Design Games as a Learning Tool in Interaction Design Education

In Participatory Design approaches, Design Games (DGs) are becoming a popular technique. Through games, designers and users can interact in a relaxed atmosphere that contributes to empathic understanding. In interaction design education, DGs have been presented as tools that help students develop skills such as organizing collaboration and reflecting about their own practice as designers. However, the possibilities of DGs in education are larger than this. In this presentation, Eva Durall and Heidi Uppa show two examples of how DGs help define the design space and develop common understanding and reflection between designers and end-users. These examples of how DGs are used show how DGs are a powerful tool not only in learning contexts but also as part of a professional interaction design practice.