About: Super Studio
Super Studio 2004-2005 was devoted to an investigation of tweens (ages 11-14) in relation to technology, engagement, and personal agency. The research term of the studio was a Graduate Funded Educational Project sponsored by Hewlett-Packard's Consumer Applications and Systems Laboratory. In the design term, the students designed, prototyped, and branded MOBO - a wireless, hand-held product intended to help tweens manage stress.

The Super Studio is a multi-term, team-oriented group project. It concentrates on the design of content and experiences, employing diverse media types and delivery devices. The studio project is modeled on real-world design and development practices and offers students a collaborative experience in market research, media technologies, experience design, entrepreneurship, and presentation skills.

During the course of this project, students investigate a topic of contemporary significance in our culture. In the research phase, they focus on research, ideation, media strategy, project roles, and proposal development. During the development phase, work centers on product definition, prototype development, audience testing, and experience design. In the final term, the transmedia production is realized. Designs are refined and prototypes are built and tested. Students design the presentation of their work in written, oral, and visual form. The objective of this class is to have designers conduct human-centered research (interviews, questionnaires, photo audits, etc.), turn their findings into creative tools that designers, engineers, and executives can use for brainstorming future products and services, and create a product or service based on the research.