StudyQA — Master: Interaction Design — Estonian Academy of Arts (Page 2)

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Interaction Design MA programme's online info session on 24th of January 2026 at 17:00 (GMT+2). More info and registration: www.artun.ee/en.

Interaction Design deals with how we interact with the world around us, focusing on experiences, digital products and services. The ongoing revolution of technology has increased our need for new experiences, systems and products. Interaction designers aim to create the future that adds value to people’s lives by focusing on humans, their needs, behaviours and values, and also take into consideration the environment around us.

We Create the Future

The breakneck advances in technology have led us to the brink of the next industrial revolution, and for the first time in recent history no-one has any idea how the future is going to look like. We, interaction designers, are positioned right in the center of this transformation: it is in our hands to take the lead and create the technology-entangled future that is based on human values, needs and behaviours.

We Focus on Humans

Technology is becoming omnivalent, intelligent and emotional.  No longer a tool to pick up and use, it is starting to fulfill its premise by augmenting our abilities as human beings.  So we are no longer designing the technology, but rather the relationship we are having with it. This relationship has to be meaningful, valuable, manageable. It will have its ups and downs, excitements and bores, it will start, evolve, and end. All this has to be catered for from the human perspective.

The world we are designing for is developing extremely fast. We are not — we resist, adapt, and eventually embrace change. Thus we must take human beings as the unchanging cornerstone, the basis on which to build our designer attitude, approach, and methodology. At IxD.ma, the study plan is human centered, but having its finger on the pulse, quickly adapting to the world, and always looking into the future.

We are the innovators for the human centered future, and beyond

But human-centered design is no longer enough. In order to sustain or enhance our living standards after generations of exploitation, we have to look beyond human needs and values when designing the objects and services of tomorrow. We have to consider those of the planet. As interaction designers, we have a great impact on how people interact with the world around them, we are able to shape the human perception, even values and behaviours. Creating a positive future is in the hands of designers.

By designers to designers

The IxD.ma was established by top industry experts in the country, with input from top design teams from across the Globe, on the notion that design is about creating options. We, the designers, are mediators, who are building the future by unlocking new possibilities. We don’t really know if our concepts are going to make people eat healthier, donate more or spend smarter. But we have created well-informed possibilities for these changes to happen.

We learn design by doing it

The studies at IxD.ma are project based. We develop our designer intuition, point of view, experience and portfolio through constant iteration, guided by industry mentors—passionate practitioners, who use their real-life experience to guide you through challenging projects.

We have reduced the amount of academic lectures to the minimum. While it is essential for a cultured design leader to grasp the fundamentals of design theory, philosophy, psychology and anthropology, the majority of studies are studio-based projects on themes such as human centered design, service design, digital product design, emotional design, tangible design, social innovation etc.

Designers form a very open community — there’s an abundance of methodologies, toolsets, materials out there, readily available to use. Anyone can learn them. But it’s a matter of practice, constant iteration, to actually start thinking like a designer. This is what we are doing at IxD.ma.

We work on real life projects

Our approach is practical and experimental. In close collaboration with top industry partners — Estonian startups, government sector, telecoms, NGOs — each semester, we work on real life briefs, real life problems and real people to discover hidden possibilities of innovation and come up with forward-looking concepts that are grounded in reality.

We encourage diversity

We emphasise diversity, as it is essential to innovation. At IxD.ma, you’ll be working alongside students from many different professions, backgrounds and cultures. This creates a platform for new ideas and a mutual learning experience. After graduation you will be well equipped to run complex design development projects and to manage international multi-disciplinary teams.

Program Structure

Semester 1: Empathise

Introduction to People-Centred Design
Visual Interaction Design
Service Design
Design Storytelling

Semester 2: Build

Emotional Design
Tangible Design
Business Design
Digital Product Design

Semester 3: Innovate

Design for Social Innovation
Design for Emerging Themes
Advanced Prototyping
Immersive Experiences

Semester 4: Grow

Degree Project

The interaction design program is open to anyone who is passionate about design. No previous professional experience or degree in design is necessary — we value diversity and our students come from very different places and backgrounds.

Admission requirements

Application (submitted through Dream Apply/SAIS between 01.02–01.03.2021)
50€ application fee (paid via bank transfer)
Copy of your Bachelor’s degree certificate or equivalent and its translation into Estonian or English (both, copies and translations have to be attested by notary).
Copy of your Transcript of Records (and translation into Estonian or English; both copy and translation must be attested by notary).
Certificate of foreign language skills, see the requirements HERE
Copy of the data page of your passport or ID-card
CV
Short essay (max 4600 letters including spaces) elaborating on the following themes:
- How do you see the present and the future of interaction design, and how do you see your role in this.
- What do you hope to learn during the Master’s Program?
- What would you like to do after the completion of your studies?
Display of Previous Experiences (PDF or web portfolio, max 20MB)
- Your display of previous experience should contain a few samples of work, showing your past and present experience, interests and professional capabilities. Design projects, development projects, art and hobby pieces, articles, abstracts of scientific papers, short descriptions of business or volunteering projects, etc. can be included. Basically, we want to see what you’ve been doing in your previous life, how you create, think and solve problems.
- Each sample should be illustrated and shortly described. In case of team efforts, your contribution should be clearly stated.
- The document should be presented in PDF-format (upto 20MB) or as a web portfolio. Feel free to use any file download service (WeTransfer, Dropbox, etc). If you add web links (pointing to web projects, articles, etc.) please make sure the links actually work.
- Please add your display of previous experience to your online application

More info: https://www.artun.ee/en/admissions/masters/admissions/

What skills will I acquire during the studies?

You can shape the future. You will graduate with a portfolio, training and craftsmanship that industry is seeking. You will be an interaction designer focused on developing the next generation of products and services. You will be a User Experience Designer helping companies build meaningful products. You will join a startup team or an established company to help design the next big thing or to make the exciting experiences better.