Technology as an everyday mediator – Approaching interactive systems

From simple everyday helpers like electric toothbrushes to highly advanced technologies like autonomous-learning voice assistants. Interactive technology has long been, or perhaps always has been, an integral part of our everyday lives. It accompanies, supports, influences, and shapes our actions subtly and profoundly. At the same time, technological development is advancing rapidly. Once we have understood one innovation, the next, even faster and more intelligent one is already waiting. For designers, this creates a field of tension between fascination and uncertainty. What is needed here is a kind of fundamental orientation.

Given the wide range of technical possibilities, a central question arises: How can we design interactive technology that meaningfully and consistently fits into people's lives? To answer this question, focusing solely on functionality or technological efficiency is not enough. Instead, it requires an interdisciplinary approach that combines psychological, philosophical, and sociological perspectives and understands human-technology interaction as a relationship.

In the seminar "Advanced Technology / Designing Interactive Systems", we approach this complexity systematically. The aim is to develop a structured understanding of the fundamental perspectives from which interactive technology can be conceived and designed. To do this, we take theoretical concepts from various disciplines and apply them to specific design contexts.

However, instead of exploring individual theories in depth, the focus is on providing an overview. The aim is to learn central ways of thinking, understand similarities and differences, and develop a reflective attitude towards technology design.

Learning by doing: putting theory into practice

We place particular emphasis on actively engaging with the content. In practical exercises, we apply theoretical concepts to specific design situations, making abstract knowledge a useful design tool.

The central question is always: What kind of relationship should technology have with humans? Supportive, challenging, dialogical, or controlling? This relational dimension opens a new perspective on technology design, moving beyond mere innovation towards the quality of the human-technology relationship.