Designing an Aesthetic Learner Experience: UX, Instructional Design, and Design Pedagogy

Abstract

In this design case, we describe a multi-year process during which a team of faculty designed a four-year undergraduate major in user experience (UX) design at a large research-intensive institution. We document the program- and course-level design experiences of five faculty members. This multi-year process has culminated in a dual-strand, integrated studio learning environment. Two types of studios—“learning” and “experience” studios—form the core of the program, with learning studios allowing cohort-specific skills development and practice, and experience studios providing cross-cohort opportunities to work on industry projects. We detail our process of developing this course sequence and the program-level connecting points among the courses, identifying institutional supports and barriers, the unique and varied skillsets of the involved faculty, and the growing agency and competence of our students in the program.