Course Description

 

Course Prerequisites

N/A

 

Course Rationale/Objectives - Review

This course will immerse students in the practice of Ideation in the problem solving process for various digital products and services. Ideation is the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas, where an idea is understood as a basic element of thought that can be either visual, concrete, or abstract. Ideation comprises all stages of a thought cycle, from innovation to development, to actualization. “Ideation and Design for Software” will be a “sub-context” for next-level-courses in the User Experience Design degree.

 

What you’ll learn that will help in the workforce:

Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS):  In 1989, the U.S. Department of Labor education jointly surveyed U.S. employers to find out the most important skills and competencies needed by workers. The results of that survey identified SCANS (Secretaries Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills). These are skills that employers need the most from their workers. SCANS skills are the predictors of success in workplace. The following is a list of SCAN competencies identified in this course. For expanded definitions of the listed SCANS, please go to: www.academicinnovations.com/report.html

 

RESOURCES

1.1 Manages Time

INTERPERSONAL

2.3 Serves Clients/Customers

2.5 Negotiates

2.6 Works with Cultural Diversity

INFORMATION

3.1 Acquires and Evaluates Information

3.2 Organizes and Maintains Information

3.3 Uses Computers to Process Information

SYSTEMS

4.1Understands Systems

4.2 Monitors and Corrects Performance

4.3 Improves and Designs Systems

TECHNOLOGY

5.1 Selects Technology

5.2 Applies Technology to Task

5.3 Maintains and Troubleshoots Technology

BASIC SKILLS

6.1 Reading

6.2 Writing

6.5 Listening

6.6 Speaking

THINKING SKILLS

7.1 Creative Thinking

7.2 Decision Making

7.3 Problem Solving

7.4 Mental Visualization

7.5 Knowing How To Learn

7.6 Reasoning

PERSONAL SKILLS

8.1 Responsibility

8.2 Self-Esteem

8.3 Sociability

8.4 Self-Management

8.5 Integrity/Honesty

 

More info and links to all resources available in the Bb course.

 

Instructional methodology 

The teaching methods in this class are based on professional experience and best practices in the area of UX Design.  These methods might include: lecture, demonstration, critiques in group and one-on-one settings, group activities, and student presentations.

 

Grading system

Below is a list of assignments and their grade percentages for this course. If any of these projects or grades change, I will notify you of those changes before we continue with the project. Grades will be computed on a 100 point scale. Projects along with attendance, participation and presentation contribute to your final grade for the class.

 

Ongoing // Exercises & quizzes, communications, group participation // 10% 

Week 2 // Ideation in Design Thinking Project // 10% 

Week 3-8 // Sketching Ideas Project // 30% 

Week 9-10 // Design Studio Method Project  // 15% 

Week 11-13 // Design Studio Procedures Project  // 15% 

Week 14-16 // Design Studio Product Design Project // 20%

 

Current course calendar - attached

 

Course Policies 

Official college policy is italicized. 

 

Student standards of conduct - Acceptable standards of conduct include behavior that is civil, courteous, and respectful of all members of the campus community, their property, and the property of the college; promotes mutual respect, equality, and safety of its members and opposes those acts that harass. intimidate, or haze its members. 

 

Illegal acts, include, but not limited to possession or use of firearms, explosives, or other weapons; gambling; unlawful possession, use, and distribution of narcotics; assault or stalking. ACC’s policy on student standards and code of conduct can be found here in the current student handbook: www.austincc.edu/handbook

 

Classroom interaction

Throughout the course of the semester, you will be interacting with me, fellow students and outside professionals in critiques and group discussion. You will be both giving and receiving feedback on your work. These critiques will be conducted in various ways, from one-on-one interactions to large group environments. In all instances, classroom behavior should support and enhance learning. I expect everyone to treat one another with understanding, dignity, and respect. 

 

I will not tolerate disruptive behavior, which may include:

- Persistent speaking without permission 

- Side conversations

- Engaging in activities not related to the class 

- Ringing cell phones or using a cell phone to talk or send text messages

- Using PDAs or laptop computers in the classroom for non-course related purposes

- Sleeping in class 

- Eating/drinking in class without permission 

- Monopolizing class discussion, refusing to defer to instructor, or listen to others; persisting when the instructor has indicated that the student’s remarks are off topic and it is time to move on

- Reacting angrily or defensively to critique from guests, instructors, or classmates

- Sighing, rolling eyes, or muttering when other people are talking

- Refusing to participate in group activities such as group or peer-to-peer critiques

- Chronically entering late/leaving early, moving about the classroom

- Filming, photographing, or taping the class without the instructor’s prior permission

- Disputing authority and arguing with faculty and other students 

- Yelling, arguing, swearing, bullying, or other harassing or intimidating behavior

- Physically or verbally abusive conduct

- Failure to adhere to the instructor’s rules or instructions

- Vulgar or obscene language, slurs, or other forms of intimidation

- Showing up to class under the influence of alcohol/drugs

- Threats of any kind 

- Destruction of property 

- Any behavior that puts the health or safety of the instructor or other students in the classroom in jeopardy

 

If you engage in disruptive behavior, I may file a Student Discipline Report and refer you to the Dean of Student Services. The Dean will investigate the case, and based on the investigation, s/he may put sanctions into place, including but not limited to withdrawing you from the class.

 

If the behavior is severe, I will call Campus Police, who may immediately refer you to the Dean of Student Services. 

 

Attendance and participation - Regular and punctual class and laboratory attendance is expected of all students.  If attendance or compliance with other course policies is unsatisfactory, the instructor may withdraw students from the class. If you receive financial aid, your attendance must be certified in order to maintain your financial aid eligibility.

 

Absences

If for any reason you’re unable to come to class, you will be counted as absent. You are allowed 3 absences. I make no distinction between an excused or unexcused absence, so use your absences meaningfully and sparingly. I will count you absent if you:

-are not in class

-leave the class extremely early

-disappear in the middle of the class for a significant length of time

-get to class extremely late

 

At your fourth absence, I will drop your course grade by a letter grade. I will drop your grade a further letter grade for each subsequent absence thereafter. 

 

Arriving late

Don’t be late. It’s unprofessional to keep others waiting. A continual pattern of late attendance will count against your final grade.

 

Leaving early

If you must leave class early, please make arrangements with me ahead of time, so you'll know what material we'll be covering for the rest of the class period. Leaving class early will count as an absence.

 

Withdrawal Policy - It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that his or her name is removed from the roll should he or she decide to withdraw from the class. The instructor does, however, reserve the right to drop a student should he or she feel it is necessary. If a student decides to withdraw, he or she should also verify that the withdrawal is submitted before the Final Withdrawal Date. The student is also strongly encouraged to retain their copy of the withdrawal form for their records.

 

Students who enroll for the third or subsequent time in a course taken since Fall 2002, may be charged a higher tuition rate, for that course.

 

State law permits students to withdraw from no more than six courses during their entire undergraduate career at Texas public colleges or universities. With certain exceptions, all course withdrawals automatically count towards this limit. 

 

Dropping or withdrawing from a course can have serious consequences that affect your financial aid, veterans’ benefits, international student status. Details regarding this policy and others can be found in the ACC college catalog.

 

Missed or late work - Assignments are due at the beginning of class periods. If you turn an assignment in after that, your project is late. I will lower a project one letter grade for each class day that it is late. 

 

Incomplete - An instructor may award a grade of “I” (Incomplete) if a student was unable to complete all of the objectives for the passing grade in a course. An incomplete grade cannot be carried beyond the established date in the following semester. The completion date is determined by the instructor but may not be later than the final deadline for withdrawal in the subsequent semester. 

 

If you are unable to complete all of the objectives for the passing grade in a course due to extraordinary circumstances—such as illness or death in the family—I may grant an “incomplete.” Generally, to receive a grade of I, you must have completed all examinations and assignments to date, be passing, and have personal circumstances that prevent you from completing the course. Finally, these circumstances must have occurred after the deadline to withdraw with a grade of W.

 

Academic Misconduct - Academic misconduct refers to any activity that compromises academic integrity or subverts the educational process, including but not limited to the following: Violation of rules contained in the course syllabus; Violation of College rules regarding the use of academic facilities, including labs and testing centers; Using or providing unauthorized information during exams; Using or providing unauthorized materials or devices during exams; Using or providing unauthorized assistance in labs, on field work, in scholarship, or on a course assignment; Submitting plagiarized work for an academic assignment or requirement; Falsification, fabrication, or dishonesty in creating or reporting laboratory or research results; Falsification, fabrication, or dishonesty in creating any assignment; Serving as, or enlisting the assistance of, a substitute for a student in any assignment, exam or course requirement; Alteration of grades in an effort to change the earned or assigned grade or credit; Alteration or unauthorized use of academic records or forms; Engaging in activities that unfairly place other students at a disadvantage, such as taking, hiding, or altering resource materials.

 

Copyright – The software programs used in the labs are licensed to the college, which is the original purchaser. Thus students cannot duplicate the software for their personal use. Do not use college equipment to duplicate software for other students or to produce work-for-profit.

 

Do not download, copy or scan copyrighted material for use in your projects unless it meets the Fair Use guidelines below and the copyright holder is properly credited.

 

Fair Use is an important element of U.S. copyright law that allows for the use of copyrighted work without asking permission of the copyright holder, especially when the copyrighted work is used for criticism, scholarship, and education. Under the Fair Use guidelines students may:

Incorporate portions of copyrighted materials when producing a project for a specific course; and

Perform and display their own projects and use them in their portfolio or use the project for job interviews or as supporting materials for application to other schools.

 

For more information on Fair Use see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use

 

Students Rights and Responsibilities - Students at the college have the rights accorded by the U.S. Constitution to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, petition, and association. These rights carry with them the responsibility to accord the same rights to others in the college community and not to interfere with or disrupt the educational process. Opportunity for students to examine and question pertinent data and assumptions of a given discipline, guided by the evidence of scholarly research, is appropriate in a learning environment. This concept is accompanied by an equally demanding concept of responsibility on the part of the student. As willing partners in learning, students must comply with college rules and procedures.

 

Privacy policy The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act protects confidentiality of your educational records. Grades cannot be given over the phone, posted over non ACC e-mail, or through a fellow student.

 

Statement on Students with Disabilities - Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented disabilities. Students with disabilities who need classroom, academic or other accommodations must request them through Student Accessibility Services & Assistive Technology (SAS).   Students are encouraged to request accommodations when they register for courses or at least three weeks before the start of the semester, otherwise the provision of accommodations may be delayed.

   

Students who have received approval for accommodations from SAS for this course must provide the instructor with the ‘Notice of Approved Accommodations’ from SAS before accommodations will be provided. Arrangements for academic accommodations can only be made after the instructor receives the ‘Notice of Approved Accommodations’ from the student.  

 

Students with approved accommodations are encouraged to submit the ‘Notice of Approved Accommodations’ to the instructor at the beginning of the semester because a reasonable amount of time may be needed to prepare and arrange for the accommodations.    

 

Additional information about Students Accessibility Services is available at www.austincc.edu/support-and-services

 

Safety Statement - Austin Community College is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for study and work. You are expected to learn and comply with ACC environmental, health and safety procedures and agree to follow ACC safety policies. Additional information on these can be found at www.austincc.edu/ehs

 

Because some health and safety circumstances are beyond our control, we ask that you become familiar with the Emergency Procedures poster and Campus Safety Plan map in each classroom. Additional information about emergency procedures and how to sign up for ACC Emergency Alerts to be notified in the event of a serious emergency can be found at www.austincc.edu/emergency/

Please note, you are expected to conduct yourself professionally with respect and courtesy to all. Anyone who thoughtlessly or intentionally jeopardizes the health or safety of another individual will be dismissed from the day’s activity, may be withdrawn from the class, and/or barred from attending future activities.

 

Official Communications - The college uses ACCmail as the preferred means of communicating with students for most circumstances. You are assigned a personal ACCmail account that can be accessed through any web-based browser. It is your responsibility to receive and read email communications. Communications are considered properly delivered when they are sent through ACCmail. The college periodically mails items to the physical address listed on your student record. It is your responsibility to keep the address updated to ensure proper delivery. Instructions for activating an ACCmail account can be found at www.austincc.edu/accmail/

 

As your instructor, I will email you only at your ACC account. Likewise, you should use your ACC account when communicating with instructors and staff.

 

For this course, I will:

-answer emails by 5:00pm of each day. If I get your email after 5:00pm you will get a response on or before 5:00pm of the following day. 

-not normally answer emails over the weekend from 5:00pm Friday to 8:00am Monday.

-only answer questions from your ACC email account to mine; or from the official class blog.

 

Cell phone policy - Please silence your phone during scheduled class times. Please do not check your phone or text during class time; you may check messages during your break. 

 

Concealed Handgun Policy - The Austin Community College District concealed handgun policy ensures compliance with Section 411.2031 of the Texas Government Code (also known as the Campus Carry Law), while maintaining ACC’s commitment to provide a safe environment for its students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Beginning August 1, 2017, individuals who are licensed to carry (LTC) may do so on campus premises except in locations and at activities prohibited by state or federal law, or the college’s concealed handgun policy. It is the responsibility of license holders to conceal their handguns at all times. Persons who see a handgun on campus are asked to contact the ACC Police Department by dialing 222 from a campus phone or 512-223-7999. 

 

Student and Instructional Services

ACC strives to provide exemplary support to its students and offers a broad variety of opportunities and services. Information on these services and support systems is available at: www.austincc.edu/support

 

Links to many student services and other information can be found at: www.austincc.edu/current/

 

Student Support Services:

Resources to support you are available at every campus.  Food pantries are available at all campus Student Life offices (https://sites.austincc.edu/sl/programs/foodpantry/).  Assistance paying for childcare or utility bills is available at any campus Support Center (http://www.austincc.edu/students/support-center).  For sudden, unexpected expenses that may cause you to withdraw from one or more of your courses, go to http://www.austincc.edu/SEF to request emergency assistance through the Student Emergency Fund.  Help with budgeting for college and family life is available through the Student Money Management Office (http://sites.austincc.edu/money/).  Counselors are available at any campus if you experience a personal or mental health concern (http://www.austincc.edu/students/counseling).  All services are free and confidential.


ACC Learning Labs provide free tutoring services to all ACC students currently enrolled in the course to be 
tutored. The tutor schedule for each Learning Lab may be found at: 
www.austincc.edu/tutor

 

For help setting up your ACCeID, ACC gmail, or ACC Blackboard, see a Learning Lab Technician at 
any ACC Learning Lab.

 

Visual Communications Open Lab Policy

What is Open Lab? When does it take place?

Open labs are available during various time slots in VisCom classrooms and provide additional practice time for students to work on assignments. Open lab hours and available software listed here: viscom.austincc.edu/lab-info. Please note: not all software is provided in all open labs.

 

Open lab locations:

SAC: 1210, 1211, 1212 

 

NRG Building 4000: 4206, 4262, 4265, 4269

 

Highland Center in the ACCelerator Learning Lab: There are Mac computers with the CC2017 software in the ACCelerator. If you go, when you sign into the lab, ask where the VisCom Macs are — it's a big lab!

 

Tutoring is available in some labs. Please check the schedule for subject and availability.

 

Sign in and out of the lab.

Sign in sheets are by the door — please use them each time you come to lab.

 

Lab rules:

Know the Open Lab hours (posted on all classroom doors and web site).

Please bring a flash drive or external hard drive to class so you can save all of your work to it. 

Note: All media are scanned in accordance with ACC policy.

Do not view or download inappropriate material. VisCom Tech Support Staff tracks internet use.

 

Top tips for easier work in the lab:

Before working on a file, drag it from a flash drive to the desktop.

If you would like to bring your own fonts for your project, load them into the Universal Type Client. If you need help, ask VisCom Tech Support staff.

If you need help with the computers, scanners, printers, or flash drives, ask VisCom Tech Support staff.

 

Using printers and scanners:

Limit your time with printers and scanners. Take turns.

For draft prints, use black-and-white printers only.

For final prints, you may use the color printer.

Ask VisCom Tech Support staff if you need to print on any special paper.

Please do not try to fix paper jams yourself. Contact VisCom Tech Support Staff.

 

Treat the lab like a learning space:

Keep food and drink away from the computers. 

Do not plug personal equipment (such as laptops) into Ethernet ports.

This lab is only for Visual Communication class assignments; please don’t use it for other classes, personal, or outside work.

Since this is an open lab, computers are first-come first-served. 

Be sure to logout before you leave the lab.

 

Be kind and considerate:

Silence cell phones and take phone calls in the hallways.

If you listen to music, use headphones or earbuds.

If you argue, talk loudly, call people names, refuse to follow faculty and staff requests, or demand exceptions to these rules, you will be asked to leave.

Print Job Best Practices

 

Flatten your projects’ layers/save as PDF prior to printing.

Size your project appropriately before sending your job to the printer. Keeping the DPI of all objects in your assignment to 500 or less helps keep overall file size down, and the print queue moving for everyone.

Proof your work on the screen and to the black and white printers. As much as possible, reserve color printing for final projects.

 

Understand the difference between a paper’s “text” weight, and it’s “cover” weight, when making your custom paper selection. Our color printers are designed to handle 80# text, which is less than half the weight of that amount in cover.

 

Cardstock paper must be fed through the manual tray - attempting to place it in other trays will result in a paper jam, damaging your paper, and possibly, the printer itself. Always contact a member of the tech staff if you have concerns or questions

 

Transparencies or highly textured paper stock is not permitted for use in any department printer

Custom cut paper must be done so that it matches standard dimensions; i.e., 8.5”x11”, 11”x17”, etc.

Plan your final printing during periods when tech support staff are present (SAC 8-5 M-F, NRG 8-7 M-F)

Familiarize yourself with the printing process.  Any member of the tech staff will be happy to step your through getting your jobs through quickly and cleanly.

 

Tech Support Offices:

South Austin: 1213.5

NRG Building 4000: 4263.3

Tech Support Contact: 512-223-4862

Recommended resources for your journey (details share in class):

-The Design Studio Method, By Brian K Sullivan (the Main Text for this class)

-Sketching User Experiences

-Sketching User Experiences - The Workbook

-Drawing Ideas

-Change by Design

-Sketchnote Techniques

-The Art of Innovation

-The Design of Everyday Things

-Rapid Viz: A New Method for the Rapid Visualization of Ideas, 3rd Edition

-Solving Problems with Design Thinking

-Steal Like an Artist, by Austin Kleon

-The Steal Like an Artist Journal: A Notebook for Creative Kleptomaniacs, by Austin Kleon

-Lean vs. Agile vs. Design Thinking , By Jeff Gothelf

-The Bootcamp Bootleg, an active toolkit to support your design thinking practice - Free resource from the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford's d.school.

-An Introduction to Design Thinking PROCESS GUIDE - Free resource from the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford's d.school.

-Mix Tape Series - 1. Understand, 2. Ideate, and 3. Experiment - Free resources from the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford's d.school.

Course Competencies

Competency 1: Discover the importance of ideation

Competency 2: Use sketching and sketchbook as tools for design

Competency 3: Analyze the Design Studio method processes

Competency 4: Apply Design Studio procedures

Competency 5: Engage in ideation to produce product ideas

Student Learning Outcomes

What you’ll learn to do by the end of this course:

-Demonstrate the use of sketching for ideation, visual thinking, creative problem solving, storytelling, and idea generation.

-Sketch wireframes, storyboards, interactions, and animations. 

-Explore the application of ideation/sketching in Design Thinking and User-Centered Design. 

 

What you’ll learn to do by the end of the discipline:

-Produce prototypes for software applications using industry standard methods, tools, and techniques.

-Apply a user centered design process in the creation of software applications.

-Design and develop responsive layouts for multi-device, and multi-channel applications.

-Demonstrate proficiency in team collaboration.

-Demonstrate professionalism and proficiency, in the presentation, design, and delivery of a UX portfolio.