Course content

This course gives candidates skills to move from user insights and ideas to advanced digital and physical prototypes. Students will learn to use design tools and technologies for prototyping user interfaces and user experiences. With skills in user interface design, prototyping tools, and AI-assisted design tools, students will develop the ability to progress from concept to product. The course content includes:

• Human-Centered Design Process: Gathering and translating user insights into usage scenarios, task analysis, and simple prototypes and wireframes.
• Prototyping: Using physical and digital prototyping methods (e.g., paper and physical prototyping and basic electronics) to create functional representations of design ideas.
• User Interface Design (UI): Creating user interfaces by structuring information architecture based on a content strategy, making wireframes, and designing graphical user interfaces using digital prototyping tools.
• Tangible User Interfaces (TUI): Prototyping interactive physical products with microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators.
• User Testing: Planning user tests, developing test procedures, conducting the tests, and analyzing the results to ensure solutions are satisfactory and effective for end-users in their usage context.

The content will vary depending on the instructor and the project assignment provided.

Learning outcome

Upon completing the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge

• Understand key principles for translating user insights and ideas into practical designs, both digital and physical.
• Understand how electronics and digital and AI-assisted tools can be used to create interactive and user-centered prototypes.

Skills

• Perform rapid iterations with prototyping and user testing to evaluate design ideas.
• Develop functional prototypes of tangible user interfaces using microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators.
• Design graphical user interfaces (UI) and create prototypes of digital experiences (UX) using industry-standard software.
• Integrate physical and digital prototyping techniques to produce cohesive user experiences.
• Evaluate and analyze the impact of prototypes on user needs and experience.
• Develop a content strategy and understand how to structure information hierarchically according to use cases.

General competence

• Apply a human-centered design approach to digital and physical prototyping.
• Collaborate effectively in design teams and with users and stakeholders in the prototyping process.
• Critically assess the functionality, usability, visual communication, and aesthetic quality of prototypes.

Learning methods and activities

The course employs a combination of learning methods and activities, such as:

• Lectures: Theoretical foundation on rapid prototyping, UI/UX design, and interactive user interfaces with microcontrollers.
• Workshops: Practical sessions focusing on prototyping at varying levels of detail, including wireframing and prototyping with microcontrollers and electronic components.
• Project Work: A comprehensive project where students design, prototype, and test a tangible user interface or interactive product that integrates both digital and physical elements.
• Group Discussions and Peer Reviews: Reflection on the design process, human-centered prototyping methods, and ongoing project work.

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

Opptak på studieprogrammet Industriell design (MTDESIG) kreves.

Course materials

Course material will be announced at course start

Credit reductions