Learning natural user interface design through creative drama techniques: New approaches to design education

Gestural Interface (GI) is a contemporary concept in Interactive Media Design that refers to interfaces that let users interact with devices through the use of everyday actions and gestures, which differentiates it from standard a Graphical User Interface (GUI). Learning to design GIs requires exploring a variety of subjects and technologies as well as embracing user-centered design principles. However, this alone is not enough for innovation within GI design. One must be able to imagine technologies not yet developed. Our central observation, which forms the basis of this research, is that students that are used to working with more stereotypical technologies of GUIs typically have a hard time adapting to such a large and flexible field.Gesture based interface design education needs a different, innovative design-thinking approach in order to increase students' creative interests. Through our studies, we conclude that creative drama techniques are a convenient way of developing GI based design thinking because these techniques support the use of body language, which GIs depend on. Our study aims to answer questions regarding the ways in which techniques inspired from creative drama can be implemented into interactive media design education in order to generate innovative ideas for GI design. In this research thesis, we discuss advantages and disadvantages of problem definitions, solution and exploration-oriented exercises, and excercise derived from drama methods such as role-playing, improvisation, and mime as a way of deriving a diverse range of creative games that may be applied to different phases of design education. We argue for the effectiveness of design thinking-based GI education by applying a three times iterated education method and discussing over the change in student behavior and acquired student projects. Keywords: Interface Design, Gestural Design, Design Education, Creative Drama, Mime.