We focus on the learning of design and the work of design professionals in action
Across these contexts of design learning and practice, we have dominant research threads in design cognition, ethics, design philosophy, critique, and identity.
Dark Patterns, Ethics, & Social Responsibility
We ask deep questions about how designers think and act—particularly in the context of manipulative design tactics such as dark patterns, taking on a critical theory lens to explore dimensions of social and ethical responsibility in design practice.
UX Practice
We seek to understand how design and technology practitioners remain competent over time, documenting the knowledge and design methods they rely upon to do their work.
HCI, Design, & Studio Pedagogy
Building upon insights from UX practice and design education, we identify what educators can do to foster world-class UX educational experiences.
The UX Pedagogy and Practice Lab is located at Indiana University within the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Our work is supported by the National Science Foundation and has been covered by news outlets such as The Atlantic, Bloomberg, Wired, and Kiplingers.
The lab is led by Dr. Colin Gray, who is appointed in the Luddy School as an Associate Professor in Informatics and serves as Human-Computer Interaction design (HCI/d) program director. Our research goals are inter- and trans-disciplinary in focus, spanning work across human-computer interaction, regulation and law, design theory and education, and instructional design and technology. We focus on the learning of design (pedagogy) and the work of design professionals in action (practice), and the synergistic opportunities that the intersection of these foci represent. Across these contexts of design learning and practice, we have dominant research threads in dark patterns, ethics, design philosophy, and design and technology education.
Let us know if you’re interested in collaborating with us or joining as an MS or PhD student!