Rebecca Tegtmeyer

Selected TEACHING Projects

I am an Associate Professor at Michigan State University, I have been teaching at MSU since Fall of 2009. During this time I have taught a variety of courses ranging from print to digital in areas such as typography, motion, interaction, design systems, and UX design. I contribute to both the undergraduate BFA in Graphic Design and BA in Experience Architecture programs. Students in my courses range from first-year to senior, both majors, non-majors, and minors. Additionally, I work with graduate students in our 3-year MFA program through teaching the Art and Design Pedagogy course or serving on individual graduate committees.

Collective Publication / Designer Interview

A student of graphic design is a very different experience than being a professional designer. Connecting with professionals to learn about the differences in timelines, processes, and expectations will illuminate the profession in a new way to current students. This project provided the entire class with a new group of connections and knowledge about the field prior to entering the workforce themselves. Students were assigned an alumni of the program/professional designer, they interviewed the designer, and organized information into an editorial layout. The individual spreads were collected and printed in a publication that was shared with students in the graphic design program. Additionally, the piece served as a collection of alumni stories for the college.

Interactive BINGO Prototype

A well-designed interface is critical to the success of an interactive environment. Learning and practicing the Interactive Design Fundamentals (interactions vs. gestures + patterns) as well as Visual Design Fundamentals (communication + direction + amusement) is a component of this introductory course in Interaction Design. This project introduced students to these fundamentals and asked them to reimagine how the popular game "BINGO" can be played on a smart phone device. Using Figma, a commonly used web-based prototyping and design tool, student designed an interactive medium-fidelity prototype. They followed an interaction design process resulting in the final product that was a simulation/model/prototype of their idea.

Reimagined Everyday Objects

A designer's ability to reimagine existing systems and to plan for future scenarios is a critical skill. Additionally, how one communicates ideas that may use technologies that don’t yet exist relies on effective design and story-telling abilities. This project asks students to reimagine an everyday object as a future enchanted object as defined by David Rose in his book, Enchanted Objects: Design, Human Desire, and the Internet of Things.

Rose defines enchanted objects as objects that start as ordinary things that are “augmented and enhanced through the use of emerging technologies—sensors, actuators, wireless connection, and embedded processing—so that it becomes extraordinary.” This enables the object to become more useful, delightful, informative, connected, and more engaging that it was in the first place. (P. 47) He also describes enchanted objects as “ordinary things made extraordinary” (p. 7).