The Beginning

So here it is. The beginning of a new era, my first steps in the blogging universe. So tell me, how am I doing?

I'm working on a design project at the moment or to be more precise I'm supposed to be working on a design project. The project? Alexanderplatz, a public square in East Berlin is in dire need of a face-lift. Uninviting, unused, grey and drab it is used primarily as a walk through to public transport or as a no-choice option to get to the shopping centre. No one, at least no one I spoke to, likes it. So, simple task: redesign it.

Not so fast Poindexter.

I'm an interaction designer. Okay, okay! I'm a student interaction designer. A what? Exactly! And I'm working in a team of fellow students who are product designers and interior & architectural designers. Now I know what they do, but it's taken almost all my energy to explain to them what I do. And it's not, repeat, not websites. Yes I can design websites (there's one up for the project – check it out and join the forum: www.denkensieberlin.eu) but that's not all an interaction designer does.

Interaction design is about making things work better so users have to think less about actually using the artifact and getting down to the business of making that artifact do the useful it was designed to do. And if you understood that, go to the top of the class. if you didn't, hopefully as I gradually get the hang of this I'll be able to give a better explanation and perhaps show my progress.

As for the Alexanderplatz project, I'm really having trouble convincing the group how great my ideas are. Maybe I'll just post them up here. Stay tuned.