Theoretical Perspectives in Design

About the Course

This course introduces critical perspectives on technology and design, engaging with social theories to examine conventional narratives in technological systems. Through lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments, participants will learn to analyze how ideologies shape technology and its interconnections with society. The course outcome, apart from a series of assignments, is a reflective essay and a final project which connects theories to design practice.
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The course counts towards 6 credits in the ePGD programme in Interaction Design offered by IDC School of Design, IIT Bombay.

Who should attend?

This programme is for you if you are:

A postgraduate student in design interested in theoretical aspects of design.
A professional in a design-related field interested in analyzing the socio-cultural dimensions of technology and design.
Design Researcher or doctoral student conducting working on the aforementioned areas.
A faculty member involved/interested in teaching the aforementioned areas.

Goals and Outcomes

Intended outcomes of the course:

After attending the course, participants should be able to analyze socio-technological systems and designs through the lens of social theories, gauge their effects on society, and possibly apply these insights to propose inclusive and thoughtful design solutions.

Contents and Schedule

The table below shows the planned contents for the 6 day online course. The course can be conducted either as one full day (either Sat or Sun) or as two half days (both Sat & Sun) depending on the preference of the course participants. Participants should be comfortable reading theoretical texts, as the course involves extensive reading. They should also possess writing skills to effectively articulate their observations through reflective and analytical essays.

Week

Topics (Lectures)

Learning activities, assignments

Week 1

Introduction: Critiques of design thinking systems, Introduction to critical perspectives in technology and design

Reading exercises, group discussions. Assignment 1: Identifying/Engaging with Ideologies

Week 2

Structuralism, Post-Structuralism, and Power in Technology: Introduction to structuralism and post-structuralism, relationships and the roles of power and discourse in shaping technology.

Reading assignments, group discussions. Assignment 2: Structuralist/Post-structural analysis of technological products

Week 3

Discourse, Control, and Desire in Technological Systems: Introduction to theories of obedience and control in the digital age, technological systems shaping desires and reinforcing control. Ideas of hyperreality and simulation.

Reading assignments, Group discussion: Assignment 3: Discourse, Control and Desire in technological systems.

Week 4

Gender, Performativity, and Intersectionality: Introduction to gender theories within technological frames. Feminist perspectives on technology design and intersectionality, socio-cultural parameters in the design and use of technology.

Reading assignments, Group discussion: Assignment 4: Gender and inclusivity in design.

Week 5

Achievement, Burnout, and Technological Narratives: Social expectations of achievement and success in technological cultures, pressures contributing to burnout and stress. Theories related to the design of digital spaces.

Reading assignments, Group discussion: Assignment 5: Gender and inclusivity in design.

Week 6

Final Presentations, reflections and synthesis: Synthesize, reflections on relationships between theories and interaction design, and how they can inform practice.
Final project presentations (in-person in the IITB campus)

End-course exam (in-person in the IITB campus)

Course instructor(s)

Girish Dalvi

Fees

The fees for this course will be ₹1,22,272 (₹ 1,03,620 + ₹ 18,652 GST).

The fees includes

Course materials, which will be distributed digitally. 
Lunch and tea breaks when you are in-campus.

The fees does NOT include

Accommodation
Learn about accommodation here.

Please note that TDS need NOT be deducted towards payments made to IIT Bombay. A certificate to this effect is available on request.

Registration Process

Eligibility Criteria

You have an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) from a recognised university in any of these disciplines: design, engineering, architecture, fine arts, applied arts, information architecture, ergonomics / human factors, writing and communication.
OR
You have any other undergraduate degree from a university recognised by IIT Bombay and if you have work experience in the industry of 3 years or more in any of these roles: user interface designer, user experience designer, web developer, information architect, graphic designer, visual designer, copywriter, product manager, brand manager.

Preparing Documents

Before you register for your first ePGD IxD course, please keep these documents handy:

Proof of Identity
Proof of Address
Previous academic and work experience certificates (see eligibility criteria above)
Birth certificate
Any additional documents specified by the IDC School of Design or the Educational Outreach Office.

At the time of registration for a course, you will need to submit a scanned copy of the documents listed above. Please merge all the above documents into a single PDF before you start registration.

Steps to register

Please follow the following process to register for a course:

Please visit https://portal.iitb.ac.in/ceqipapp/home.jsp and click on the link "List CEP/GIAN Courses".
Locate the course that you wish to register for and click on the "Apply" button below it. Create an account and login if necessary. Then fill out the course registration form. You will be asked to submit the above documents.
IDC School of Design will verify that you meet the eligibility criteria of the ePGD IxD programme and will approve your application. You will get an email of this approval (usually within 24 hours).
After your application is approved, you are allowed to complete your registration and pay the fees. Login on https://portal.iitb.ac.in/ceqipapp/home.jsp again, click on "My Courses" and click on the button called "Application Submission Details".
Pay the fees. You could pay by UPI, internet banking, credit or debit cards, demand draft (DD), or choose to pay through your company. If you choose DD, you will need to have the DD details ready. If you choose to use company payment, please have the name and contact details of the person in your company who will manage the payment.
After IIT Bombay receives your fee, you will get a confirmation email.
Course instructors may send you more instructions after that.

In case you need any help with registration, please send an email to [email protected].

After Registration

After you have registered, you need to do two important things after you register for your first course:

APAAR Number Generation: After you register for your first course of ePGD IxD, you will need to create your Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) account and generate an APAAR number. Once you have done that, please email it to [email protected]. You need to complete this process before the course begins.
Document Verification: At the time of registration, you will need to submit a scanned copy of the documents listed above. However, please note that before the award of the ePGD IxD certificate, you must present their original documents for verification by the office of IDC School of Design in the IIT Bombay campus. You can get your document verification done at any time after you register for your first course.

You need to do the above steps only once. From your second course onwards, you need to simply register for the course.

Cancellation Policy

In general, all course fees paid for the ePGD programme are not refundable. Only in case of unavoidable reasons beyond the control of the participant, the course fee may be refunded if the request is received in advance. A request in this regard could be sent to this email id: [email protected]. If your request is received 30 days before the start of the course, IIT Bombay will refund 80% of the fees paid. If your request is received 15 days before the start of the course, IIT Bombay will refund 60% of the fees paid. Cancellation requests received after that will not receive any refund.

Credits and Certification

Participants get 6 credits after passing this course which count towards the ePGD in Interaction Design from IIT Bombay. Please refer to the Credits / Certification section of the FAQs for more details.

Accommodation

Please send an email to [email protected] if you would like to avail accommodation in the IIT Bombay guest house or hostel. These will be confirmed based on availability after you pay the course fees. Please remember that accommodation costs are not included in the course fees. Please refer to the Accommodation section of the FAQs for more details.