Art 390U - Anti-User Experience

This class approaches human-computer interaction from the perspective of contemporary artists who are misusing, appropriating, and breaking the conventions of user experience and user interface (UX/UI) design. Starting from the assumption that no technological standard is neutral, students will examine the work of practitioners who shed light on the human construction of everyday digital tools and processes by working against the norms built into them. Lectures, demonstrations, guest speakers, and studio work will introduce students to both common practices in the UX/UI field and the ways they can be subverted or critiqued. Students will build bespoke yet functional projects that reject the premise of seamless, invisible interaction design in favor of more experimental, individualized, or frustrating approaches to engaging with technology.

Open to Undergraduate ART, BFA-ART, BFA-ART ED, and BFA-DESIGN majors only. ART 234