After three years of working as an Interaction Designer and helping clients to create understandable visualizations and usable applications, I decided to revive my academic work. In February 2012 I will start my studies as Master of Arts in Design at the Zurich University of the Arts. In the Field of Excellence Interaction I will work for 18 months on a design research project in the area of dynamic, interactive information visualization.
The subject of my master’s project are visual tools for the exploration, evaluation and communication of financial information. I will explore how interactive and dynamic mapping of complex structures and processes can support understanding and thereby lead to a more critical examination of your financials. My goal is provide you with a set of tools to better understand where your money is coming from, where it is stored and where it is going. As a bonus, I’d like to help you understand what impact your money has on society, economy and our environment.
I will be mentored by Prof. Dr. Gerhard M. Buurman. He established the Interaction Design course at the ZHdK in 2000 and co-founded the Swiss Design Institute for Finance and Banking (SDFB) in 2007 and is currently the director of the Institute for Design Research (IDE). The proximity to the SDFB provides a repository of experience and expertise, which allows me to build on a well-established foundation and existing results.
During my studies I will continue to work at Interactive Things where I handle communication and coordination. My master’s project can be considered an internal research project for us, where we have the opportunity to focus on a user-centric approach to design and implementation without the limitations in time and budget. This will allow us to bring together theory and practice in one comprehensive piece of work.
If you’re interested in learning more about my project and follow my research findings and work results, I will publish updates on master.benjaminwiederkehr.com.