Interaction Design: the creative heart of tech innovation
Interaction design represents the creative, human-centered side of our technological world. It’s the discipline that shapes how digital systems are experienced – from the apps we use every day to smart objects in our homes, immersive cultural installations, video games, learning platforms, and emerging AI-based tools. If computer science builds the engines, interaction design crafts the journey: the emotions, clarity, playfulness, and meaning that make technology feel natural and genuinely worthwhile.
The importance of this discipline has never been greater. It goes hand in hand with the increasing role technology plays in human life – and hence with the growth of the technology industry. Worldwide, the demand for UX and interaction designers continues to rise (with job growth between 8% and 10% in the US alone, significantly above average), and the digital economy in Catalonia has grown nearly 15% in a single year, now employing more than 180,000 professionals. Companies in tech, culture, mobility, media, healthcare, education, and entertainment increasingly seek designers who understand technology and human experience all at once – who can approach technology innovation through non-technical lenses such as creativity, empathy, and critical thinking. This need is especially visible in Catalonia, one of Europe’s major tech hubs and the home of global events such as the Mobile World Congress or the Integrated Systems Europe fair. These ecosystems require not only engineers, but also creative professionals who can bring artistic and humanistic perspectives to technology design.
Looking forward, the field of interaction design is not only growing in relevance but also evolving rapidly. Interaction designers are redefining how artificial intelligence integrates into everyday life; how mixed and extended reality experiences reshape education and culture; how tangible and smart objects support learning and play; and how digital systems can be more ethical, inclusive, and joyful. Because the discipline sits at the intersection of engineering, art, humanities, and social sciences, it offers exciting opportunities for students who love technology but also value creativity, storytelling, culture, and human meaning.
- Why ERAM?
A university school of the arts is the perfect place to become a leading creative force in the technology innovation ecosystem.
This interdisciplinary, imaginative ethos is at the core of the Master in Interaction Design at ERAM (Universitat de Girona). The program blends design studios, creative technology, prototyping, UX methods, and advanced research into a comprehensive learning journey. Students learn to design interfaces and interactive products, but also to innovate ethically, think critically, and explore new forms of human-technology interaction.
ERAM is a unique university school in Spain and Catalonia – a hub for the innovative arts, where degrees in audiovisual communication, performing arts, fashion, and emerging creative disciplines coexist. It is a place where creative practice and technological exploration naturally meet. Students are surrounded by makers, performers, storytellers, designers, and inventors, making ERAM an exceptional environment for studying Interaction Design’s creative and humanistic dimensions.
- A strong focus on research supported by an internationally active lab
A defining strength of the Master’s program is its strong research pathway, anchored in the research activity of the Playful Living Lab – ERAM’s very own group of interaction design researchers. The lab brings together active researchers whose work is published every year in top-tier international academic conferences and journals (in areas such as Human-Computer Interaction and Design Research), while also producing interactive artworks and prototypes showcased at digital arts festivals.
Students can take part in this research ecosystem both through curricular activities (design research courses, studio projects, the master’s thesis) and extracurricular opportunities (lab residencies, workshops, collaborations, exhibitions, and conference participation). For those aspiring to remain in academia, this experience provides a powerful foundation for applying to competitive PhD programs in leading international institutions. All of this happens in Girona, a city known for its creativity, cultural richness, and high quality of life – just a short train ride from Barcelona’s vibrant tech ecosystem.
For students seeking a future where technology, creativity, and meaningful impact come together (and where both industry and research careers are possible), the Master in Interaction Design at ERAM offers an inspiring and truly unique starting point.
Paper author: Ferran Altarriba Bertran | Director of Màster in Interaction Design |
