User Experience

Courses

The Master of Science (MS) degree in User Experience requires completion of 30 credits with an average grade of “B” or better. All students should also carefully review the MS User Experience Handbook, which offers guidelines, rules, and practices relevant to all graduate programs.

Required Courses

GIT540: Cross-Media Design Solutions

Universal design theory, creative problem solving, and case study applications for print, Web, and new media products of the graphics industry.

GIT 542 Usability and User Experience

Design and technology solutions focusing on how information is organized graphically to communicate and how website usability is employed to improve human interaction with inline information.

HSE 521: Methods and Tools in Human Systems Engineering (3 credits)

Specific methods and tools used in the field of human systems engineering, with computer-based experience through both writing and using human factors tools and software.

HSE 542: Foundations of Human Systems Engineering

A wide variety of methodologies utilized by and applications of the broad field of human systems engineering.

TWC 501: Fundamentals of Technical Communication

Basic information design principles for producing effective technical communication, including rhetorical and audience analysis, as well as common workplace genres and technical communication tools.

TWC 544: User Experience

Explores principles, techniques and tools of user experience (UX), including user and task analysis, user-centered design and usability testing.

GIT/HSE/TWC 560: User Experience Capstone

Creation of a culminating document and synthesis of the graduate experience.

Elective Courses

Electives: Students choose two elective courses (6 credits) from the following course options.

GIT 598: Interaction Design, Planning and Implementation

Interaction Design, Planning, and Implementation is an in-depth, advanced look at the early phases of website design, including requirements gathering, site planning, and wireframe design. Students will learn how to transform various inputs into optimal documentation for both business stakeholders and developers.

HSE 423: Human Factors in Transportation

Examines human performance and human-machine design issues in aviation and ground transportation.

TWC 511: Principles of Visual Communication

Principles and tools of visual communication in print and electronic media, with an emphasis on document design, including typography and color.

TWC 514: Visualizing Data and Information

Covers how to process data and information in ways that help discover what’s important about the information and what the clearest way is to communicate that information. Covers how to manage data and use a variety of software tools to communicate patterns and tell visual stories, as well as how to make choices in visualization style in ways that will assist an audience to effectively interact with and process the information.

HSE 525: Human Factors in Medical Systems

Comprehensive introduction to human factors issues related to healthcare systems, medical training, and medical device design. Topics range from psychological and physiological aspects of human behavior like perceptual and cognitive functions, motor behavior, learning, motivation, physiology, and ergonomics to applied issues in the context of medicine and healthcare like human-computer interactions in medical information systems, the ergonomic design of medical devices, evaluation of medical device usability, team training in healthcare and the organization of medical environment.

HSE 529: Product Design and Evaluation

Applies human systems engineering methods to product design and evaluation. Consumer behavior, consumer research methods, systems and design thinking, how to conduct interviews, observational research, contextual analysis, questionnaire design and analysis, opportunity identification, usability testing and creativity.

TWC 535: Global Issues in Technical Communication

Helps students understand issues that shape workplace communication in a global environment. Technical communicators are expected to be specialists who interact effectively with a broad range of audiences. Given the global nature of today’s workplace, those audiences typically include people from many cultures and countries. Through readings, written assignments, and analysis of case studies, documents and Websites, explores ways in which culture and language shape professional interactions. Also examines other critical issues such as translation, localization, technology and distributed work teams that impact writing and designing documents in a globalized work environment.

TWC 545: Content Management and Topic-Based Authoring

Explores concepts, techniques, strategies and technologies for authoring, managing and publishing re-usable content in online documentation, help files and other types of technical communication.