Learners will explore the principles of user experience (UX) design and how it is used to create products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. They will learn about the design process to develop a UX solution to meet user requirements.
Understand the role of user experience (UX) design in society.
How developments impact on the way users interact with digital devices: origins of computing, e.g. uses of early computers, types of user experience methods, command line interfaces, evolution of graphics and graphical user interfaces, command line interfaces versus graphical user interfaces, sense orientation ( graphical, speech, touch).
Use of user experience (UX) in society and its impact:
Uses: e.g. self-checkout systems, domestic appliances with embedded computers, gaming.
Ways in which people interact with systems, e.g. touchscreens, mouse, voice recognition, bespoke input devices.
Impact of user experience (UX) on: usability of systems, social interaction, cultural impacts, commerce, e.g. working patterns and styles, deskilling, retraining needs, economies.
Assistive technologies, e.g. eye gaze system, braille, screen magnifiers, avatars for sign language.
Developments in user experience: screens, keyboards, pointing devices, speech recognition, virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence systems, modern gaming/gestures, 3D interfaces, thought input.
Design principles: colours, font size/style, language, amount of information, layout, user perception (colour, sound, symbols, visuals), engagement/retaining attention, difference between recognition and recall, screen design for intuitive data entry, menu selection.
Shneiderman’s rules: consistency, use of shortcuts, informative feedback, design dialog to yield closure, error handling, reversal of actions, support internal locus of control, reduce short-term memory load.
Behavioural models: keystroke level model, throughput, Fitts’s law, key action model, Buxton’s three state model, Guiard’s model.
Factors: types of user, expert users, regular users, occasional users, beginner/novice users, ergonomics, health and safety , demographics, accessibility, e.g. responding to the needs of users with restricted motor skills.
Explain the developments in digital devices and how they impact on society.
Explain user experience (UX) design principles factors.
Be able to plan and design a user experience (UX) solution.
Requirements for a UX solution: tasks to be performed, input required, e.g. mouse, touch screen, voice, output required, e.g. graphics, animations, audio feedback, physical feedback, user needs, e.g. accessibility considerations, purpose of system, environmental factors.
Schematic design documentation: generation of ideas, e.g. mood boards, client/designer meetings, client requirements, hardware and software requirements, visualisation/interface design, e.g. storyboarding, flow charts, technical specification, e.g. file formats required, bandwidth limitations target platform, technical designs, e.g. algorithms, example code, wiring diagrams, consideration of design rules, supporting documentation, e.g. meeting notes, research, user profiling, advantages and disadvantages of proposed solution, alternative solutions with comparison to the proposed solution and advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives, methods of obtaining feedback to improve designs, e.g. user testing, client meetings.
Plan the requirements for a user experience (UX) solution for an identified need.
Produce schematic design documentation for a user experience (UX) solution.
Be able to develop, test and review a (UX) solution.
Content preparation: creating unique content, e.g. sounds, images, control code ,se of content created by others (permissions, acknowledging sources, legal and ethical considerations, optimisation, e.g. file size, image size, alternate formats for screen orientation, e.g. landscape, portrait, file formats, i.e. compatibility, performance, quality, compression requirements for items such as images, possible constraints, file size and image quality.
Developing a UX solution: application of UX design principles, primary interface implementation, e.g. standard icons, menus, window layout, implementing alternative interfaces, e.g. mobile version, adaptive for user needs, software integration, e.g. event handling, coding to add functionality, hardware integration, e.g. bespoke controllers, recognising keystrokes, adaptive technologies, coding to control connected hardware, supporting documentation.
Testing a UX solution: identifying how and what to test, e.g. producing a test plan, choosing test data, test user identification, types of testing, e.g. effectiveness, functionality, performance, obtaining feedback from others, e.g. questionnaires, interviews, checklists, making improvements and/or refinements to solutions in response to testing and feedback from others.
Reviewing the development process and outcomes: suitability for audience and purpose, ease of use, quality of the solution, e.g. reliability, usability, efficiency/performance, maintainability, portability, constraints, e.g. time, sourcing hardware components, platform, compatibility, legal and ethical considerations (accessibility requirements, copyright), impact of design and development processes, e.g. input from others, decisions made, strengths and weaknesses of the solution, evaluation of how the implemented solutions could be improved to better meet the needs of the user and fulfil the identified needs.
Prepare content for a user experience (UX) solution for an identified need.
Develop a user experience (UX) solution to meet requirements.
Test and optimise a user experience (UX) solution in response to feedback.
Review the user experience (UX) design and development process and outcomes against requirements.