The Foundations of Teamwork class introduces students to the essential tools, techniques, and mindsets that interaction designers need to work effectively in teams. Through a series of practical exercises and short collaborative projects, students begin to understand how teams are formed, how they develop over time, and what enables them to perform at their best.

Working closely with their classmates, students explore how their own perspectives, experiences, assumptions, and biases can influence team dynamics, decisions, and outcomes. They learn to recognise and value the different skills and viewpoints that each person brings to a project, while developing strategies for effective communication and collaboration.

The class provides opportunities to form and work within different design teams, adapt to new roles and ways of working, and make decisions together. Students experiment with techniques such as timeboxing to help teams stay focused and productive, as well as approaches for developing clear criteria to support better and more considered group decision-making.

Beyond developing practical teamwork skills, the class offers an opportunity for students to get to know their peers and begin building the relationships that will shape their experience at CIID. They discover how to contribute their own strengths while making space for others, laying the foundations for productive collaboration throughout the programme and beyond.

Most importantly, the class encourages students to experiment, learn from one another, and have fun while discovering what makes collaboration successful in interaction design.

‍