Inspired by European Design schools that embraced the Digital Culture, like Ivrea Institute and its successor, Copenhagen Institute for Interaction Design (cIId), a multidisciplinary group founded Faber-Ludens Institute for Interaction Design in Curitiba, in 2007. As a non-profit organization, Faber-Ludens had a democratic (sometimes anarchic) governance model, which favored intense collaboration between its members and the community.
Bootstrapped without any funding source, activities were primarily held on the Internet, through a website and an email list. Members of the email list organized themselves to translate basic texts on Interaction design because most Brazilians don’t read English. A wiki was born out of that, including later information about methods, tools, books, and movies that members wanted to share.
In partnership with a Colombian University, Faculdades San Martín, and a Brazilian University, Universidade do Contestado, Faber-Ludens began offering a post-graduate program in Interaction Design with 360 hours of coursework. The curriculum was structured to offer a strong social background, emphasizing Interaction Design role in cultural production.
Module I – Technology and Society
- Interaction Design Foundations (40hs)
- New Media and Digital Culture (16hs)
- Sociology of Technology (24hs)
- Research Methodology (24hs)
Module II Artifact reception
- Design, Art, and Technology (24hs)
- Mobility and Pervasive Computing (24hs)
- Visual Anthropology (32hs)
- Usability and Ergonomics (16hs)
Module III – Artifact production
- Prototyping Techniques I (24hs)
- Prototyping Techniques I (44hs)
- Interface Design (16hs)
- Hypermedia and Language (16hs)
- Interaction Design Project (60hs)
Each theoretical course was accompanied by an experimental design project. All assignments required students to publish their works on Faber-Ludens website, where non-students community members could comment. The same with teaching materials. A selection of interaction design projects from students has been published in the Almanaque 2010 yearbook.
As the graduate students pioneered Interaction Design practice in Brazil, companies turn to Faber-Ludens for consultancy and training. In 2010, Faber-Ludens opened a commercial studio to develop projects that bridge the gap between academic and industry knowledge.
Faber-Ludens faded away in 2014, as the founders moved to other activities. In the 7 years that comprised its life, Faber-Ludens graduated more than 80 students, trained more than 200 people, consulted for 7 companies, and conducted more than 40 applied research projects. It had a lasting impact on the interaction design and user experience scene in Brazil.
Frederick was one of the six founders of Faber-Ludens, the elected president, and the course coordinator for the post-graduate studies. The open innovation platform created by Faber-Ludens, Corais Platform, is still active today, carrying forward much of its values and visions.