Category Archives: elective

class, elective, f24, grad, special topic

DM-GY 9103 Print and Code

his is a studio class on computational design, printing, drawing, and experimental publishing. We will work with Javascript (libraries like the P5.JS Riso), paper, plotters, and the risograph printer, combining computational design techniques with printed forms to explore unconventional methods of publishing. Students will be introduced to histories of radical publishing and will develop experimental printed publications. 

Previous course site : https://wp.nyu.edu/printcode2023/

Instructor: Tega Brain

class, elective, f24, grad, special topic

DM-GY 9103 Speculative Networks

This course focuses on the ethical, political and socio-cultural dimensions of digital platforms and social media. Course readings will explore the implications of digital design practices, and creative workshops will provide a means to creatively reimagine digital platforms through experimentation with networking techniques and platform affordances. Through a combination of seminar discussions, in-class workshops and experimental design projects, students will critically examine and remediate social media and other digital platforms.

In the course, we will explore the following questions:
• How do social media and digital platforms shape our social world?
• How can we apply digital design methods to reimagine social media and digital platforms?

Speculative Networks is a concept-driven, project-based course that explores theories of digital communication through the creation of three projects around the following themes:

  • Emotion and Affect
    What are the emotional impacts of digital media? How can we creatively reimagine “doomscrolling” and other forms of negative affect towards more empathetic technologies?
  • Attention Economies
    How do digital platforms exploit their users’ attention? What possibilities exist to use digital technologies to refocus attention away from the screen and towards new horizons?
  • Inverse Metaverse
    What are the limitations and possibilities of digital objects and commodities? What alternative forms of value might be embedded in 3D digital assets?

Additionally, we will be exploring design topics such as speculative design, affordance theory, values-oriented design, and user studies.
This course is medium-agnostic – you are welcome to use whatever media you are comfortable working in to create your projects. We will, however, be exploring techniques in gestural interface design, locative media, AR/XR, and machine learning. This is a useful course for students looking to expand the conceptual and critical depth of their interactive digital media projects through intensive thematic assignments.

Instructor: Craig Fahner

class, elective, f24, grad, special topic

DM-GY 9103 Design for Change: UX and Wearables

This course explores the intersection of user experience design, spatial computing, wearable technology, and fashion, with a strong emphasis on social justice. It aims to equip students with the skills to create innovative designs that are not only technologically advanced but also socially conscious and inclusive. Students will gain an understanding of the principles of user experience design and their application in spatial computing and wearable technology. The course will culminate in a prototype that embodies the principles of inclusive and socially responsible design.

Instructors : Reginé Gilbert & Kathleen McDermott

class, elective, f24, grad, special topic

DM-GY 9103 Tangible Electronics for Teaching and Learning

Tangible Electronics for Teaching and Learning is a cross-listed course between NYU Steinhardt’s Educational Communication and Technology (ECT) program and NYU Tandon’s Integrated Design & Media program (IDM), combining theory and practice for
researching, designing, and prototyping tangible educational technology. Students will gain an understanding of theoretical frameworks and best practices for undertaking a practice-
based research project in educational technology. Learners will analyze a learning context, identify learning objectives, conduct primary research, and work collaboratively with a “client”
in the field to develop and iterate on tangible designs for learning. Students will learn techniques for rapid prototyping, including techniques for brainstorming, mocking up ideas in low-fi materials, iteration, and will gain an introduction to the Tandon MakerSpace. Students will also gain an overview of physical computing, including how to use microcontrollers to interface with sensors and actuators, in order to implement their designs and gain feedback.

class site : https://wp.nyu.edu/tangiblesforlearning/

Instructors: Benedetta Piantella, Kayla DesPortes

class, elective, f24, grad, special topic

DM-GY 9103 Camera and Capture

This course provides an introduction to compositing video using traditional vfx and realtime pipelines with the Unreal Engine. Students will develop cinematics that composite video into a 3D virtual world. Using matchmotion tracking students will integrate the camera movement of footage shot on greenscreen with CGI. Students will develop their concepts using previz and virtual production techniques.

Instructor : Matthew Rader

class, elective, f24, grad, special topic

DM-GY 9103 Designing for Immersive Media

This course will explore a variety of topics for building screen based and room-scale immersive media experiences. Instruction will mostly center around the Unity game engine, with some lessons addressing the integration of other interactive frameworks such as Max, electronics, and sensors. Students will gain a wide perspective of common workflows and technologies at play in immersive experience design while engaging VR headsets and real world peripherals. Coursework will take the form of creative and technical exercises with some critical responses to readings and gameplay. Guiding our practice will be an attunement to our own creative voice and the ways it can take shape in immersive worlding. The class will culminate with a student showcase of experimental and interactive works.

Instructor : Tommy Martinez

class, elective, f24, grad

DM-GY 7163 Virtual Production Development

This class will discuss the key issues, challenges, and best practices in visual storytelling in Cinema and emerging media like real-time spatial computing. The class will teach how to architect and lead a virtual production by creating a dialogue between the Producer, Director, and Cinematographer in filmmaking with the Technical Producer and Director in creative technology. The class will cover an overview of all of the technical skills required to produce a remote multi-user motion capture virtual production in the Unreal Engine through the lens of a project manager making administrative and creative decisions culminating in a real-time 3D project narrative cinematic work.

Instructor: Todd Bryant

class, elective, f24, grad, grad-s25-studio, s25

DM-GY 7133 User Experience Design

This is an introductory course on user experience design methodologies following a user-centered design process. The course is oriented toward practical methods for approaching a design problem holistically, beyond usability and usefulness. In this class, you will develop an appreciation for the notion of user experience including how to design for it and how to evaluate it. The course will focus on storytelling, sketching, and communication of design ideas within a design team and to potential users. Assignments will focus on hands-on learning through individual assignments, application of design skills in group mini-projects, and peer critique.

 

class, elective, f24, grad

DM-GY 7053 Developing Assistive Technology

This multi-disciplinary course allows students from a variety of backgrounds to work together to develop examples of assistive technology. Partnering with outside organization students will work in teams to identify a clinical need relevant to a certain clinical site or client population, and learn the process of developing an idea and following that through the development of a prototype product. The major learning activity is the design and fabrication of a device (piece of equipment, software, etc.) that meets a specific need for a specific person with a disability or a clinic that treats clients with disabilities or a category of people with similar needs as a result of their disability.

Most recent class site : https://wp.nyu.edu/ap_classes_dat_f23/

Repository of every past class 

Instructors: Amy Hurst, Anita Perr

class, elective, f24, grad, grad-s25-studio, s25

DM-GY 6133 Mobile Augmented Reality Studio

In this course, you’ll gain a deep understanding of the full UX process while also learning how to apply it to the rapidly evolving field of Augmented Reality (AR). Through a structured approach, you’ll master key techniques such as problem definition, user research, ideation, wireframing, and prototype testing. A central focus of the course will be on how these UX fundamentals translate into designing for AR environments—where interaction and engagement happen in entirely new dimensions.

Guided by industry professionals, you’ll have the opportunity to work on projects that bridge UX and AR, exploring how user-centered design principles can be adapted to create immersive, interactive experiences. With hands-on practice, you’ll test, iterate, and refine your designs to meet the unique challenges of AR, from spatial interactions to contextual user interfaces. This course offers a unique technical blend of UX expertise and AR innovation, preparing you to design for the future of digital experiences.

This course examines the potential of mobile augmented reality [AR] and its future impact on society. Augmented reality technology is poised to revolutionize the way we understand the world by overlaying physical reality with real time, interactive digital content. AR will change our interaction with digital media by dissolving the user interface and turning it into a physical experience of sight and sound. This course will explore these emerging possibilities through hands on learning with the latest software and hardware. The class explores techniques and methodologies through guest lectures and regular studio practice to give students an overview of the possibilities and the current state of the art, and to prepare them for thesis work or subsequent course work. Students will gain a strong understanding of the AR industry’s past, present, and especially its future trends.

Instructors: Mark Skwarek and Sana Maqsood