Design and Implementation of a Practical, Intensive Course in User Experience for Non-Expert Students
Fu, Yue (2016)
2016
Master's Degree Programme in Information Technology
Tieto- ja sähkötekniikan tiedekunta - Faculty of Computing and Electrical Engineering
This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2016-06-08
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-201605254049
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-201605254049
Tiivistelmä
User experience (UX) is a fast-growing field in today’s world, driven by the expansion of smartphones, web technologies and ubiquitous computing. User experience encompasses not only user interface, but also usability and interaction design, in order to provide a holistic experience of using a product. This has resulted in a market demand for UX experts, especially among inter-disciplinary areas. However, there is a dearth of UX know-how among IT students who are not majoring in UX or related areas. In this spirit, a short-term intensive course in UX was designed and offered to such non-expert students of Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.
The intensive course was designed from the ground-up with the explicit goal of integrated learning – combining classroom teaching with the solution of real-world problems for real-world “clients”. The teaching methodologies were based on CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) Standard 7 leading to the acquisition of disciplinary knowledge, as well as personal and interpersonal skills, and product, process, and system building skills. The learning styles of students were determined using VARK (Visual-Aural-Read/Write-Kinesthetic) research technique. The course was adapted to match students’ learning styles accordingly. The course curriculum was designed weighing upon the pros and cons of similar courses taught in full-time UX courses worldwide. The course itself comprises of Introduction to UX, Usability Testing, Contextual Modeling, Report Writing and Soft skills. Every student was required to work on industry projects from Frosmo Oy, Morrr Oy and Pandia Ltd.
The thesis showed that students’ taught UX issues by employing research-proven methodologies. Their mnemonic ability is strengthened by independent discovery of principles rather than the teacher presenting facts in a top-down approach. The high-rating scores from the students’ feedback is a testimony to this learning approach. Collaboration and group work, especially with the industry partners, received positive feedback from the companies as well. The important takeaway for prospective teachers is that the course content must be succinct, encourage experimentation, and focus on hands-on project-based learning, instead of only classroom lecturing. Student assessment must also consider off-classroom activities. The course itself must stress on foundational principles of UX design.
The intensive course was designed from the ground-up with the explicit goal of integrated learning – combining classroom teaching with the solution of real-world problems for real-world “clients”. The teaching methodologies were based on CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) Standard 7 leading to the acquisition of disciplinary knowledge, as well as personal and interpersonal skills, and product, process, and system building skills. The learning styles of students were determined using VARK (Visual-Aural-Read/Write-Kinesthetic) research technique. The course was adapted to match students’ learning styles accordingly. The course curriculum was designed weighing upon the pros and cons of similar courses taught in full-time UX courses worldwide. The course itself comprises of Introduction to UX, Usability Testing, Contextual Modeling, Report Writing and Soft skills. Every student was required to work on industry projects from Frosmo Oy, Morrr Oy and Pandia Ltd.
The thesis showed that students’ taught UX issues by employing research-proven methodologies. Their mnemonic ability is strengthened by independent discovery of principles rather than the teacher presenting facts in a top-down approach. The high-rating scores from the students’ feedback is a testimony to this learning approach. Collaboration and group work, especially with the industry partners, received positive feedback from the companies as well. The important takeaway for prospective teachers is that the course content must be succinct, encourage experimentation, and focus on hands-on project-based learning, instead of only classroom lecturing. Student assessment must also consider off-classroom activities. The course itself must stress on foundational principles of UX design.