Course Description:
What makes interactive experiences compelling and how are they designed? This course analyzes existing interfaces, discussing what makes them effective, and provides an overview of tools and theories that guide user experience designers in their practice. Students will be introduced to information architecture (wireframes, sitemaps), information design (information graphics) and visual design (composition, typography, composition, color) and encouraged to apply their learning towards practical design assignments. Our focus is on computer interfaces but is not limited to its traditional “keyboard/mouse/monitor” triangle, as we will also discuss innovative consumer products such as Kinect. The course “Foundational User Centered Design” will provide good foundation for discussion in this class but is not required. A basic understanding of Adobe Creative Suite software, CSS or Visio is helpful, but not necessary for success in this course.
Student Testimonial:
From this course, I learnt theories and tools help UX designers in their practice. I have applied different UX research methods, such as creating personas, designing wireframes, etc. Moreover, this course gave me a concrete idea of how to become a UX designer and what I should pursue more in the future.
University of Washington
Department of Communication