User experience design to be offered as new minor at Western this fall

User Experience Design, the conceptualization and design of user interfaces for digital products, will be offered as a new minor at Western Washington University starting this fall.

“User experience design integrates interaction design, industrial design, information architecture, information design, visual interface design, user assistance design, and user-centered design, ensuring coherence and consistency across all of these design dimensions,” said Pabini Gabriel-Petit, the editor in chief of UX Matters, a web magazine that provides insight to professionals working in all aspects of user experience.

The minor is intended for Industrial Design, Psychology, Design and Computer Science majors.

The intent is for each student to be prepared to work in professional multi-disciplinary teams designing user experiences. They will be able to cross-communicate using the various languages and terminology of each discipline and be able to understand the unique perspective and alternative approaches that each discipline provides. At the end, students will have a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, collaborative, interaction design project to show prospective employers.

Jason Morris, an associate professor of Engineering Technology at Western, said that the predicted enrollment of this minor is high, so a cap may be necessary to limit enrollment, with only 15 to 18 candidates accepted per year. Selection will be done through an application process and review of transcripts.

The new minor was formed with the collaboration of the four departments and advised by industry professionals from Artefact, Intel, Expedia and Microsoft.

For more information about the new UXD minor, please contact Jason Morris at Jason.morris@wwu.edu, (360) 650-2514, or click here.