Creative Design for Online and Physical Worlds

This interdisciplinary program will explore the theory and applications of human-centered design and UX ("user experience") design in both digital environments, and physical spaces. Drawing on examples from software development, business development, and community organizing, students will emerge with a greater understanding of how designers can shape human experiences in subtle and powerful ways, for better, or for worse.  

 

This program will include units on UX research and user testing, accessibility and inclusivity, and idea development and prototyping. One project will invite students to use principles of design to revise or reimagine a problematic example of design in an online and/or physical space. The quarter will culminate in a collaborative project to create an integrated online and in-person environment for the public to interact with. Through this work we will explore questions around the role of design in the cultivation of community and belonging, the possible implications of a shifting landscape for connection around creativity and expression, and the power of individuals to contribute to meaningful change through participatory design.  

 

Class sessions will occur Wednesday evenings, and every other Saturday; students will be expected to engage in an additional 1.5 hours of asynchronous instruction each week. This program is High-Flex, meaning it can be completed either online or in-person on the Olympia campus. While students may change the format of their participation as needed for much of the quarter, the culminating project may require students to commit to a specific format (online or in-person) for the second half of the quarter.