Interactive Digital Design (IDD)

This course will give students a foundation in the three core disciplines of interactive design: quality design skills, software competency and programming knowledge. Additionally, proper research and presentation practices will be reinforced to provide students with a structured methodology vital to their program and career success. The outcome is a well-produced and portfolio quality website with supporting documentation that demonstrates comprehension of industry-standard knowledge.

This course introduces students to key frameworks and methods used in design thinking and strategic design planning. Students will explore how to define problems, uncover user needs, and apply structured ideation techniques to generate thoughtful and innovative solutions. Through case studies, collaborative exercises, and applied projects, students will learn to articulate design opportunities and create actionable strategies. The tools and approaches covered in this course are applicable across disciplines including UX design, product design, service design, and brand experience. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking, user empathy, and the ability to communicate design intent through research-informed planning.

This course focuses on the design of digital user interfaces and interactive experiences. Students will learn principles of layout, visual hierarchy, navigation design, accessibility, and interaction patterns. Using industry-standard tools, students will produce high-fidelity prototypes that demonstrate a clear understanding of usability and visual design best practices. Through iterative design and user feedback, students will develop solutions that are both aesthetically engaging and functionally effective. By the end of the course, students will have a refined portfolio-ready prototype supported by clear documentation of their design rationale and process.

This studio course focuses on exploring virtual reality including an understanding of virtual environments, how users interact within a virtual space, and how VR can be explored to create new & innovative user experiences. Two major components of the class are contemporary practical examples and tutorials with new and emerging technologies. Student projects will provide a space for a hands on learning experience. Graduate students are expected to research and conceptualize implementations of VR for future impact on digital media.

This course introduces students to core cognitive psychological concepts that drive strong interface design, and the subsequent user research practices that uncover the operation of these concepts. Students will analyze examples of designs (either in their portfolio or in the marketplace) to see these concepts at work, and present these examples each week in a casual setting. Students will also be exposed to different methods of inquiry and analysis, so that they understand how each method draws out explicit and implicit assumptions (i.e., the methodology).

Digital Experience Design develop the student?s ability to synthesize 2D, 3D and 4D conceptions of space with knowledge and skills of interactivity to create and produce the digital experience. This studio will solidify and expand the student?s vocabulary and ability to innovate within the digital context. Students will complete a project that explores spatial, emotional, informational and communicative issues. The project should reflect a high degree of conceptual, aesthetic and technical mastery for successful completion of this course.

Database Management and Scripting Using PHP, students will learn fundamental server-side scripting concepts like creating arrays and functions, automating Unix commands, gathering and processing user input, and dynamically writing out HTML and JavaScript. Relational Database concepts are covered and students will learn to conceptually model data and to create, query, and manage their database using SQL. The course will culminate with the students, for their final project, creating a web application that ties HTML front-end to a MySQL database using PHP.

As a society, our ability to communicate from anywhere on the globe has become increasingly more important. Designers today are faced with new challenges, paradigms, and habits that have been adopted due to mobile communications. Designing strictly for the desktop only is a thing of the past. In this class, students will explore a strategic process of how to design for today's multiscreen environment with a focus on mobile platforms. We will be designing interactions that happen literally within the palm of our hands and crafting unique, cutting edge user experiences for users of mobile devices. Design and development will be taught as an overall curriculum. At the end of the course, students will have an understanding of how to plan, design, develop, and market potential mobile applications.

This course focused on a UX designer's role in system development, specifically information architecture (IA). Students will develop, document, and present user-centered IA recommendations to create more usable products & services.

The term Gamification has taken the design community by storm with the promise of changing user-behavior by leveraging game elements within non-game problems. This course evaluates gamification through the lens of academic literature and exposes students to methods of developing impactful gamified experiences of their own. Students will apply this new knowledge towards the creation of novel digital products and services.

This course will focus on the subject of inclusive/universal design concepts to create accessible websites, apps, interfaces & digital media using a variety of physical and digital technologies. Students will begin with a historical understanding of the issues surrounding accessibility in media & technology as well as current compliance requirements. They will then advance to learn how to design, create and test systems for individuals with various levels of disability and impairment.

Generic Special Topics Description - An upper-level course designed to take advantage of resident/adjunct/visiting faculty members' expertise or a special focus wanted by the School for one or two terms. These courses might provide an in-depth treatment of recent advances in subjects of current interest in a given field whose subject matter is not necessarily needed to be offered long term. A specific "topic" may be delivered a maximum of two term. Prerequisites: Announced prior to registration