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.
References
Faber-Ludens Interaction Design Institute. Almanaque 2010: Interaction Design Yearbook. Blurb. https://fredvanamstel.com/publications/almanaque-2010-faber-ludens
Van Amstel, Frederick M.C.; Vassão, Caio A.; Ferraz, Gonçalo B. 2012. Design Livre: Cannibalistic Interaction Design. In: Innovation in Design Education: Proceedings of the Third International Forum of Design as a Process, Turin, Italy. https://fredvanamstel.com/publications/design-livre-cannibalistic-interaction-design
Gonzatto, R.F; Amstel, F.M.C.van; Merkle, L.E; Hartmann, T. 2013. The ideology of the future in design fictions. Digital Creativity. Vol. 24 (1). https://doi.org/10.1080/14626268.2013.772524
Van Amstel, Frederick M.C., and Rodrigo Freese Gonzatto. (2016) “Design Livre: designing locally, cannibalizing globally.” XRDS: Crossroads, The ACM Magazine for Students, 22(4), p.46-50. https://doi.org/10.1145/2930871
