Catalog Description:

Instruction in creative problem solving processes and techniques used to generate an abundance of ideas that address needs and problems specific to a broad range of design challenges. Emphasis on Human-Centered Design, Design Thinking, sketching techniques, prototyping, and presentation.

Credit Hours: 3 

• Hybrid ( meet once a week for 2 hrs 40 min):

  • Classroom Contact Hours per week: .8

  • Laboratory Contact Hours per week: 1.4*
     

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 Jennifer Jones, or their Area of Study advisor.”

Course Prerequisites:

• N/A

• Books of interest listed in Bb

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

Course Level Outcomes:

1. Analyze the most common Ideation techniques. 

2. Understand the importance of a properly framed challenge.

3. Identify and discuss methods of collaboration, presentation, and prototyping.

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

5. Understand all phases and tools of Human Centered Design.

6. Describe all phases and tools used in Design Thinking.

7. Discover a unique solution to a custom design challenge with a team.

What you’ll learn to do by the end of the program:
Program Level Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate effective Ideation for creative problem solving and idea generation.

2. Describe the benefits of team collaboration.

3. Use Human Centered Design and Design Thinking for design challenges.

4. Apply a User Centered Design process to design websites and software applications.

5. Explain the effectiveness of information gathered through UX research methods.

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

7. Design and develop responsive layouts for multi-device applications.

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

This course will immerse students in the practice of Human Centered Design with an emphasis on Ideation in the problem solving process for various 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. Learning to understand people and their actual needs establishes a beautiful (HCD) foundation upon which students can build their User Experience Design career.