User Experience design

College: Graduate Studies Institute

This program focuses on designing and enhancing user experiences for products, services, and digital interfaces.

Students explore key areas such as human-computer interaction, user research, information architecture, interaction design, and usability testing. The program emphasizes user-centered design principles, prototyping, and the use of design tools and techniques. Graduates are prepared for careers in user experience design, user research, interaction design, and related fields.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the fundamentals of user experience design and human-computer interaction.
• Develop skills in user research, information architecture, and interaction design.
• Learn prototyping techniques, usability testing, and iterative design.
• Explore user-centered design principles and design thinking.
• Understand the role of design tools and techniques in user experience design.
• Analyze challenges and opportunities in designing user experiences.
• Develop teamwork and problem-solving skills for user experience design projects.

Main Outline:

1. Introduction to User Experience Design
   • Overview of user experience design, core concepts, and historical context.
   • Basics of human-computer interaction and user-centered design.
2. User Research
   • User research principles, including qualitative and quantitative methods.
   • Techniques for conducting user interviews, surveys, and ethnographic studies.
3. Information Architecture
   • Information architecture basics, including content organization, navigation, and taxonomy.
   • Techniques for creating effective information structures and user flows.
4. Interaction Design
   • Interaction design principles, including user interface design, interaction patterns, and prototyping.
   • Techniques for designing intuitive and engaging user interfaces.
5. Prototyping and Wireframing
   • Prototyping and wireframing fundamentals, including low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes.
   • Techniques for creating and testing prototypes using design tools.
6. Usability Testing
   • Usability testing principles, including planning, conducting, and analyzing usability tests.
   • Techniques for identifying and addressing usability issues.
7. Design Thinking and Innovation
   • Design thinking principles, including empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing.
   • Techniques for fostering innovation and creative problem solving in user experience design.
8. User Experience Design Tools and Techniques
   • Overview of design tools and techniques, including Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, and InVision.
   • Techniques for using design tools to create and collaborate on user experience designs.
9. Practical Training in User Experience Design
   • Real-world user experience design experiences, including observations, internships, and practical projects.
   • Techniques for applying acquired skills in practical user experience design settings.
10. Capstone Project in User Experience Design
    • Comprehensive project to apply skills learned in user research, interaction design, or usability testing.
    • Techniques for presenting a polished, user-centered design solution.

Assessment Methods:

• User research reports, information architecture designs, interaction design models, usability test analyses, design thinking projects, user experience design tool applications, practical training reports, capstone projects, group projects, and internships.

Recommended Textbooks:

• "Don't Make Me Think" by Steve Krug.
• "The Design of Everyday Things" by Don Norman.
• "About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design" by Alan Cooper, et al.
• "Observing the User Experience: A Practitioner's Guide to User Research" by Elizabeth Goodman, et al.
• "Information Architecture: For the Web and Beyond" by Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville.

Prerequisites:

Basic knowledge of design, human-computer interaction, and digital technologies. Suitable for students interested in user experience design, user research, interaction design, and related fields.

Duration:

Typically 4 years to complete a bachelor's degree, including coursework, projects, practical training, and internships.

Certification:

Graduates may earn a degree in User Experience Design and pursue professional certifications like Certified User Experience Professional (CUXP) or Certified Usability Analyst (CUA).

Target Audience:

Ambitious user experience designers, user researchers, interaction designers, and professionals seeking to specialize in user experience design. This program equips students with design, research, and practical skills to excel in user experience design, supporting careers in UX design, user research, and interaction design.