Module description
This module is an introduction to the twin fields of human-computer interaction (HCI) and user experience design (UX). These disciplines aim to understand how technologies shape human experience and inform the design of our built environment. This environment is digital and material, not a collection of hyperlinked documents and files, but a complex ecology of connected objects, so-called “smart” devices and data driven applications that produce and extract value from users and their interactions. The design of these devices and interactions is highly specialised, this module is a primer for students to make sense of how all these parts fit together; how circuits, sensors, and screens become interaction interfaces, that become experiences, that in turn become data.
Assessment details
- One x 1500 word group project portfolio (60%)
- One x 10 minute group presentation (40%)
Educational aims & objectives
Students will develop an integral understanding of design as an activity that draws from and makes connections across different bodies of knowledge, linking people, devices, and data in increasingly complex ways. Through the development of collaborative group projects, students will gain practical experience in key design processes and methods, and perspective on the possibilities, limitations, and social implications of design as an interdisciplinary endeavour.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the module, students will be expected to:
- Demonstrate a systematic understanding of HCI and UX as interdisciplinary practices.
- Develop a practical understanding of how devices, users and data interact with each other in networked environments.
- Critically assess these interactions through relevant literature in different disciplines.
- Gain foundational technical skills to Intervene and redesign connected objects, which include but are not limited to: Problem scoping, ideation, refinement, and project setup.
- Low-fidelity prototyping using paper, cardboard, upcycled materials, low-cost sensors, and single board computers.
- Basic UX evaluation and testing techniques.
- Evaluation of web and other technologies used to control connected devices.
Teaching pattern
Ten one-hour seminars and ten one-hour lectures