Course Syllabus for students Autumn 2019

After a successful course, the student shall

- demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of usability, user experience, user expectations, and user needs
- show familiarity with techniques for designing user interface and interactions like wire-frames, mock-ups, and prototypes
- show familiarity with methods and techniques for designing experiences such as personas, scenarios, and journey maps
- display knowledge of research trends in the areas relevant for user experience design

- demonstrate skills at managing a design process for products or services that results in a good user experience
- demonstrate the ability to connect user needs to business objectives

- demonstrate an understanding of managing challenges in a project concerned with the design of user experience
- demostrate the ability to discern between the different role played by Web, mobile, wearable, and ambient platforms and devices

The course provides an overview of the ongoing shift from usability and performance as the main user-centered goals in the design of information systems, to user experience, satisfaction, and engagement. The course accounts for the social and technological reasons for this shift, introduces the theoretical foundations of user experience, and details the core hands-on principles, methods, techniques, and deliverables that form the foundations of a sound design process. The resulting design process offers a user-centered approach not only to Web applications but also to mobile and wearable apps as well as to more traditional information systems.

The topics covered in the course include:
- user needs, organizational needs, and business needs
- balancing design and technology
- user-centered design methodologies and processes
- personas, scenarios, and journey maps
- wire-frames, mock-ups, and prototypes
- design principles for web, mobile, and wearable technology
- project management (agile, lean, iterations and effect maps)

The course consists of lectures, seminars and assignments with tutoring.

The teaching is conducted in English.

The applicant must hold the minimum of a bachelor’s degree (i.e the equivalent of 180 ECTS credits at an accredited university) with at least 90 credits in computer engineering, electrical engineering (with relevant courses in computer engineering), or equivalent. The bachelor’s degree should comprise a minimum of 15 credits in mathematics. Proof of English proficiency is required.

The course is graded 5,4,3 or Fail.

The final grade for the course is based on a balanced set of assessments. The final grade will only be issued after satisfactory completion of all assessments.

Name of the Test	Value	Grading
Written examination	3.5 credits	5/4/3/U
Assignments	4 credits	5/4/3/U

The literature list for the course will be provided one month before the course starts.

Unger, R., Chandler, C. (2012). A Project Guide to UX Design – For User Experience Designers
in the Field or in the Making. New Riders Publishing.
Garrett, J. J. (2010). The Elements of User Experience (2nd ed.). New Riders Publishing.
Buxton, B. (2010). Sketching User Experiences – Getting the Design Right and the Right Design.
Morgan Kauffman.
Buxton, B. (2007). Sketching User Experiences – The Workbook. Morgan Kauffman.