New York City College of Technology
The City University of New York
SYLLABUS
Department of Communication Designâ¨Â
COMD3562: UX and UI Design
Spring 2022, Section HE95
Class Meeting: Mondays 6:00-9:20pm⨠| Pearl 124 and Zoom
Office Hours: Mondays 5:00-6:00pm | Pearl 123
Instructor: â¨Professor Noreen Whysel
Email: nwhysel@citytech.cuny.edu
Book a Meeting: http://www.calendly.com/comd-nwhysel
COURSE DESCRIPTION
User Experience (UX) Design is an essential component in developing websites, applications, and any other type of product intended to be used by people. This course examines the leading concepts of userâcentered design through readings, discussions and assignments. Practical concerns include evaluation of technology needed to create or maintain websites; and exploration of a step-by-step process for creating products using flow charts, wireframes and prototypes. Students will also gain an understanding of issues surrounding usability on the Web, knowledge management and Web strategy.
2 cl hrs, 2 lab hrs, 3 cr.
Prerequisites
COMD 3562 UX and UI Design
Course Objectives
| INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES | ASSESSMENT |
| For the successful completion of this course, students should be able to: | Evaluation methods and criteria: |
| Define and explain basic concepts of UI/UX, Information architecture, product management and the role of Designers. | Students will demonstrate competency in written exercises and presentations leading up to an investor pitch. |
| Define and explain the applications of UI/UX, Information architecture and product management. Demonstrate production workflow methodologies (like AGILE) to tackle complex problems in order to come up with a pertinent design solution. | Students will demonstrate competency by completing two projects and presenting their process. |
| Demonstrate a proficiency in using current industry-standard Information Architecture (IA) tools and methods. Demonstrate how to choose the most appropriate method or approach for a specific project. | Group and individual interaction projects. |
| Speaking: the student will demonstrate the ability to articulate him/herself using relevant industry-specific vocabulary | Evaluate through class discussion and two project presentations. |
| Social Interaction: The student will demonstrate the ability to work in teams, including people from a variety of backgrounds, and build consensus. | Evaluate the collaboration and integration of the team during the group project, class participation and group presentation. |
Course Platform
This is a Hybrid course. The first and last sessions and two additional sessions are scheduled to be online while the remainder will be on campus at Pearl 124. Please check the course schedule carefully for which classes are online and which are on campus.
For course materials and assignments, we will use Blackboard and Open Lab. Additional materials will be shared via a shared Class folder on OneDrive. As a CUNY student you have access to OneDrive and Microsoft 365 via your City Tech email. Transfer students should connect with me or the department CLTs for access. All online sessions will be conducted via Zoom. All in person classes are in Pearl Room P-124.
I will post links to readings, lectures notes, handouts and assignments to the course page in Blackboard. While most lectures will take place on campus, there may also be recorded, video lectures and demos as well as live demos and discussions via Zoom or Blackboard Collaborate.Â
Lecture materials and handouts including this syllabus are organized in OneDrive in a shared folder called âClass Folderâ. You will be responsible for doing any pre-work, which may include watching videos, reading articles, posting on a discussion board or other activities that you do on your own. We will also employ collaboration tools such as Trello, Slack, Miro, and prototyping tools such as Adobe XD and Figma. My goal is to get you familiar with tools that design teams currently use in practice.
Student Office Hours
Office Hours are for you and are an important part of your education. I will be available on Mondays and Thursdays at 5:00-6:00pm for office hours in Pearl 117 or on Zoom. You may make Zoom appointments with me via Calendly (https://www.calendly.com/comd-nwhysel) or walk in. I encourage you to meet with me, either individually or in groups, as often as you need, to discuss assignments and group work, clarify class topics, share your ideas and concerns, review tests, discuss portfolio or job/internships and to address any other matters where I might be helpful.Â
Teaching/Learning Method
- Lectures and readings/videos
- Demonstrations
- Project based labs
- Research assignments
- Individual and Group work
- Blackboard/Open Lab
No Required Text
There are no required texts for this course. Readings and videos will be assigned from various online, open-access sources, including the Interaction Design Foundation library (https://www.interaction-design.org/literature), the Nielsen Norman Group (https://www.nngroup.com/articles/) and other sources.
Suggested Texts (Not required)
While there is no assigned textbook, the following books are relevant and frequently cited in UX and UI design.
About Face 3.0. by Alan Cooper.
The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded Edition by Don Norman.
Communicating Design by Dan Brown.
Information Architecture for the World Wise Web by Jorge Arango, Peter Morville and Louis Rosenfeld.
Lean UX: Designing Great Products with Agile Teams by Jeff Gothelf.
Managing Chaos by Lisa Welchman.
The User Experience Team of One: A Research and Design Survival Guide by Leah Buley.
Additional Resources
Additional required readings and suggested readings may be drawn from online and other resources listed in the following document:
http://bit.ly/COMD3562-UX-Resources
Attendance (College) and Lateness (Department) Policies
Attendance is important to success in this class. Both absences and arrival more than 15 minutes after the start of class will be marked. If excessive, the instructor will alert the student that he or she may be in danger of not meeting the course objectives and participation expectations, which could lead to a lower grade.
Academic Integrity Standards
Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.
Mobile Phone Use
Most of your courses are going to prohibit the use of mobile phones and other electronic devices during class. In this course you will make a lot of drawings and sticky note maps and you may need to take pictures of your work. You may also want to use your phone to test prototypes that work in a mobile environment. For these reasons, mobile phones and other devices are permitted; however, you must limit your phone, laptop or tablet use to course-related activities while class is in session. If your phone behavior is disruptive you will be asked to take it out of the classroom. If you do not have a mobile phone or a camera with the ability to transfer files to a computer or flash drive, please let me know so we can have a plan for preserving your work for your project reports.
Grading
40% Individual and Group Projects
20% Project 1: Research Project (Group)
20% Project 2: Prototype (Individual)
30% Homework
10% Weekly Quizzes
10% Reading Response/Discussion
10% Class Preparation/Participation
Letter Numerical Range Grade Points
A 93-100.0 4.0
A- 90-92.9 3.7
B+ 87-89.9 3.3
B 83-86.9 3.0
B- 80-82.9 2.7
C+ 77-79.9 2.3
C 70-76.9 2.0
D 60-69.9 1.0
F 59.9 or less 0.0
Expectations
Students must complete and turn in all homework assignments within a week from the day they were assigned – the next class meeting – unless otherwise indicated. Late assignments will receive a grade penalty. It is very important to keep up with the homework throughout the semester as much of the work builds on prior assignments. These exercises form the backbone of your UX/UI knowledge and most of them are required to be included in your final prototype and presentation. Missing homework assignments or major projects will result in significant grade penalties.
Should you miss a class, you are expected to contact the professor to learn what you missed. Students must come to class prepared and ready to work and discuss the weekly readings.
Schedule of Classes
HE93 meets on Mondays from 6-9:20pm. This is a Hybrid class. Some sessions including the first and last day of classes and two additional sessions are online and the remainder will be on campus in Pearl 124, unless otherwise noted. The City Tech Meeting Grid for Spring 2022 is at https://www.citytech.cuny.edu/registrar/docs/spring_2022_meeting_grid.pdf.Â
The following are key dates for HE93:
Remote Sessions
January 31: First Day of class will be on Zoom
March 21: Session is on Zoom
March 28: Session is on Zoom
May 23: Last Day of class is Presentation Day and will be on Zoom
Vacation Dates
February 21: Presidents Day â College is Closed
April 18: NO CUNY CLASSES â Spring Break
Please check email for announcements of any COVID-related or other changes to on-site class schedule.
Topics
The following is a general outline of topics â the order may change as the semester progresses. Professor Whysel may add, switch or remove lecture content or assignments during the course of the semester to accommodate calendar events and holidays or guest speakers. Any changes will be communicated before the class and on Blackboard.
All class resources are located at: http://bit.ly/COMD3562-Course-Folder
All Homework/Reading Assignments: http://bit.ly/COMD3562-HW-Instructions
These resources have been migrated to OneDrive very recently. If you have any trouble accessing materials, please contact Professor Whysel for instructions.
Class Outline
| CLASS | DATE /
LOCATION |
CLASS OUTLINE | DELIVERABLES |
| 1Â | January 31
Zoom |
This session takes place via Zoom!
Lecture Topic – Intro to UX and UI Design
Laboratory Exercise
I will send you a link to the student survey. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. |
Week 1 Homework
Due: Monday, February 7 |
| 2 | February 7
P-124 |
Note: This and following classes are on Campus in Pearl 124 unless otherwise noted.
Lecture Topic – UX Workflow
Laboratory Exercise
Invite me to your Trello board, then post a screenshot to Blackboard. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. The Week 2 Quiz is available on Blackboard in the Assignments page. |
Week 2 Homework
Due: Monday, February 114 |
| 3 | February 14
P-124 |
Lecture Topic – UX Research Part One
Laboratory Exercise
Group work will be documented in Miro and tasks will be managed in Trello. Each group will share a Miro board and a Trello board. Add your completed deliverables to your group Miro board and post a link to the board in the Assignment page on Blackboard. Each week decide who will be the project manager. The PM will move the current week Trello card to Doing and as your group completes items, check them off in the card and move the card to Done. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. |
Week 3 Homework
Assignment A
Assignment B
Assignment A Due: Monday, February 21 Assignment B: Monday, February 28 Post deliverables to your Group Miro board and share links on Blackboard Assignment page. |
| NO CLASS | February 21 | Presidents Day â No Classes | NO CUNY CLASSES |
| 4 | February 28
P-124 |
Lecture Topic – UX Research Part Two
Laboratory Exercise
Add your completed deliverables to your group board including your individual interview responses. Post a link to the board in the Assignment page on Blackboard. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. The Week 4 Quiz is in Blackboard on the Assignments page. |
Week 4 Homework
Due: Monday, March 7 |
| 5 | March 7
P-124 |
Lecture Topic – Sketching and Ideation
Laboratory Exercise
Add your completed deliverables to your group board including your individual sketches. Post a link to the board in the Assignment page on Blackboard. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com |
Week 5 Homework
Due: Monday, March 14 |
| 6 | March 14
P-124 |
Lecture Topic – Information Architecture
Laboratory Exercise
Add your completed deliverables to your group board. Post a link to the board in the Assignment page on Blackboard. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. The Week 6 Quiz is in Blackboard on the Assignments page. |
Week 6 Homework
Due: Monday, March 21 Post to your card sort results to your Group Miro board |
| 7 | March 21
Zoom |
This session takes place via Zoom!
Lecture Topic – Ethics and Accessibility
Laboratory Exercise
Post your Accessibility report to Blackboard. This is an individual assignment. There is no group homework this week. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. |
Week 7 Homework
Due: Monday, March 28 |
| 8 | March 28
Zoom |
This session takes place via Zoom!
Lecture Topic – Design Critique
Laboratory Exercise
Post to your Group Miro board. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. |
Week 8 Homework
Due: Thursday April 4 |
| 9 | April 4
P-124 |
Lecture Topic â Group Presentation Day
Complete the Group Critique form. Links to the presentations are available on the form. You may wish to add notes and comments to the form as the presentations take place. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. The Week 9 Quiz is in Blackboard on the Assignments page. |
Week 9 Homework
Due: Monday, April 11 |
| 10 | April 11
P-124 |
Lecture Topic – Interaction Design
Laboratory Exercise
Copy the Individual Miro board template and rename â[your name] Individual Project.â Invite Professor Whysel to your board. Do the same with the Individual Trello board. Then post a link to your completed deliverables for Week 10, including a link to your draft prototype, to your individual Miro board. Post a link to the board in the Assignment page on Blackboard. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. |
Week 10 Homework
Due: Monday, April 25 |
| No CLASS | April 18 | Spring Recess â College is Closed | NO CUNY CLASSES |
| 11 | April 25
P-124 |
Lecture Topic – Usability Testing
Laboratory Exercise
Add your completed deliverables for Week 11, including a link to your updated prototype, to your individual board. Post a link to the board in the Assignment page on Blackboard. Note that there is a separate due date for the script and the actual test. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com. The Week 11 Quiz is in Blackboard on the Assignments page. |
Week 11 Homework
Assignment A
Assignment B
Assignment A Due: Monday, May 2 Assignment B Due: Monday, May 9 |
| 12 | May 2
P-124 |
Lecture Topic â Branding
Laboratory Exercise
Add your completed deliverables for Week 12, including a link to your draft prototype, to your individual board. Post a link to the board in the Assignment page on Blackboard. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com |
Week 12 Homework
Due: Monday, May 9 You have extra time for this since the User test is due next week. Submit Week 12 Branding homework at the same time as Week 13 Visual Design homework. |
| 13 | May 9
P-124 |
Lecture Topic – Visual Design
Laboratory Exercise
Add your completed deliverables for Week 13, including a link to your draft prototype, to your individual board. Post a link to the board in the Assignment page on Blackboard. Not there is a separate due date for the script and the actual test. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com |
Week 13 Homework
Style Guide Due: Monday, May 16 Essay Due: Monday, May 23 Submit to Blackboard and your Individual Miro Board. |
| 14 | May 16
P-124 |
Lecture Topic – Trends
Laboratory Exercise
Add your completed prototype and presentation for to your individual Miro board and the class Showcase board. Post a link to the board in the Assignment page on Blackboard. Post your reading response to Slack at https://comd-whysel.slack.com |
Week 14 Homework
Due: Monday, May 23 Submit to Blackboard and your Individual Miro Board. |
| 15 | May 23
Zoom |
This session takes place via Zoom!
Project 2 â Presentation Day
Please make sure your prototype and presentation are ready and posted to the Class Showcase Miro board. And post your final essay assignment to Blackboard by the end of the day. |
Congratulations! And Enjoy your Winter Break
(And if want to do an INC, please let me know by next week. There are forms and deadlines). |
Readings
Readings for each week are due the following week. There will be one reading from the list below and an additional one or two articles that I will assign occasionally. I will let you know if there is an additional reading.
Reading responses will be on Slack. Look for a Slack invitation to join our course slack and your class channel. Next, log in to Slack and answer the question posted before the next class at http://comd-whysel.slack.com in your class channel. I may add or change a reading, so please check Slack for the latest version which will be posted after class each week.
Reading responses should be at least two sentences long and be relevant to the question prompt and to your class projects where indicated. Please check spelling, grammar and cite any external sources you would like to share.
Readings are listed below by the week we are discussing the article. For example, the âWeek 2 UX Workflowâ reading is assigned on Week 1. Please be prepared to discuss this reading on Week 2.Â
Week 1: What is UX and UI Design?
What is User Experience (UX) Design? Interaction Design Foundation. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ux-design
What is User Interface (UI) Design? Interaction Design Foundation. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ui-design
Week 2: UX Workflow
Designing for The Human Side of Banking by Jesse James Garret. Medium. https://medium.com/capitalonedesign/designing-for-the-human-side-of-banking-28897220defb
Week 3: User Research Part 1
When to Use Which User-Experience Research Methods by Christian Roger. Nielsen Norman Group.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/which-ux-research-methods/
Week 4: User Research Part 2
Methods to Help You Define, Synthesize and Make Sense of Your Research by Rikki Friis Dam and Yu Sieng Teo. Interaction Design Foundation
Week 5: Sketching
7 Reasons for UX Sketching by Chris Spalton. Nielsen Norman Group
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/which-ux-research-methods/
Week 6: Information Architecture
Card Sorting: A Definitive Guide by Donna Spencer & Todd Warfel. Boxes and Arrows.
https://boxesandarrows.com/card-sorting-a-definitive-guide/
Information Architecture Expert Panel â Part One by Amy JimĂŠnez MĂĄrquez. Boxes and Arrows.
https://boxesandarrows.com/information-architecture-expert-panel-part-one/
Week 7: Ethics and Accessibility
Video: Mike Monteiro, How Designers Ruined the World. An Event Apart. https://aneventapart.com/news/post/how-designers-destroyed-the-world-by-mike-monteiro-an-aea-video
A Designers Code of Ethics by Mike Monteiro. Mule Design. https://muledesign.com/2017/07/a-designers-code-of-ethics
Week 8: Design Critique
Feedback without Frustration (video): https://scottberkun.com/2011/feedback-without-frustration-video/
How to Give and Receive Criticism by Scott Berkun
https://scottberkun.com/essays/35-how-to-give-and-receive-criticism/
How to Get Better Feedback by Scott Berkun
https://scottberkun.com/2013/how-to-get-better-feedback/
Week 9: Presentation Day
No Reading Assignment
Week 10: Interaction Design
Turn User Goals into Task Scenarios for Usability Testing. Nielsen Norman Group.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/task-scenarios-usability-testing/
Write Better Qualitative Usability Tasks: Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid. Nielsen Norman Group.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/better-usability-tasks/
Week 11: Usability Testing
Usability Testing 101, by Kate Moran. Nielsen Norman Group.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-testing-101/
How To Setup a Mobile Usability Test by Kim Flaherty. Nielsen Norman Group. (video): https://www.nngroup.com/videos/how-setup-mobile-usability-test/
Severity Ratings for Usability Problems by Jakob Nielsen. Nielsen Norman Group.: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-to-rate-the-severity-of-usability-problems/
Week 12: Branding
Brand Is Experience in the Digital Age by Kate Kaplan. Nielsen Norman Group.
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/brand-experience-ux/
Additional reading TBD
Week 13: Visual Design
What is Visual Design? By the Interaction Design Foundation https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/visual-design
The Building Blocks of Visual Design by Yu Siang Teo. Interaction Design Foundation.
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/the-building-blocks-of-visual-design
5 Principles of Visual Design in UX by Kelley Gordon. Nielsen Norman Group.
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/principles-visual-design/
Week 14 – 15: Trending Topics, Final Reading (counts as a Quiz)
I will post a selection of videos from a recent design conference to Slack after class. Please pick one video and write at least three paragraphs summarizing:
- What did the speaker talk about? What did you find interesting?
- How does it relate to something you learned about in class?
- How might you use it in future interactive design projects?
Project Descriptions
Project 1: Group Project – UX Research Report/Presentation
The GROUP project consists primarily of user research and low fidelity prototype you can use to perform a user test. You will work in groups of four to five students.
- Cover page including:
- Team Names
- COMD 3562 UX and UI Design, Section OL48
- Professor: Noreen Whysel
- Problem Definition
- MoSCoW Map and Feature Prioritization chart
- Competitive Analysis/Business Plan Canvas
- Interview Script
- User Research artifacts
- Empathy Map
- Persona
- User Scenario
- User Journey Map
- Card Sort Results
- Low Fidelity prototype
- User Test Results
Project 2: Individual Project – Prototype and Presentation (2 parts)
The INDIVIDUAL project consists of a branded, high-fidelity prototype you can use to perform a usability test. You will create the prototype based on the research completed in the group assignment.Â
Part 1: UX Design Report/Presentation
- Cover page including:
- Your Name
- COMD 3562 UX and UI Design, Section OL48
- Professor: Noreen Whysel
- Revised Problem Statement
- Branding and Style Guide
- User Flows and Wireflows
- Working Prototype
- User Tests Results
Part 2: Prototype
You will create a working prototype of your website or application using Adobe XD or Invision. It does not have to be a completed website or App store ready. Most likely it will be a single activity or user task, such as a login, onboarding or other activity. It does need to demonstrate a complete user task, such as a login flow or other activity.
COMD IT Services
Key Resources:
- Luis Vasquez – Senior College Laboratory Technician
- Michael Cannetti – Senior College Laboratory Technician
- www.comdcltfaq.wordpress.com (Also link to Openlab for notifications and updates.)
- comdclt@gmail.com
- lvasquez@citytech.cuny.edu
- mcannetti@citytech.cuny.edu
- (929)320-0338
- Google Chat with comdclt@gmail.com email.
- Students can use Google Chat for Chat Tech Support Questions.
- Slack Chat is available for Faculty only.
- One A.M. CLT (Michael) 8am-4pm.
- One P.M. CLT (Luis) 1pm-9pm.
Office of Computer Information Services:
- Faculty IT Support: helpdesk@citytech.cuny.edu
- Student IT Support: studenthelpdesk@citytech.cuny.edu
- OCIS Phone Number: (718) 260-5626
- Student HelpDesk Number (718) 260-4900
- 9am-5pm
- Website: it.citytech.cuny.edu
Blackboard Support:
- Dr. Karen Lundstrom
- Evelyn Pak
- itec@citytech.cuny.edu
- (718) 254-8565
- http://websupport1.citytech.cuny.edu/facultybb.html
- https://cisweb.cuny.edu/blackboard/AfterHoursSupport-Blackboard-COVID19-Outbreak.pdf
Computer Loaner Program:
- https://www.citytech.cuny.edu/loaner
- 30 MacBook Airs
- 127 Apple iMacs
- Chromebooks
- iPads
- Currently no loaner WACOM Tablets
- No Loaner Cameras
ADOBE CC 2021:
- CUNY Student ID Usernames will not work off campus.
- Adobe does not work on a Chromebook.
- CUNY is working with Adobe to change the contact in order to give students use off campus. TBD when that will happen.
Remote and Virtual Desktop Solutions:
- LabStat Remote Desktop.
- Apporto Virtual Desktop.
- http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/virtual-lab/
- https://gpnet.citytech.cuny.edu/global-protect/login.esp
Basic Tips:
- Use Microsoft One Drive with your CUNY Login to backup data to the cloud.
- Follow the COMD Facebook page at Communication Design at Citytech and Instagram @comd_citytech
- Apple Keyboard Shortcuts: Â https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236
- You will need a USB-C Adapter for MacBooks to connect external storage devices.
Remote Desktop to the Classrooms:
- First you must install the VPN Client.
- Then once youâve done that, youâll to make sure that youâve signed into the VPN with your Citytech ID credentials and you make sure that you are linked to gpnet.citytech.cuny.edu
- Then you go to www.citytech.cuny.edu/virtual-lab
- Choose General Labs or Academic Labs and then choose a COMD Computer.
- Click Connect next to the computer name.
- Hit Allow.
- You will see the IP Address of the computer. Hit Connect again.
- Type in Student with a capital S in the user name. (No Password.)
- Hit Connect Again.
- It will bring you to the log in screen on that computer in the classroom. Hit Student and you are in.
How To documents and videos:
Virtual Labs Demo Videos:
https://comdcltfaq.wordpress.com/2020/08/25/article-51-8-25-2020-virtual-labs/
Virtual Desktop Connection Issues for Mac:
https://comdcltfaq.wordpress.com/2020/08/27/8-27-2020-virtual-desktop-connection-issues-for-mac/
