Experience Design Short Course
Course description
Course overview
Experience Design (EXD) is an interdisciplinary approach combining skills in storytelling, empathy and spatial design. This course introduces the concept of Experience Design: an approach to design that focuses on the emotional experience of your audience and on the lasting transformational impact you can have on their lives.
Working collaboratively with your classmates, you’ll discover different ways to design transformative experiences for your audiences, clients and colleagues and identify your own role in the EXD ecosystem.
By the end of the course, you will have developed your knowledge and professional have gained inspiration by the potential to incorporate these into your own work, practice or studies. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge, change direction, or have a particular challenge to unpick, this is an opportunity to immerse yourself in a new approach to your work.
The course has been carefully structured as either a 2.5-hour evening class over 10-weeks, or an intensive 4- or 5-day sprint. Both take you a journey exploring theory, tools and concepts through visual presentation, group discussion and collaborative, practical activities.
Who this course is for
This course is suitable for anyone aged 18 and older who is interested in developing their knowledge of experience design, regardless of prior experience. Beginners are welcome.
Key information
Topics covered
- Introduction to Experience Design, we’ll get to know you and challenge you to think differently.
- Focus on empathy, and the importance of understanding people, their beliefs and motivations deeply so that you can design experiences that resonate with them.
- Designing for impact, introducing tools such as Theory of Change or Pigalle Tavakkoli’s Triple Diamond process to articulate the transformation you hope to bring about and map the steps you need to get there.
- Storytelling and narrative theory as cornerstones of Experience Design.
- Engagement and participation, exploring the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of human connection.
- The underlying emotional journey, and how this can both shape and be shaped by an experience.
We’ll also introduce some tools you might use, looking at Experiential Design with a focus on immersive environments and the senses, and challenge you to put your learning into practice with rapid prototyping exercises.
The 4- and 5-day courses are structured using Pigalle Tavakkoli’s Triple Diamond process, while the 10-week course explores a range of models such as Theory of Change and the Participation Spectrum. The 5-day course includes an off-site visit to arts and cultural organisations where you test your ideas in public spaces.
Learning outcomes
- Develop your knowledge of Experience Design and the professional skills involved within this practice
- Be inspired by the potential to incorporate newfound knowledge and skills into your own work, practice or studies
- Digital badge and certificate of attendance
Materials
- Pens
- Pencils
- Notebook
- Laptop or iPad
Tutor
Pigalle Tavakkoli
Pigalle Tavakkoli originally worked in the fashion industry as Studio Assistant for Alexander McQueen, followed by running her own label designing high end womenswear for boutiques worldwide. She went on to work as Creative Assistant to Jasmine Di Milo, Marketing and PR Manager for designers such as Lezley George, and project managing lookbooks for Benetton and Levi's Vintage Clothing. Pigalle is now established as a Senior Experience Designer with over a decade producing events, installations and campaigns. She develops multisensory story worlds driven by audience participation, to transform the way they feel, think and behave. She has worked for leading cultural organisations and museums across the UK and internationally. These have included the V&A, National Portrait Gallery, Wellcome Collection, Barbican Centre and Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture (Russia), as well as multi-arts festivals such as Latitude, Wilderness, Secret Garden Party and Electric Picnic (Ireland). She is a visiting lecturer at London College of Fashion and London College of Communications.
Susanne Buck
Susanne Buck is Co-Director of Flow Associates, a consultancy specialising in audience research and development for the museum sector and other cultural and creative clients. These include Museum of London, Science Gallery London, Crafts Council, London's Southbank Centre, National Maritime Museum, Guerilla Science, Arts Council England, Central Saint Martins and Kings College London. Previously Susanne was Education and Audience manager for the British Music Experience at The O2, and began her career as an Explainer at the Science Museum in 2002. She was part of the original team who developed the Experience Design course in 2011. Her expertise includes Experience Design, Audience Development, Participation, Cultural Strategy and Evaluation. Additionally, Susanne is a visiting Lecturer for Central Saint Martin's Narrative Environments MA, and Ravensbourne’s Service Design Innovation MA.
Magda Fabianczyk
Magda Fabianczyk is an artist and researcher specialising in co-creation, placemaking and participation, and a tutor in experience design and conceptual art. She was recently awarded a Gasworks fellowship and support by the Arts Council England. Her artistic practice spans projects across London with commissions for Southbank Centre, Islington Council Arts Service, Camden Council, Studio Voltaire, as well as internationally such as Museum of Romani Culture, Czech Republic, and Kochi Muziris Art Biennale, India.
Phaedra Corrigan
Phaedra Corrigan is a Registered Architect and multi-disciplinary designer with 20 years experience of telling stories in spaces. She is Creative Director of Phaedra Corrigan Studios, and previously spent 5 years as Associate Creative director at Event Communications, leading teams working on high profile and critically acclaimed projects. Current and past clients include Royal Armouries Leeds, the Eden Project, The Food Museum in Stowmarket, The Burrell Collection, National Trust and Hans Christian Andersen’s House.
Phaedra has a wealth of experience working across scale and type of projects, from small community based installations to large strategic master plans. Through a rigorous process of careful listening, collaborating, collecting, learning and distilling, she transforms complex objectives and constraints into accessible narrative environments.
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