COM5013 - User-Centred Design

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Understand the benefits of a user-centred design approach in the modern digital landscape;
Understand the process of UX design, including user research, prototyping, analysis and the need for iteration;
Understand and apply principles of interaction design when generating and evaluating design solutions;
Demonstrate the ability to conceive of testable hypotheses, design suitable experiments and make sound judgements based on experimental data.

Content:

In this module students learn the tenets of a user-centred design process, including an in-depth understanding of the user experience and the importance of user research, testing and iteration. Essential soft skills such as empathy, creativity and communication are cultivated on the module, along with critical and analytical skills. Taught sessions will stress the importance of empiricism in the design process, equipping students with the knowledge and practical skills needed to carry out robust experiments and derive logical conclusions from observations and data. Through their project work they will practise goal identification and create experiences that address both user and business needs.

The module is closely related to COM5033 Team Project in the sense that this module involves the design of a digital product while COM5033 shall focus on its delivery.

Examples of topics covered on the module include:
- Business objectives vs user goals
- Design thinking and building empathy
- Qualitative user research methods
- Quantitative research tools and techniques for analysis
- Fundamentals of behavioural UX
- Inclusive and accessible User Interface design

Learning and Teaching Information:

The first half of the module will consist of a series of workshops in which a variety of active learning strategies will be deployed. These will be preparing students for a learner-led design sprint in Semester 2. Following the design sprint students continue to iterate over their design(s), discussing topics relating to their project work.

Workshops
Hours: 60
Intended Group Size: Cohort

Guided independent study
Hours: 240

Further details relating to assessment
Project Artefact: Students will plan and carry out a thorough UX research and design process in response to a business brief. Their project should incorporate a variety of experimental methods, data analysis and iteration. The project must result in a functional prototype.

Project Report: The report will be a detailed account of the project work in which all phases in the design cycle are documented. The contents of the report may include (the breakdown by word count is merely illustrative):

- Project outline (200 words)
- Requirements analysis and project plan (250 words)
- User research and analyses (250 words)
- Design documentation (250 words)
- Testing (100 words)
- Results and discussion (250 words)
- Project evaluation (200 words).

In this module, formative assessment will be used to support the skills that contribute to the assessment. Formative assessment may include coding labs, design and modelling tasks, case study presentations, short quizzes, or specific research tasks. Formative feedback will be an ongoing process within class sessions.

Students should refer to the Module Handbook for further details on the module learning, teaching and assessment strategies.

For students studying at Leeds Trinity campus, there are variations to the Taught Programme Academic Regulations, as required by the accrediting body, and these variations are contained within Additional Regulations.

Assessment:

001 Project Artefact; 1,500 word equiv; mid semester 2 50%
002 Project Report; 1,500 word equiv; end semester 2 50%

Fact File

Module Coordinator - Aliyu Lawal Aliyu
Level - 5
Credit Value - 30
Pre-Requisites - NONE
Semester(s) Offered - 5YL

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