Seat time by module: M0 4h · M1 14h · M2 18h · M3 22h · M4 16h · M5 20h · M6 14h · M7 24h · Total 132h (3 credits).
Course learning outcomes
- Describe the principles of UX design and how they differ from graphic design.
- Apply a human-centered design process from research through final deliverable.
- Conduct basic user research and translate findings into design decisions.
- Produce wireframes and interactive prototypes using industry-standard tools.
- Design a mobile application interface following current UX conventions.
- Design a responsive web interface that adapts across screen sizes.
- Build and apply a reusable component library for visual consistency.
- Integrate AI tools into the design workflow for ideation, assets, and iteration.
- Explore how screen-based designs translate to spatial and AR contexts.
- Evaluate designs using basic usability principles and peer critique.
- Present completed design work visually and verbally in a professional context.
Modules
Module 0Getting Startedabout 4 hours
Overview
Before the design work begins, this module orients the learner to the course, the tools, and the one project that runs the whole term. It sets the expectation that this course is assessed on reasoning as much as on artifacts, and that the project builds on the brand each student created in Graphic Design 1, so the two courses connect and every project is the student’s own.
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Locate the syllabus, module map, and grading, and restate how the one project builds across the course.
- Set up the Discord critique space and the Miro planning board.
- Describe the difference between formative practice and the summative case study.
1 · Watch
2 · Read
- The syllabus and module map my OER, and the course key-terms glossary that grows each module.
- A short primer on the weekly rhythm: post-by, reply-by, captions, and the disclosure policy for AI use.
3 · Practice
A low-stakes orientation self-check confirms what students know before Week 1, supporting self-regulated learning.
4 · Assessment
5 · Discussion — Regular and Substantive Interaction
Instructor welcome and check-in. Students post their intro and brand, then reply to two peers. The instructor responds in threads and flags anyone who has not engaged.
Module 1Foundations & HCIabout 14 hours
Overview
This module builds the vocabulary and the way of seeing that the rest of the course depends on: what UX is and is not, how it differs from graphic design, and why human-centered thinking emerged. Students start reading interfaces critically, naming principles at work and where they break.
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Describe UX principles and how UX differs from graphic design.
- Identify cognitive load and at least three Laws of UX in a real interface.
- Connect one idea from HCI history to a design decision.
1 · Watch
2 · Read
- Laws of UX CC BY-NC-SA, principles and cognitive load. This is the yardstick you will use all term.
- Interaction Design Foundation open literature open, HCI history and human-centered design.
- Nielsen Norman Group cite, UX fundamentals, read and cite, do not copy.
3 · Practice
- Play Can’t Unsee, judging which of two near-identical interfaces is more correct, to train your eye for spacing, hierarchy, and consistency.
- Do an interface teardown in Miro: mark three principles at work and one that is violated.
- Write one paragraph distinguishing a UX decision from a graphic-design decision on the same screen.
4 · Assessment
5 · Discussion — Regular and Substantive Interaction
Post the teardown by Wednesday, give feedback to four classmates by Sunday, and log it. The instructor responds and surfaces recurring patterns.
Module 2Human-Centered Process & User Researchabout 18 hours
Overview
Design starts with people, not screens. This module places the project inside a human-centered process and gives students the core research and synthesis moves: interviews and lightweight surveys, affinity mapping, working personas, and the discipline of turning findings into decisions rather than opinions.
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Outline a human-centered process and place the project within it.
- Conduct a short interview or lightweight survey and record findings.
- Synthesize findings into an affinity map and translate three insights into decisions.
1 · Watch
2 · Read
- 18F Methods and digital.gov public domain, research and synthesis guides.
- Nielsen Norman Group, user research and personas cite.
3 · Practice
- Run two short interviews or a small survey on the brand’s users and capture your notes.
- Build an affinity map in Miro, write a one-sentence problem statement, and list three decisions the research supports.
4 · Assessment
5 · Discussion — Regular and Substantive Interaction
Post the problem statement and affinity map by Wednesday, feedback to four by Sunday, and log it.
Module 3Wireframing, Prototyping, Mobile & Responsiveabout 22 hours
Overview
Now the research becomes something you can click. Students learn fidelity levels and user flows, the mechanics of prototyping, mobile conventions and platform guidelines, and responsive layout across screen sizes, keeping the work anchored to the decisions from Module 2.
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Produce wireframes and an interactive prototype in an industry-standard tool.
- Design a mobile interface to current conventions and a platform guideline.
- Design a responsive web layout that adapts across three sizes.
1 · Watch
2 · Read
- Material Design 3 and Apple Human Interface Guidelines free, vendor copyright, mobile and platform conventions.
- W3C WAI and WCAG open, accessible layout and touch targets.
3 · Practice
- Practice layout logic with Flexbox Froggy and Grid Garden, so responsive behavior is intuitive before you design it.
- Wireframe the core flow, then build a clickable prototype of it.
- Produce one mobile screen set and one responsive layout at phone, tablet, and desktop.
4 · Assessment
5 · Discussion — Regular and Substantive Interaction
Post the prototype and screen sizes by Wednesday, feedback to four by Sunday, log it; the instructor models one strong flow critique.
Module 4AI in the Design Workflowabout 16 hours
Overview
AI is part of the design workflow now, so students learn to use it well and judge it honestly: where it helps (divergent ideation, placeholder assets, copy drafts, rapid iteration) and where human judgment is required. The through-line is critical evaluation against real user needs, plus attribution and disclosure.
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Integrate AI tools into ideation, assets, and iteration on the project.
- Evaluate AI output critically, keeping what serves users and revising what does not, with a rationale.
- State where AI helped and where human judgment was required.
1 · Watch
2 · Read
- Laws of UX CC BY-NC-SA, the yardstick for judging whether an AI suggestion actually serves users.
3 · Practice
- Use an AI tool to generate alternatives or assets, then select and refine toward your research.
- Write a short before-and-after: one AI suggestion you kept, one you rejected, and why, judged against UX principles.
4 · Assessment
5 · Discussion — Regular and Substantive Interaction
Post AI-assisted iterations with the disclosure note by Wednesday, feedback to four by Sunday, log it; discussion centers on judgment, not novelty.
Module 5Design Systems & Usability Evaluationabout 20 hours
Overview
Students carry their Digital Graphic Arts I brand into a reusable component library, then learn to evaluate: Nielsen’s ten heuristics, a basic usability check, and the discipline of turning findings into a prioritized fix list. Reuse and evaluation are where consistency and quality come from.
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Build and apply a reusable component library, carrying the brand into the interface.
- Evaluate a design against Nielsen’s 10 heuristics and record findings.
- Run a basic usability check and translate results into prioritized fixes.
1 · Watch
2 · Read
- Nielsen’s 10 usability heuristics cite; Material Design 3 system structure.
- The A11Y Project checklist CC and W3C WCAG open, accessibility.
3 · Practice
- Build a small component library (buttons, inputs, cards, navigation) from the brand and apply it across screens.
- Run a heuristic evaluation and one short usability check, then produce a prioritized fix list.
4 · Assessment
5 · Discussion — Regular and Substantive Interaction
Post the library and heuristic findings by Wednesday, feedback to four by Sunday, log it; the instructor summarizes recurring violations.
Module 6Spatial & AR/VRabout 14 hours
Overview
The final concept module stretches the students’ principles into space. They examine what carries over from screen to spatial contexts (hierarchy, affordances, feedback) and what changes (depth, field of view, comfort, input), and judge when a spatial or AR approach genuinely serves the user.
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Explain how screen conventions translate, and fail to translate, into spatial and AR contexts.
- Propose a spatial or AR concept for one part of the project and justify it.
- Identify new constraints: depth, field of view, comfort, input.
1 · Watch
2 · Read
- Apple HIG spatial guidance and Material spatial patterns where available free, vendor copyright.
- Nielsen Norman Group, spatial and immersive UX cite.
3 · Practice
- Storyboard a spatial or AR version of one project moment, noting what changes.
- Write a short justification of when the spatial version helps the user and when it does not.
4 · Assessment
5 · Discussion — Regular and Substantive Interaction
Post the storyboard and justification by Wednesday, feedback to four by Sunday, log it; the prompt centers on user benefit and comfort, not spectacle.
Module 7Case Study, Portfolio & Presentationabout 24 hours · summative
Overview
The term’s scaffolded pieces assemble into one coherent case study, research through final design, and the student presents and defends it. This is the summative: the evidence is what the student can produce, explain, and defend, which is also what makes it resistant to generative substitution.
By the end of this module you will be able to
- Assemble the term’s work into one coherent case study, research to final design.
- Present completed work visually and verbally and defend decisions.
- Respond to questions about reasoning, research, and response to critique in a live Q&A.
1 · Watch
2 · Read
- My case-study brief, portfolio template, and presentation rubric my OER.
- Nielsen Norman Group, presenting UX work cite.
3 · Practice
- Assemble the case study from the deliverables built in Modules 2 through 6.
- Record a presentation walkthrough, captioned or scripted, so no one has to present live to the whole class.
- Post a draft walkthrough for a dry-run critique and self-assess against the rubric before final submission.
4 · Assessment
5 · Discussion — Regular and Substantive Interaction
Post the draft case study and walkthrough by the posted date, feedback to four, log it; the live Q&A defense is scheduled individually or in small groups.