User experience design is a major factor in creating winning industry products. Design-driven businesses and products have a higher chance of succeeding in the marketplace. This course focuses on using user-centered design strategies and methods to create highly effective, pleasurable, and usable products while meeting business goals and objectives. The knowledge gained in this course directly applies to creating great user experiences for Web sites, Web applications, software as well as user-interfaces of many other products.

The course will also expose you to the multidisciplinary nature of the user experience design process, design thinking, and the steps you can take to succeed. The course covers methods and strategies of six overlapping phases: problem identification, information collection, idea generation, prototyping, evaluation/testing, and implementation.

You will practice with assignments and through team discussions. Some assignments require high-fidelity design of Web applications.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, you should be able to

• Apply the User Centered Design process with respect to creating web sites and applications
• Develop a reasonable library of design methods and strategies including a design "vocabulary".
• Analyze the business needs of a website
• Develop a design that will enable users to accomplish their goals at the website

Topics Include

• Knowing the User, Intelligence Gathering
• Idea Generation Methods and Strategies in Design
• Application of Design Principles
• Evaluating Prototypes, Iterations, User-Research

Working knowledge of:

• Drawing applications (e.g. Adobe Illustrator, Fireworks, Google Drawings, OmiGraffle, Sketch, or a similar program). You will need access and some experience using.
• Image processing applications such as Adobe Photoshop and ability to draw flowcharts and basic visual elements are highly recommended. The drawing is to communicate product design in high fidelity graphics.