User Experience Design Syllabus (Fall 2013)

Transcription

1 User Experience Design Syllabus (Fall 2013) X AF, Registration # Z4929, Z7150 Format: Distance Learning (Online) Start Date: 9/24/13 Instructor: Chris Cirak ccirak@gmail.com Course Description Modern commerce is at a point in its evolution where engineer-driven product design does not drive purchase decisions. Instead, rich, immersive end-user experiences that permeate social groups are required to connect with customers. Almost any job function especially in the online space - can benefit from user-centric design thinking. This course will introduce you to the latest tools, techniques, and methodologies used by leading agencies and enterprises to develop world-class user experiences. Topics include market research and analysis, user personas, mental models, information architecture and wireframes, prototyping, and usability testing. Course Pre-Requisites UCLA Extension has kept the pre-requisites broad to be as inclusive and platform agnostic as possible. That said, Omnigraffle (Mac) is currently the UX industry s tool of choice, with others like Balsamiq providing viable alternatives for PC users. Additionally, there are a slew of online wireframing apps available, HotGloo, UXPin come to mind. Visio is acceptable, but Visio adoption by new UX Designers is waning. To get you ready for the marketplace, I strongly recommend you look into adopting Omnigraffle, if you re on a Mac. There is an active UX community around Omnigraffle with template and stencil sharing, which will save you gobs of time when completing assignments. PC users should look into Balsamiq or use their existing Visio skills. Illustrator and InDesign will also suffice, but there is little or no UX community around those programs, since they are not wireframe-specific applications. Among prototyping apps, Axure is quickly becoming a must for serious UX Designers. Knowledge of HTML, CSS and Javascript libraries is not required. However, if you plan to pursue a career in UX Design you are highly encouraged to familiarize yourself with these technologies. Course Goals At the end of the course you will have a complete, end-to-end understanding of current UX best practices and process. You will complete a full life-cycle User Experience Design project, employing the same methods and strategies as you would in the workplace. Assignments will culminate into a single, comprehensive portfolio project. Welcome Welcome! This course consists of an action-packed 12 weeks. You will learn a lot in a relatively short amount of time, so make it a priority to keep up daily. This course is about learn by doing. Your assignments will revolve around a portfolio project which you will pick at the start. Real-world examples of all deliverables will be provided, and I will provide a constant feedback loop for guidance, as well. Class is continuous, with no set meeting times. Weekly lectures are in the form of PDFs, video lectures are not deemed conducive at this point because of the evolving nature of UX. All material can be downloaded from Blackboard.

2 Instructor Bio Chris is a consummate design thinker, technologist and entrepreneur. For 18 years, he has spearheaded the movement towards rapid prototyping and user-centric web and mobile application development for companies including Google, Nike, Adobe, Mercedes, Starbucks, Xbox, Sony, Lexus and Herbalife. Chris is also active in the LA and SV startup communities. When not immersed in user experience advocacy, Chris enjoys playing the piano and is a self-professed tennis nut. A native of New York, he's enjoyed stints in Croatia and Germany and has called Los Angeles his home since He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University. ccirak@gmail.com (expect response within 24 hrs) Phone: Expectations Please note, the material taught in this course is cumulative. Each week s assignment will build on the previous week s. Not keeping up will severely impair you the rest of the way. Required Course Resources There is no textbook required for this course. Reading assignments will consist of online resources and downloadable materials. Students are highly encouraged to read up on any topics or terms they encounter in lectures. A simple online search will turn up a multitude of meanings and perspectives. The best way to develop your own understanding is to absorb as many different views as possible, and see which resonates with you. Of course, you can always ask me. Grading Class will consist of weekly lectures and assignments. All materials are provided as downloads from Blackboard. There will be no final exam. The sum of the material you accumulate on a weekly basis will constitute the final deliverable. Your final grade (A-F or pass/fail) will be based on the following: - Timely submission and quality of assignments. Each week s assignments are worth 20 points in total. - Even though class officially starts on a Tuesday, our sessions will run Wednesday to Wednesday. All homework is to be submitted via Blackboard by 10am on the Monday prior to the next Wednesday. I will provide feedback by 6pm that same Monday. Revisions are due back Wednesday by 10am. - Revisions can increase your total score by up to five (5) points (not to exceed 20pts). Revisions cannot make your total score worse. - Unless you nailed all 20 points on your Monday morning 10am deliverables, you are expected to try and improve your score, based on my feedback - If any part of the assignment is submitted late, you are docked 3 points per day, until all parts of the assignment have been submitted. No homework accepted after four (4) days late (weekends included). - You can make changes to homework and upload as many times as you want. - UCLA Extension does not tolerate academic dishonesty. Always cite your sources. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the UCLA Student Conduct Code and the official statements regarding cheating and plagiarism. These and other relevant documents are available on the Dean of Students Office website:

3 Final Grade Score Range (11 20pts each) A A B B B C C C D D F < 132 File Format And Naming Convention All assignments should be submitted to the appropriate Blackboard assignment in PDF format, unless otherwise noted. (i.e. if it doesn t specify another format, assume PDF) Please be sure to follow this naming convention precisely: firstname_lastname_wk00_assignment_title.pdf (Example: chris_cirak_wk04_competitive_analysis.pdf) The UX world is one of extreme detail. We want to nurture being clear and consistent in every aspect of the program. Please get in the habit of triple-checking everything.

4 Discussion Rubric: This rubric will be used to assess the quality of your initial responses and interaction in the online discussion forums. Please use this tool as a guide when constructing your postings. Mechanics of the Posting Unsatisfactory Basic Proficient Distinguished Uses incomplete sentences, is unstructured in its organization, and includes frequent or consistent errors in mechanics (grammar, spelling, usage) in each paragraph. The posting is unreadable and there is a distinct lack of tone. Participation in Provides minimal the Discussion comments and information to other participants in the forum. Content of Posting Critical Thinking Evidenced by Posting Writes a general or superficial posting that is unrelated to the discussion at hand and/or posts no comments. Provides no evidence of agreement or disagreement with an existing discussion. Uses complete sentences and the posting is comprehensible. The organization could be improved to present a more coherent argument, statement, or question. Includes 2-3 mechanical errors grammar, spelling, usage) per paragraph. The tone is respectful. Provides comments, and some new information on a sporadic basis. Interacts with only 2 participants in the forum. Demonstrates a restricted understanding of the concepts, topics, and ideas as evidenced by posting information that could be derived from prior posts and/or including highly general comments. Indicates agreement or disagreement with an existing discussion but provides no justification or explanation for comments. Uses complete sentences, organization is evident, and the posting includes no more than one mechanical error (grammar, spelling, usage) per paragraph. The tone is clear and respectful Provides comments, discussion, questions, and new information on a fairly regular basis. Interacts with three or more participants in the forum. Demonstrates an adequate understanding of the concepts, topics, and ideas as evidenced by posting superficial, or general statements in the forum. Includes a few details in the posting. Uses complete sentences, organization is clear and thoughtful, the posting is grammatically correct, and free of spelling errors. The tone is clear and respectful. Provides comments, discussion, questions, and new information on a regular, active, and weekly basis. Shows a high degree of interaction with five or more participants in the forum. Demonstrates a solid understanding of the concepts, topics, and ideas as evidenced by thoughtful responses and questions that show a clear connection (are integrated) with the course material at hand. The posting shows depth, and includes many supporting details. Indicates agreement Demonstrates a critical or disagreement with analysis of an existing an existing posted idea or discussion including introduces a different a limited explanation interpretation to an or justification. existing concept or idea. Provides comments, Includes comments, discussion, and discussion, and questions without a questions that have a clear connection to clear connection (are the course material integrated) with the at hand. course material at hand. Course Calendar

5 Mon Tue Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Week 1 begins: UX Process Week 1 homework Week 1 homework Week 2 begins: Target Audience Week 2 homework Week 2 homework Week 3 begins: Modeling I Week 3 homework Week 3 homework Week 4 begins: Modeling II Week 4 homework Week 4 homework Week 5 begins: Wireframes I Week 5 homework Week 5 homework Week 6 begins: Wireframes II Week 6 homework Week 6 homework Week 7 begins: Wireframes III Week 7 homework Week 7 homework Week 8 begins: Wireframes IV Week 8 homework Week 8 homework Week 9 begins: Wireframes V Week 9 homework Week 9 homework Week 10 begins: Prototyping Week 10 homework Week 10 homework Week 11 begins: Usability Testing Week 11 homework Week 11 homework Week 12 begins: Final Review Course ends

6 COURSE OUTLINE WEEK 1: THE UX PROCESS - The role of UX - The UX Process - Business Requirements - User Research - Mental Models - Wireframes - Prototyping - Usability Testing WEEK 2: TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC How to get to know your user - Market Research - User Interviews - Personas - Experience Trees WEEK 3: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE MENTAL MODELS I Mental Models I - Critical Tasks - User Scenarios - Use Cases - Taxonomy WEEK 4: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE MENTAL MODELS II Mental Models II - Workflow Diagrams - Mind Maps - Bubble Maps - Feature Value Matrix WEEK 5: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE - WIREFRAMES I Wireframes I " - Sitemaps

7 WEEK 6: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE WIREFRAMES II Wireframes II - Wireframes - Sketches - Stencils - Annotations (High-level) - UX Nomenclature WEEK 7: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE - WIREFRAMES 3 Wireframes III - High Fidelity Wireframes - Revisions WEEK 8: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE - WIREFRAMES 4 Wireframes IV - Interior Page Template - Content Hierarchy - Annotations (Detailed) WEEK 9: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE WIREFRAMES 5 Wireframes V - Platform / Device Considerations - Content Personalization o Landing pages o Micro Sites - Front-end development - Convention vs. Innovation WEEK 10: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE PROTOTYPING Wireframes IV - Prototyping

8 WEEK 11: INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE USABILITY TESTING Wireframes IV - Usability Testing o One-on-one o Focus groups o Surveys o Remote Testing WEEK 12 (9/11): FINAL REVIEW - Public Speaking - Heuristic Analysis - UX And Agile - Fitting In - Final Deliverable