Course Requirements

1 | design research | UXUI 2376 | Fall 20202 | How to reach me

Molly McClurg

Office: NRG 4263.2 | Tel: 512-223-4300 | molly.mcclurg@austincc.edu 

Office Hours:   by Google Hangout by emailing Molly at molly.mcclurg@austincc.edu by 5pm the day prior.

Twitter: @acc_UX_Molly

Slack: Join ACC UX Lab slack group here.

3 | Required Texts & Materials

 

Textbook

•  Just Enough Research (2nd Edition) by Unger  (Authors) ISBN - 9781937557102
  ACC Bookstore.

 

Required Online Resources
 

• An Adobe Creative Cloud subscription — to access the software in the labs and for your own use.

• Blackboard

• ACC Google Apps: including calendar, docs and drive

 

Recommended Tools
 

• Sketchbook of your preference. I recommend a dot grid book.

• Flash Drive / USB Stick- 1 GB
   

4 | Course description

 

Credit Hours: 3*

 

Contact Hours:

• Classroom Contact Hours per week: 1.8

• Laboratory Contact Hours per week: 2.8

 

Catalog Description:

An advanced course in user-centered design with a focus on Design Research. Students will learn the application of research methods within an Agile design and development environment.

 

Course Rationale:

This course will immerse students in a user research role as it relates to Agile and Lean UX design and

development environments. Practical application of tools, methods, and skills will prepare students to

contribute user-centered research to product teams specializing in digital product development. While the focus of the course is on software and application development, the skills learned here can be applied in a variety of settings.

 

Course Prerequisites:

UXUI 1376 - User Centered Design (or former User Experience 1)

 

*All courses offered in the Visual Communication department are workforce courses, and may have some transfer restrictions to other colleges. Students interested in transferring courses to another college should speak with our departmental advisors: Kim Aland or Jen Jones, or their Area of Study advisor.”

5 | Course learning outcomes

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

• Learn various user research methodologies and techniques to inform product and interaction

design.

• Demonstrate the incorporation of design research within a functional UX team operating in an

Agile environment.

• Design and conduct user interviews to create empathy and deeply understand a problem space.

• Create a comprehensive protocol for a user interface evaluation.

• Analyze a data set from user testing and then share findings.

• Demonstrate a Research Playback through the presentation of methods, findings, and

recommendations.

 

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

• 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.

 

What you’ll learn that will help in the workforce [on the job]:

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 above listed SCANS, please go to: http://www.academicinnovations.com/report.html

6 | Additional Course Information

 

Instructional Methodology

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

 

Grading System

Participation// 10%

Projects // 90%

 

An important note about grading and class participation //  The most important thing students should

take away from this course is the ability to analyze and present issues, problems, data, and/or

opportunities in an efficient and objective manner. Students that embrace this approach to design

research will not only be rewarded in terms of better grades, but also carry that mindset into other areas

of their academic and professional careers. I make every effort to engage students on this level. In

addition, students who are dissatisfied with their project grades are allowed to resubmit their work to

improve their grades. I reserve the right to add bonus points for exceptional work, as well as for students

making honest effort and progress. Be an active participant in your success and you will find this class

very rewarding.

 

I will give you a grading rubric for each project.

7 | 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. ACC’s policy on student student standards and code of conduct can be found here in the current student handbook: http://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 phones or laptop computers in the classroom for non-course related purposes

• Sleeping in class 

• Eating/drinking in class without permission 

• Monopolizing class discussion and refusing to defer to instructor, or listen to others; persisting when I’ve indicated that your 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 and interrupting instruction

• Filming, photographing, or taping the class without my prior permission

• Disputing authority and arguing with faculty, staff or other students 

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

• Physically or verbally abusive conduct

• Failure to adhere to my 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.

 

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 [aka “ghosting”]

• arrive to class after 9:30 am

 

At your fourth absence, your course grade will drop by a letter grade. Your course grade will drop a further letter grade for each subsequent absence thereafter. If you continue to accumulate absences, I may withdraw you from the course.

 

arriving late 

I will start the class on time. If you are only a few moments late, please enter and go to your desk quietly—there’s no need to call out to me to tell me you have arrived. If you have a pattern of late attendance your grade and/or your ability to stay in the course may be affected. Three tardies will equal one absence.

 

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.

 

critique expectations

Critique is one of our most interactive classroom experiences. The feedback from your peers will help you to develop stronger work. During critique I will expect you to:
 

• take notes on paper with pen/pencil when you are receiving feedback from me or your classmates about refining your work. 

• participate by physically joining the group, answering any questions directed to you, and asking questions to the group

• pay attention to the person who is speaking

• not text, eat, drink or sleep during critique

 

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. Details regarding this policy 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, and you will receive a grade reduction on your work.

 

Daily homework: This is work assigned at the end of every class period and typically includes process work for a major project, or minor and/or in-class exercises. These assignment are due at the beginning of the next class period. You will only receive credit for the work you’ve completed. I will not accept late daily homework assignments.

 

Projects: Both major and minor projects are listed on the schedule, and are the sum total of all process work and your final solution. These assignments are also due at the beginning of class periods. I will accept late major projects, but I will lower a major project one letter grade for each class day that it is late.

 

What if I’m absent and miss assignment deadlines? You can turn in work when you return, and I will give you one day of make up for each day you miss. You won’t receive a late penalty.

 

However, if you are absent it’s your responsibility to track what work you will miss and how you will make it up. I will not remind you. You must:

• notify me by email when you will be / are absent. It’s not enough to tell me verbally.

• find out from online resources, myself or classmates what assignments you’ve missed

• notify me by email the the dates that you will complete your missed assignments

 

Course Homework Expectations - As a profession, graphic design is extremely work intensive. Professional designers may routinely find themselves working much more than 40 hours per week. This typography course packs a lot of information in a short amount of time.

 

It’s essential for you to work on your assignments outside of class time. I will assign work every class period for completion by the next class period. You will have work over the weekends. The amount of time you’ll spend on work outside of class will vary depending on your experience, skill and knowledge, but the typical rule of thumb is to calculate double the amount of time for each hour in the course.

 

Although this is a lab class, there may be some classes at the beginning of projects when we will take all or most of the time to critique. Homework at these classes typically involve research and/or sketches. We will also have days where it’s mostly lab time in class. If you don’t have a computer accessible to you outside of this lab course, you’ll have to schedule time to work during open lab slots during the week or weekend.

 

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.

 

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

 

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:
 

• try to answer emails by the end of each day. If I get your email after 4:00pm you will get a response on or before 6:30pm 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 Blackboard

 

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. 

 

8 | Visual Communications Open Lab Policy

 

What is Open Lab? When does it take place?

• Open labs are available during various open time slots in Visual Communications classrooms and provides additional practice time to work on assignments for students. Open lab hours and available software information are listed on viscom.austincc.edu
   

• Open lab locations:

SAC: 1210, 1211, 1212

NRG Building 4000: 4206, 4262, 4265, 4269

HLC: Accelerator lab
 

• Tutoring is available in some labs. Please check the course schedule for subject/availability, here:  viscom.austincc.edu
   

• Please note, not all software is provided in all open labs. Refer to website for updates.
   

What resources are available in open 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. ADM 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 ADM Tech Support Staff.

• If you need help with the computers, scanners, printers, or flash drives, ask ADM 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 ADM Tech Support Staff if you need to print on any special paper.

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

 

Treat the lab like a learning space:

• Keep food and drinks 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 log out 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.

 

ADM Tech Support Offices

South Austin: 1213.5 & Northridge: 4263.3 or 4264 

Tech Support Contact: 512-223-4862

 

Readings

Textbook

• REQUIRED: Just Enough Research Author: Erika Hall ISBN-10: 1937557103 ISBN-13: 978-1937557102
  **I have a pdf version of Just Enough Research

• Recommended: Measuring the User Experience: Collecting, Analyzing, and Presenting Usability Metrics Author: Thomas Tullis; William Albert ISBN: 978-1-299-62214-2

Course Subjects

An advanced course in user-centered design with a focus on Design Research. Students will learn the application of research methods within an Agile design and development environment. Building on a foundation of core fundamentals, students will have the opportunity to design, plan, execute, and analyze user research at key points in the design process and deliver timely, meaningful insights that drive continuous product improvement.

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

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

• Learn various user research methodologies and techniques to inform product and interaction design.

• Demonstrate the incorporation of design research within a functional UX team operating in an Agile environment.

• Design and conduct user interviews to create empathy and deeply understand a problem space.

• Create a comprehensive protocol for a user interface evaluation.

• Analyze a data set from user testing and then share findings.

• Demonstrate a Research Playback through the presentation of methods, findings, and recommendations drawn from an Agile design sprint.