered approach.
2. Apply user-centered research strategies throughout the design process.
3. Communicate user-experience interactions to specific audiences.
4. Express design outputs through interactive, visual, and written media.

How This Course is Taught

• Lectures, studios, and tutorials require in-person attendance.
• Lecture recordings will be made available for subsequent revision.
• The course will be delivered through one lecture and one lab/studio session per week.
• Lectures will introduce basic concepts of designing for interaction.
• Lab/Studio sessions will involve discussion and practical engagement in design and testing methods.

Assessment

• Methods for tangible interactions design: 25%
• Design of tangible interactions: 45%
• Video or animation of the ideal interaction (1 min): 30%

What You'll Need to Get

Students will need to provide all materials and equipment necessary for the completion of coursework. In previous years, students have spent around $200-$400 on materials for building prototypes.

Disclaimer

This course outline may be subject to change.