Masters Degrees (User Experience)

For most companies, understanding the complex web of relationships between people, technology and design the 'user experience' is vital in acquiring the competitive edge. Especially when considering the development and production of technology based devices and services. MSc User Experience Engineering brings together knowledge and skill sets into a single programme focused on the user experience where computing technology is the heart of the devices and services.

Why study MSc User Experience Engineering at Dundee?

The importance of human computer interaction and good interface design is increasingly recognised as the key to the future of successful software development.

At the University of Dundee we provide students with the knowledge skills and support necessary to become move into a career in user experience engineering. The University of Dundee is at the forefront of computing and as such you will have the opportunity to learn from leading researchers.

What's great about User Experience Engineering at Dundee?

This course is designed to:
Give you a Masters-level postgraduate education in the knowledge, skills and understanding of user experience research and implementation in the domain of computing and technology.

Enable you to acquire advanced knowledge and skills in the professional procedures necessary to ensure that user experience research and requirements-gathering is both valid and actionable in technology implementation contexts.

Enable you to understand and engage with contemporary debate about the role, ethics and utility of user experience research in commercial and other settings.

An additional aim for overseas students is to provide you with educational and cultural experiences which are unique to the UK.

Our facilities:
You will have 24-hour access to our award winning and purpose-built Queen Mother Building. It has an unusual mixture of lab space and breakout areas, with a range of conventional and special equipment for you to use. It's also easy to work on your own laptop as there is wireless access throughout the building. Our close ties to industry allows us access to facilities such as Windows Azure and Teradata, and university and industry standard software such as Tableau for you to evaluate and use.

The start date is September each year. The MSc course lasts for 12 months and the PGDip lasts for 9 months.

How you will be taught

The programme will be delivered principally by a mix of traditional lectures, study of academic background texts, lab and studio based practice sessions, and field and project based learning. These will be supplemented by seminars and workshops on key areas of practice

What you will study

The course will be taught in 20 credit modules plus a 60 credit dissertation. Students will be required to complete 180 credits for the award of the MSc (including 60 credits for the dissertation). Students completing 120 credits (without the dissertation) will be eligible for a Postgraduate Diploma.

Semester 1 (Sept-Dec)
Computing the User Experience (20 Credits)
Elective Module- one from:
Internet and Computer Systems
Software Development
Software Engineering
Agile Engineering
Technology Innovation Management
Secure e-Commerce
Computer Graphics
Computer Vision
Multimedia Audio
International Marketing
Eye Movements & Cognition (10 Credits)
Quantitative Methods (10 Credits)

Semester 2 (Jan-Mar)
Research Methods (20 Credits)- experimental design requires researchers to understand the context of the research being undertaken and being able to apply appropriate methods to measure and compare data. This module aims to provide students with an understanding and knowledge of research methods relevant in the context of computing.
Research Frontiers(20 Credits) - Students select a total of four units from available units which currently include:
Accessibility & Computing (AC)
Applied Computational Intelligence (ACI)
Constraint Programming (CP)
Games (G)
Intelligent Agents (IA)
Aspects of Assistive Technology (AT) and Augmentative and Alternate Communication (AAC)
Interactive Systems Design (ISD)
Space Systems (SS)
What Computer Eyes Can Do (CE)
Eye Gaze Tracking
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) (20 Credits) - the aim of this module is to provide you with a broad introduction to human-computer interaction through study of the components, both human and machine, which make up interfaces and the ways in which they interact, illustrating this with examples of good and bad practice.

Semester 3 (Apr-Sept)
Research Project or Field Project (60 Credits) - this module will provide you with a professional level experience of specifying, conducting and presenting a substantial piece of user experience research.
Please note that some of the modules in the programme are shared with other masters programmes and some of the teaching and resources may be shared with our BSc programme.

How you will be assessed

Assessment will be a mix of continuous or coursework assessments and exams, with group and individual projects assessed by set deliverables and final presentation.

Careers

This programme is intended to enhance the employability of graduates in the following ways:

For technologists and computing professionals, this programme should build their skills in implementing technology that are appropriate to the needs and wishes of users in the relevant usage context

For human factors specialists, this programme should build their understanding of the fit between users and technology and should enhance their methodology skill set when exploring beyind the understanding of the human factors towards the deployment of appropriate or enhanced user experiences.

For design specialists, this programme should build their skills in marrying technologies and materials to the requirements of users and in blending this within appropriate aesthetics.

For UX team managers this programme should enhance their insights and give them practical experience of the skill sets of all members of their teams in order to direct their work so as to optimize the user experience within real business and technical constraints.

For all professionals, this programme should enhance their ability to communicate the impact of the user experience investigations on their work and the impact of their work on the user experience, not only within the UX team but also to other business functions such as senior management and marketing.

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The aim of this course to equip you with the behavioural theory, design practice and technology know-how that is necessary for a career as interaction designer, usability engineer, user researcher, or head of user experience. It focuses upon the analysis, design, prototyping and evaluation of multimedia, multi-modal, and multi-platform user interfaces that are easy to use and support a great user experience.

Key features
-This course was developed in consultation with our industry panel, which includes Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, DreamWorks and Samsung Design Europe. We are also an active member of TIGA, the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) and support the User Experience Professionals' Association (UXPA UK).
-Technical facilities include a Tobii eye tracker, Noldus FaceReader and Morae usability testing software, editing suites, moving-image studios and 3D workshops.
-This course is accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS), The Chartered Institute for IT.

What will you study?

You will have the opportunity to:
-Take the role of a user experience (UX) designer/analyst in an interdisciplinary team of students from across the Digital Media Kingston programme, and use industry-standard techniques to deliver on time
-Learn about fundamental User Experience activities – analysis, design, prototyping and evaluation – in the context of practical projects. Projects are selected in consultation with students (and mostly individually), so that you can tailor your degree towards the industry sector, technology or job role that suits your interests and ambitions
-Consider user experience in relation to cutting-edge technologies (big screens, tablets, smart phones, context-aware embedded devices and multi-modal games console), current industry trends (big data, multi-channel services, digital lifestyles), and contemporary theory (cognition ‘in the wild', usability vs experience)
-Explore at least one kind of specialist practice in depth, to further distinguish and focus your learning, and practice track record
-Learn how to present yourself to potential employers through your online professional presence and portfolio
-Work with industrial hosts, and research-active academics to produce excellent, professional pieces of work that push the boundaries of current understanding and achieve design innovation

Assessment

Mock-ups, functional prototypes, demos, videos, presentations, design documents, essays.

Work placement scheme

Kingston University has set up a scheme that allows postgraduate students in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing to include a work placement element in their course starting from September 2017. The placement scheme is available for both international and home/EU students.

-The work placement, up to 12 months; is optional.
-The work placement takes place after postgraduate students have successfully completed the taught portion of their degree.
-The responsibility for finding the placement is with the student. We cannot guarantee the placement, just the opportunity to undertake it.
-As the work placement is an assessed part of the course for international students, this is covered by a student's tier 4 visa.

Details on how to apply will be confirmed shortly.

Course structure

The course comprises four taught modules and a final project:

Semester 1
-User Experience Design (Systems)
-Digital Studio Practice

Semester 2
-User Experience Design (Content)
-Media Specialist Practice

Final project (June to September)
-Digital Media Final Project

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This programme is designed to help you develop your critical awareness of major issues in interaction and user experience design.

This programme was formerly named Interaction Design and has been renamed User Experience Design to better represent its content.

It aims to improve your effectiveness as a designer within industry and is beneficial to both recent graduates and those currently working within industry, advancing your knowledge and specialist skills to a higher level.

Loughborough Design School offers a unique combination of design and specialist human factors teaching which equips students with core Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and User Experience (UX) design skills. The content of the programme therefore enables you to develop your skills and competencies in both the creative and/or analytical aspects of User Experience whilst working on a diverse range of projects.

Key skills that you will develop include user experience design principles and practice, qualitative and quantitative design research methods, interactive screen based prototyping, usability testing, principles of sustainable business, enterprise and entrepreneurship, service and social design, team working and project management.

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The Project

We are developing a revolutionary new form of transportation at the intersection of airplane design, robotics and human-centered design. The goal of this project is to design the user experience of the whole process, starting from the user deciding to book a flight to walking away from the landing area. All aspects of the process need to be considered, including payment, instructions, communication with staff, friends, and family. You will be using a user-centered design process to go through several iterations of concept development, design and evaluation. The whole process needs to offer an extremely user friendly and attractive design while managing the complexity of flight. The project will start in mid February 2018 as part of the Masters in Human Interface Technology (MHIT) program.

The Candidate

The ideal candidate for this project would have a background in user experience design. Knowledge of scenario writing, personas and user evaluation would be desirable.

About the HIT Lab NZ

The HIT Lab NZ is a dynamic, international, multidisciplinary environment, bringing together people with varying viewpoints to design new ways of supporting people in their everyday lives, be it at work, play, or school. We take a human-centred approach, starting by looking at the people we are looking to support (e.g., young, old, skilled, unskilled), the tasks they need help with (e.g., repairing a device, visualizing a new house), and the environment they will be in (e.g., at work, in the home, visiting a museum), then designing solutions within these constraints using appropriate advanced technologies.

We hope to provide a welcoming space for people from a wide breadth of areas pertaining to the human condition, such as technical, design, artistic, and psychological. When in doubt, contact us! We're always looking for innovative thinkers!

Requirements

International applicants will be required to arrange for their NZ student visa after an offer of a place. Please check http://www.immigration.govt.nz for information about what type of visa might be most suitable and the process of acquiring it. The university has various types of accommodation available on campus. Please check http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/future-students/accommodation/ for information about the options and prices. International students should also consult the International Student website at http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/international/ to learn about the cost of living, fees, and insurances.

How to apply

Please upload your complete application as one PDF file to our website at http://www.hitlabnz.org/index.php/jobs/user-experience-design-for-airborne-transportation-device/ by October 1st, 2017. Your application should include your CV, academic records, a one page statement of interest, and three references.

Please contact Dr. Christoph Bartneck ([email protected]) for further questions.

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The User Experience Design MSc is a flexible course that you can tailor to your own professional interests. It will help to train you for roles that range from usability, interaction and interface design through to general project management and consulting.

The course is for designers and software developers wishing to enhance their knowledge of user-centred design and usability evaluation of software-enabled products.

Course content has been designed for maximum relevancy to the marketplace.

Upon completion, you'll be able to apply your knowledge and interaction design skills to novel interaction paradigms; make effective use of a broad range of design methods; obtain in-depth knowledge of developments in mobile, ubiquitous or wearable systems and understand the commercial contexts of interaction design.

Course structure

The course can be studied full-time or part-time.

For full-time students the academic year is divided into three 15-week semesters.

The taught element of the course is delivered during the first two semesters. Modules involve approximately 20 per cent classroom teaching and 80 per cent individual or group work. The third semester focuses on your major project.

Part-time students study alongside full-time students with a minimum attendance of one half day per week, depending on the number of modules taken.

Syllabus

On the course, you will study four core modules, two of which will require you to complete individual design projects.

You will also choose from a range of optional modules. These will allow you to specialise in the areas of the discipline that interest you the most.

Modules:

Interaction Design and Evaluation Process
Interface and Information Design
Research Methods
Major Project

Options (subject to change):

Marketing for Interactive Technologies
Interactive Technologies Business Context
Intellectual Property Law
Web Development
Creative Design Lab
Project Management
Independent portfolio project
Independent research project

Employability

Graduates have gone on to work as commercial interaction designers on both software and software-enabled physical products, as well as using this as a starting point for a research career in human-centred interaction design.

Our graduates are working in roles that include:

• digital consultant
• senior developer
• UX designer
• web designer
• digital marketer.

At the end of the taught element there is the possibility of a placement with a digital media company for the major project module. This puts real experience on your CV as you consolidate your expertise.

Brighton is acknowledged as a major digital media cluster.

There are plenty of opportunities to network with companies and organisations in the sector both through the course through external speakers and taking your own initiative. The course cohort has regularly attended the annual conference UX Brighton and students can attend the many digital media events organised in the city.

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Why take this course?

As a Data Visualisation Designer you can contribute innovative solutions with the potential to transform societal challenges, by designing the human interface to increasingly complex problems.

On this course, you will learn how to create rich and meaningful stories with data. We will study digital content in any mode, whether it is in alphanumeric form, binary, vector, pixel, video, or others. The designer provides an important interface, that allows us to explore data and generates meaningful communication. This communication is predominantly visual, but with developments in Wearables and the Internet of Things, is also becoming increasingly physical, affective, networked and interactive. Data Visualisation Design spans traditional graphic and information design, interaction design, information architecture, computational design, design thinking and user-centred and user experience design.

What will I experience?

On this course you can:

Learn the theory and practice of data visualisation, data, interface/interaction design and user experience, and apply this to your own design
Critically question the role of data related to the social, political, economic and cultural through contextual research
Explore live data sets from real world scenarios, such as industry or charities like the digital humanitarian network
Develop independent research and project ideas to create innovative, forward thinking design solutions and experiences for a digital and data driven world

What opportunities might it lead to?

The course will prepare you to work in the design disciplines of the creative industries, with a focus on data visualisation, information design, computational design, digital content, interactivity and user experience. Data Visualisation designers are in demand in sectors including business, research, health, education, government/public service, the arts.

The skills gained on this course can also be applied to employment in UI (user interface) design, or focus on interaction as a UX (User experience) designer. The critical and contextual outlook allows you to position yourself as a strategist and operate in a consultative manner. The research aspect of the course would also suit a career in compulsory, further and higher education.

Careers include:

Data Visualisation Design
Information Design
Digital Graphic Design
UI (user interface) / UX (user experience) design
Interaction design

Module Details

The course is offered over one year (full-time) or two years (part-time).

You will study five units, one of which is shared with other MA courses in the School of Art and Design. There will be preparatory units delivering a grounding in practical skills, theoretical context and academic research (competencies and skills). You will also study units that allow more thematic engagement with interactive and data driven design in terms of theory such as critical design, affordances, experience and complexity. It will also provide a unit oriented towards employability, and incorporate live briefs and group work. These units work to catalyse your own ideas and research direction for the Major Project unit.

Core units currently comprise:

A Question of Research
Fundamentals of Data and Interaction Design
Digital Futures – Themes and Issues in Practice
Design Solutions for Enterprise, Society and Culture
Major Project

Programme Details

The teaching combines interactive lectures and group seminar discussions with support through one-to-one tutorials. You also receive feedback on your work through friendly but critical peer review in group sessions with other students, members of faculty and other experts as appropriate. One of the units includes working as a team. Your project work emphasises self-initiated learning which gives you the freedom to explore the specialist area of your interest, while being helpfully guided by your supervisor. The curriculum is very closely related to the research areas in the department, so the staff have cutting edge knowledge of the field and its potential for innovation.

Your learning is mostly assessed through the submission of practical course work, such as digital prototypes, and the documentation of the learning journey in sketchbooks, diaries, blogs or journals.

This will be documenting contextual research as well as stages in practical experimentation and annotation of reflection. There are some written elements to be submitted as well, mostly accompanying proposals/reports to contextualise your practice. The assessment also includes individual and group presentations, this mode is also used to give you formative feedback on your work throughout.

Here's how we assess your work:

Digital artefacts / prototypes
Learning journals
Proposals
Reports
Oral presentation

Student Destinations

This course is an opportunity to focus your creative design practice on the interactive, data driven, user centred and culturally contextualised. It also enhances your design career by upgrading your skills and widening your knowledge and thinking in the digital arena, allowing you to stay one step ahead of the rest. The independent research aspect of the course prepares you for further education in terms of a research degree and employment in R&D and/or education.

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This course provides students with advanced knowledge, industry-valued skills and new design perspectives, empowering them to succeed in a User Experience (UX) career.

Who is it for?

This course is for people who share our ethos of wanting to design technology that meets user needs - interactive systems that are useful, easy-to-use and engaging. It is for people who get frustrated when they interact with unnecessarily complicated Websites, mobile apps or other interactive systems and think 'I want to be able to improve this.' It is for people that want to design technology based on an understanding of users' needs and to ensure that the products they and others design meet those needs. We welcome students who share this user-centred ethos.

Objectives

This course will equip you with the latest academic research, theories and techniques in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), User Experience (UX), usability and Interaction Design and encourages you to think about design in new ways - recognising that there are many 'right' ways to design interactive systems.

You will gain a mix of theoretical and practical knowledge, along with the necessary skills and experience to create engaging user experiences. You will study modules that cover the entire user-centred design and evaluation process; from understanding user needs, to designing interactive systems that meet those needs, to evaluating the usability of those (and existing systems) through user research.

Placements

You will have the option to undertake a six month UX internship, after the taught part of the course has finished.

All internships are paid and provide valuable work experience, enhancing employability. As an internship student you can apply the HCI/UX knowledge and skills you have developed on the course in real-world projects and build a UX work portfolio. This supports you in standing out in the job market. You will also get the opportunity to conduct your independent research project on a topic of interest to both you and the internship company. This helps ensure the practical importance of the research.

Previous internships include positions at:
-London UX agencies (e.g Webcredible, Foolproof, Bunnyfoot)
-The BBC
-The Telegraph
-Nature.com

Academic facilities

You will benefit from the use of the City Interaction Lab - a combined commercial and research lab, where we have undertaken UX consultancy for prestigious companies including Virgin Atlantic. The lab is fitted with the latest technologies including a usability testing suite, mobile testing station, eye-tracker, interactive tabletop, brain interaction technology, 3D printer and more. We employ student consultants on some projects, providing the opportunity to work on real client projects.

Teaching and learning

The course is delivered by distinguished academics from City University London's Centre for HCI Design, who all have a passion for user-centred design. Industry professionals also participate in teaching and learning - by giving guest lectures, running practitioner tutorials and even by providing feedback on students' design outputs and input into module content, ensuring that students learn the knowledge and skills most valued by industry.

Assessment

The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, online activities and interactive workshops and tutorials. It is assessed in a variety of ways, including:
-Examinations (which focus on applying HCI theory in realistic situations).
-Coursework (which range from written reports and essays, to posters, presentations and design documentation - e.g. wireframe prototypes). A range of both group and individual courseworks are set during the course. Group courseworks are often centred around realistic design projects.
-Independent research project (dissertation). The independent project allows students to conduct original research on an HCI topic of their choice.
-Each of these account for around one-third of the total course assessment. However, the exact balance varies according to the chosen elective module.

Modules

You will study seven core modules and one elective module that cover the entire user-centred design and evaluation process. Modules are delivered through a combination of lectures, online activities and interactive workshops and tutorials. These include sessions delivered by guest lecturers from industry. Full-time students spend eight hours/week in lectures and four hours/week in seminars/tutorials. Part-time students spend half this time in classes. Overall workload is around 36 hours/week for full-time and 18 hours/week for part-time students.

You will also undertake an independent Research Project, for which our module on Research Methods and Professional Issues will prepare you.

A series of optional, but recommended, practitioner tutorials supplement the taught modules. These include talks, workshops and field trips. Previous tutorials have featured HCI/UX practitioners from prestigious companies including Foolproof, Futureheads and eBay.

Taught Core Modules
-Interaction design (15 credits)
-Creativity in design (15 credits)
-Information architecture (15 credits)
.-Evaluating interactive systems (15 credits)
-Inclusive design (15 credits)
-Cognition and technologies (15 credits)
-Research, methods and professional issues (15 credits)

Taught Elective modules
-Web applications development (15 credits)
-Data visualisation (15 credits)
-Telemedicine (15 credits)

Career prospects

This course empowers students to succeed in a variety of User Experience (UX) roles in leading digital agencies, business consultancies, IT companies and commercial/government organisations.

Roles include:
-UX Designer/Consultant
-User Researcher
-Information Architect
-Accessibility Specialist.

There is an increasing need for specialists with a deep knowledge of Human-Computer Interaction design. As the industry continues to expand, there is no better time to become a Master in this field. The course is also an excellent starting point for those wanting to pursue a PhD in HCI.

Our course is highly respected by industry, with exceptional employability; Over 90% of students are employed within six months of graduating (City Graduate Destinations), in prestigious companies including Samsung, Tesco, Thomson Reuters and Google.

The median annual salary for our recent graduates is £34,000 per year (City Graduate Destinations).

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This programme teaches students the skills required to manage a software project by producing criteria to monitor the project's progress and measure outcomes. Students learn how to formulate requirements for a business system and are given an underpinning in the nature of software development and its inherent complexity. The programme also covers system modelling and user interface and database design. Students learn to develop a system from determining its requirements and graphic user interface to database implementation.

This programme is of particular interest to those with a first degree in business or with business experience. Students are given an understanding of the information technologies upon which e-commerce is built and how these technologies provide us with new ways of organising and managing business. On successful completion of this programme, students should be proficient in the development of Internet, web and database technologies. They should also have the project management skills required for IT consultancy and strategic decision making.

Through our short course centre opportunity may also be provided to study for the Microsoft Technology Associate Exams.

Visit the website http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/pg/inftec/mbit

Computing - Information Technology

The School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences is an extremely successful part of the university and is recognised both nationally and internationally for its cutting edge research and its innovative approach to curriculum development.

Our up-to-date, relevant and exciting programs are designed in close collaboration with industry to provide the skills that employers really want. Our research record is outstanding, focusing on practical and important real-life problems.

What you'll study

Full time
- Year 1:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.

PG Project (CIS) (60 credits)
Systems Design and Development (15 credits)
Data Modelling (15 credits)
Project Management (15 credits)
Web and Intranet Content Management (15 credits)
Essential Professional and Academic Skills for Masters Students
English Language Support Course (for Postgraduate Students in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

Cyber Security (15 credits)
Managing IT Security and Risk (15 credits)
User Centred Web Engineering (15 credits)
Strategic IT (15 credits)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

System Modelling (15 credits)
Audit and Security (15 credits)
User Experience Design (15 credits)
Organisational Awareness and Outsourcing (15 credits)

Part time
- Year 1:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.

Essential Professional and Academic Skills for Masters Students
English Language Support Course (for Postgraduate Students in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

Cyber Security (15 credits)
Systems Design and Development (15 credits)
Managing IT Security and Risk (15 credits)
Web and Intranet Content Management (15 credits)
User Centred Web Engineering (15 credits)
Strategic IT (15 credits)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

System Modelling (15 credits)
Audit and Security (15 credits)
User Experience Design (15 credits)
Data Modelling (15 credits)
Organisational Awareness and Outsourcing (15 credits)
Project Management (15 credits)

- Year 2:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.

PG Project (CIS) (60 credits)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

Cyber Security (15 credits)
Systems Design and Development (15 credits)
Managing IT Security and Risk (15 credits)
Web and Intranet Content Management (15 credits)
User Centred Web Engineering (15 credits)
Strategic IT (15 credits)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

System Modelling (15 credits)
Audit and Security (15 credits)
User Experience Design (15 credits)
Data Modelling (15 credits)
Organisational Awareness and Outsourcing (15 credits)
Project Management (15 credits)

Fees and finance

Your time at university should be enjoyable and rewarding, and it is important that it is not spoilt by unnecessary financial worries. We recommend that you spend time planning your finances, both before coming to university and while you are here. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.

Assessment

Students are assessed through examinations, coursework and a project.

Professional recognition

This degree is accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS). This programme has the following accreditation: partial CITP. Your programme can therefore lead to partial exemption of the BCS Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status.

Career options

Graduates from this programme can pursue careers as business analysts, IT consultants and IT managers. Opportunities exist to develop a career working as independent consultants or within teams in diverse areas such as business and IT, internet and e-commerce applications, teaching and training.

Find out about the teaching and learning outcomes here - http://www2.gre.ac.uk/?a=643973

Find out how to apply here - http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/apply

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The MSc in Human-Centred Interactive Technologies is a full-time, one-year taught course that is intended for students seeking a professional career related to human-computer interaction, user experience, usability or related fields or those wishing to pursue research in the area. The course is intended for students who already have a good first degree in a computer science or an appropriate discipline related to human-computer interaction or have equivalent industrial experience. The course covers a range of topics associated with designing interactive systems for good usability and enhancing the user experience. The course has been specifically designed for students wishing to specialise in the design and evaluation of interactive technologies.

The MSc Human-Centred Interactive Technologies course was updated for October 2016 entry. The course had been running successfully for eight years, but in that time the landscape of interactive systems has changed considerably, with the growth of iPhones and apps and the introduction of tablet computers. We have also responded to feedback from students who have asked for more integrated modules and more opportunities to practice interaction design.

Course Aims
The aims of the course are:
-To provide a specialist education in the theories of and methods for designing and evaluating interactive technologies
-To provide an opportunity to engage in a rigorous and scholarly manner with a range of current research topics around designing and evaluating interactive technologies
-To provide practical experience of designing and evaluating interactive technologies
-To develop the skills necessary to conduct research, particularly with users, into the design, engineering or science of interactive technologies
-To provide experience of undertaking a sizeable individual project, on a subject related to research in human-centred interactive technologies
-To prepare students for entry into research degrees or industry-based projects

Learning Outcomes
A fundamental objective of the course is to provide students with a sound theoretical knowledge and practical experience of the skills essential to the design and evaluation of interactive technologies. Having completed the course, students will be able to understand theories of the design of interactive technologies and critique individual technologies from a theoretical viewpoint. In particular they will be able to:
(a) choose appropriate methods for empirical investigations for the design, prototyping and evaluation of interactive technologies, including both quantitative and qualitative methods

(b) plan and undertake a range of empirical investigations of existing or proposed interactive technologies at all stages of the development lifecycle

(c) analyse, draw conclusions from and present the results of such investigations, and

(d) conduct a range of expert and theoretical analyses of interactive technologies to investigate their usability, accessibility and appropriateness for different user groups.

Graduates completing the course will be equipped to play leading and professional roles related to the designed and evaluation of interactive technologies in industry, commerce, academia and public service. The MSc in Human-Centred Interactive Technologies is also intended to provide a route into a PhD or research in this rapidly expanding field.

Project

The dissertation project undertaken by students over the summer is carried out individually, which might involve collaboration with another organisation. A collaborative project is still supervised by a member of the Department.

Projects are worth 50% of the total mark for the MSc. Examples of previous projects include:
-A Gesture Language for Interaction with Art and Cultural Artefacts in Museums
-Analysis of WCAG 2.0 Techniques and Remote Evaluation by People with Visual Disabilities
-Cultural issues in design of online banking websites: a Chinese case study
-Evaluating Human Error through Video Games
-Have the Same Image in Mind? Investigation of Personas in Web Design
-Inattention and Immersion in Video Games
-Measuring User Experience of Mobile Phones: a Study with Retrospective Protocol and Emotion Word Prompt List
-The Application of Game Mechanics to a Virtual Learning Environment
-The Design and Evaluation of NHS Pharmacy Dispensing Computer Software
-Using User-Generated Content as Discourses on the Gaming Experience

Careers

Here at York, we're really proud of the fact that more than 97% of our postgraduate students go on to employment or further study within six months of graduating from York. We think the reason for this is that our courses prepare our students for life in the workplace through our collaboration with industry to ensure that what we are teaching is useful for employers.

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Technology is becoming closely interwoven into everyday life. How we create and design these interactions is crucial to their success and the positive impact they have on our lives. This understanding forms the core of the IDEA program’s design philosophy: technology that is designed to delight its users.

We aim to infuse the latest technological innovation with a human-centred design thinking to solve complex problems. The IDEA program promotes a creative and critical approach, within the framework of research-driven interaction design and user experience methodologies. The result is an understanding of how to design interactive products, services and systems that will have lasting cultural and commercial importance.

In a foundation first semester, you will develop the essential industry knowledge and skills for working as an interaction or user experience designer, at ease with web and mobile applications. Once you have these core skills in human-centred design thinking, web/mobile interface design and software programming, you are trained to analyse and evaluate their application in a range of design contexts. This evaluative approach is what enables IDEA students to create meaningful interactive experiences that will become ubiquitous parts of our everyday life.

In the second semester, you will engage in design studio projects to extend these skills, both conceptually and technically. We offer a studio-based teaching environment in which you work individually or in teams to creatively solve design challenges. You will learn to design across multiple platforms and scales - from natural, tangible and wearable user interfaces to interactive architecture, creative robotics and urban informatics. Your ideas may even become the basis of prototype products, patents or start-up services.

You can adapt this program to suit your interests and passions by taking electives from other faculties. You will also build a compelling design portfolio showcasing not only your design skills but also your understanding of how best to convey the user experience of new products and services.

The course culminates in a capstone research project, industry internship or graduation design project. The Faculty draws on industry and alumni contacts to enable opportunities to build your professional network. These factors combine to position you as a well-connected creative industry specialist with expertise across the strategic, creative and technical domains.

The course is timetabled to suit your busy schedule. Subjects are run either in the evening or in intensive mode (a block series of Fridays and Saturdays). You can also study part-time. The course has embedded qualifications, enabling you to graduate after the foundation first semester with a Graduate Certificate, or continue on to Graduate Diploma or Masters level.

To ask a question about this course, visit http://sydney.edu.au/internationaloffice/

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This programme takes graduates from many disciplines and provides them with the skills to plan, design, build and promote effective websites. It is designed for people who manage corporate websites, those who wish to start their own web business and those who would like to build a career in the web design industry. The design of excellent websites presents a notable intellectual challenge and, during the programme, students develop a contemporary, professional and 'real-world' approach. Our objective is to provide a balanced education in the three main aspects of web design: technical, functional and aesthetic.

The technical aspects provide an understanding of the tools, technologies and principles used for the design and development of contemporary websites. This includes the creation of semantically correct markup, the separation of presentation from content (HTML and CSS) and compliance with web standards (W3C).

The functional aspects focus on the creation of websites that provide a good user experience. Principles include, information architecture, content strategy, accessibility, search engine marketing and optimisation (SEM/SEO).

The aesthetic aspects of web design are considered in relation to graphic, artistic, typographic and business objectives, including corporate identity and branding.

See further details at: http://www.websitearchitecture.co.uk/

The Department is based in a new state of the art building designed by the award winning architects Heneghan Peng; it is equipped with fourteen rooftop landscapes, cutting edge digital workshops, extensive design studios, a world-class library and two gallery spaces.

Our building is located in the heart of Greenwich, the newest addition to a suite of magnificent buildings that occupy the UNESCO World Heritage site and the location of the Greenwich Prime Meridian.

The aims of the programme are:

- To equip students with a professional level of competence in web design and content management
- To provide students with the opportunity of creating a live website and to measure its success
- To help students become familiar with the growing and fast-evolving body of knowledge within the web design discipline.

Visit the website http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/pg/com/wdcp

Computing - General

Come and study in the award-winning Department of Computing & Information Systems on the magnificent Greenwich Campus. Welcoming home and international students from all backgrounds, CIS provides an exciting, diverse and friendly environment in which to study.

The latest university league table published in the Sunday Times, has rated the computer science department as seventh in the UK for teaching excellence.

What you'll study

- Design for Web Content (30 credits)
- Content Management (30 credits)
- Applied Art for the Web (30 credits)
- Major Project (60 credits)
- User Experience Design (15 credits)
- Social Media and SEO (15 credits)

Fees and finance

Your time at university should be enjoyable and rewarding, and it is important that it is not spoilt by unnecessary financial worries. We recommend that you spend time planning your finances, both before coming to university and while you are here. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.

Assessment

Students are assessed through coursework, a portfolio of project work and their involvement with online activities.

Career options

This programme offers enhanced skills for use within the applicant's current career or a new career in web design. Graduates from this programme are now working as front-end developers, user experience designers, SEO consultants and project managers in digital media.

Find out about the teaching and learning outcomes here - http://www2.gre.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/644422/Web-Design-and-Content-Planning.pdf

Find out how to apply here - http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/apply

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Interaction Design is a highly sought specialist skill enabling the creation of compelling user experiences that keep individuals engaged with interactive computing products. This course is ideal if you have existing programming skills and want to understand software users and work with them to create positive user experiences. The MRes Interaction Design course will help you stand out from other graduates by providing you with the skills and theoretical understanding needed to create successful products in industry or go on to further postgraduate study in a Interaction Design/User Experience/HCI related research field. There is a vibrant international research community developing new methods and theories that underpin this discipline within the broad field of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) and more specific Interaction Design (IxD ) and User Experience (UxD) areas.

INDUSTRY LINKS

As part of the course you will have opportunities to work with external partners. At UCLan we work with a range on businesses and organisations, many of which provide work experience opportunities and project briefs to enable to you gain real work experience whilst you undertake your postgraduate programme.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

We aim to provide a challenging and stimulating environment in which you can develop and learn new skills. As an MRes student you will be supported in exploring your full potential through taught modules and an extended project. Teaching is done in small groups with plenty of opportunities for practical work, networking with students and staff, and to get involved with research activities.

Assessment methods will include individual and group assignments, presentation and seminars.

FACILITIES

The course is delivered in the Computing and Technology Building at the City Campus in Preston at which students have access to the latest technology, and can study in a supportive environment. Facilities include a purpose built Human-Computer Interaction Suite which is used for the evaluation of software products.

OPPORTUNITIES

The goal of the course is to guide you, depending on your interests, to either go out into Industry or to progress to an academic research career. We aim to produce Interaction Design practitioners who understand how to create excellent interaction designs for a range of different scenarios.

Placement opportunities are available as an option for students who want to gain some work experience as part of the course.

We also aim to give you a thorough grounding in the Interaction Design research area so you are ready to start a PhD. After completing the MRes there will be opportunities for students to continue to MPhil or PhD study.

Our alumni have gone on to work a range of destinations including UX specialists, the BBC, and Tata.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Interaction Design is a branch of Computing concerned with how users interact with computer systems. This includes the roles of users in analysis, design and evaluation of systems, as well as methods for the system developer to create usable and useful interactive products for people, and extends to consideration of social aspects of computer use. In fact it is often more helpful to regard the computer program and its users as each being a component of a system. Many systems fail because of problems with the user interaction, rather than problems with the underlying code. This is because the human is the most complex component of the system, and the least well understood.

This course is suitable for:
-Those who wish to enter a career in Interaction Design or User Experience Design
-Those who wish to enhance their appeal to employers and stand out from other computing graduates.
-Those who wish to go on to study at PhD level
-Those in employment who wish to use the MRes project to develop a product for their employer and develop personally

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This newly redesigned course enables graduates to be able to understand, design and develop digital solutions within the emergent digital economies. Graduates would be able to follow a flexible program of study and either plan a career in interaction design, mobile and digital solutions, data and analytics, or emergent systems or to explore the opportunities offered in London as a start-up capital.

The digital sector continues to evolve and technologies, platforms, interaction paradigms and business models are increasingly requiring technical ability combined with commercial and design acumen that the course encourages.

Boston Consulting Group estimated that by the end of 2016 the internet economy in the G-20 economies will be worth USD 4.2 trillion (up from USD 2.3 trillion in 2010) and that the internet contributes over 12 per cent of GDP in the United Kingdom.

The mobile apps sector has revenues of more than €10 billion per annum or jobs in the order of 790.000 across the whole EU economy and continues to grow at a fast rate. Within the UK the digital sector has critical importance and reports suggest 14.4% of companies in the UK are involved in the Digital economy and some 1.46 million people are employed. More than one million jobs were advertised in 2014 showing a growth of 28% and there are suggestions that the growth forecast is around 5.4%

The Business Growth Fund and Barclays published a report in March 2014 that supported the phenomenal growth experienced by tech businesses in the UK, finding that London is home to Europe’s fastest growing tech cluster, with 27% of all job growth in London generated by the tech and digital sector.

A recent study published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports valued the creative industries as contributing was worth £133 billion in 2014 accounting for 8.2% of the UK Economy. The Creative Economy has grown more than 25% in the last four years. Within this sector technology represents a substantial scale of impact both directly in terms of for example software as well as indirectly through areas such as digital marketing. Direct Gross added value of IT, software and computer services sectors were worth £36.6 billion in 2014.

Course content

The Masters of Science in Interaction Design and Computing takes into account the emerging needs of the marketplace focusing on the key areas of enterprise, user experience, interaction, innovation and development as well as offering options in various subjects including web, mobile and data. As a consequence the modules emphasise both the critical conceptual underpinnings as well as the practical skills for each subject.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.

Core modules
-DIGITAL INTERACTION MANAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
-INTERACTION DESIGN & COMPUTING PROJECT
-RESEARCH METHODS & PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
-USABILITY AND USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Option modules
-BIG DATA THEORY AND PRACTICE
-DATA MINING AND MACHINE LEARNING
-DATA VISUALISATION AND DASHBOARDING
-EMERGENT AND SOCIAL INTERACTIVE PLATFORMS
-GAMES INTERACTION TECHNOLOGY
-MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
-MOBILE AND UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING
-WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS
-FREE CHOICE MODULE

Associated careers

Graduates from the course would find employment opportunities in the digital and interaction sectors working as user experience specialists, application and systems developers, data experts, and as entrepreneurs working for corporates, start-ups, digital agencies, web 2.0 enterprises and so on.

Graduates from the proceeding course have found employment in various companies, both corporates and agencies, as well as NGOs. This includes for example Cisco, Hearst, Hubspot, KPMG, Lloyds Banking, Microsoft, Microsoft Xbox, Neverbland, News UK, Pearson, Periscopix, PwC, Reckitt Benkiser, QVC, Samsung, SapientNitro, and Skype. A number of graduates have started their own business including Software Optics Limited, Olyvon, Brave Media, D Crypt Digital and FanTeamz.

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This newly redesigned course enables graduates to be able to understand, design and develop digital solutions within the emergent digital economies harnessing data and interaction paradigms.

Graduates would be able to follow a flexible program of study and either plan a career in interaction design, mobile and digital solutions, data and analytics, or emergent systems or to explore the opportunities offered in London as a start-up capital.

The digital sector continues to evolve and technologies, platforms, interaction paradigms and business models are increasingly requiring technical ability combined with commercial and design acumen that the course encourages.

Boston Consulting Group estimated that by end of 2016 the Internet economy in the G-20 economies will be worth USD 4.2 trillion (up from USD 2.3 trillion in 2010) and that the Internet contributes over 12 per cent of GDP in the United Kingdom.

The mobile apps sector has revenues of more than €10 billion per annum or jobs in the order of 790.000 across the whole EU economy and continues to grow at a fast rate.

Within the UK the digital sector has critical importance and reports suggest 14.4% of companies in the UK are involved in the Digital economy and some 1.46 million people are employed.

More than one million jobs were advertised in 2014 showing a growth of 28% and there are suggestions that the growth forecast is around 5.4%

The Business Growth Fund and Barclays published a report in March 2014 that supported the phenomenal growth experienced by tech businesses in the UK, finding that London is home to Europe's fastest growing tech cluster, with 27% of all job growth in London generated by the tech and digital sector.

A recent study published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports valued the creative industries as contributing was worth £133 billion in 2014 accounting for 8.2% of the UK Economy. The Creative Economy has grown more than 25% in the last four years. Within this sector technology represents a substantial scale of impact both directly in terms of for example software as well as indirectly through areas such as digital marketing. Direct Gross added value of IT, software and computer services sectors were worth £36.6 billion in 2014.

The Commons Science and Technology Committee reported back to Parliament at the start of June 2016 that the UK needs another 745,000 workers with digital skills by 2017.

Course content

The Masters of Science in Interaction Design and Computing takes into account the emerging needs of the marketplace focusing on the key areas of enterprise, user experience, interaction, innovation and development as well as offering options in various subjects including web, mobile and data. As a consequence the modules emphasise both the critical conceptual underpinnings as well as the practical skills for each subject.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.

Core modules
-DIGITAL INTERACTION MANAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
-INTERACTION DESIGN & COMPUTING PROJECT
-RESEARCH METHODS & PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
-USABILITY AND USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN

Option modules
-BIG DATA THEORY AND PRACTICE
-DATA MINING AND MACHINE LEARNING
-DATA VISUALISATION AND DASHBOARDING
-EMERGENT AND SOCIAL INTERACTIVE PLATFORMS
-GAMES INTERACTION TECHNOLOGY
-MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT
-MOBILE AND UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING
-WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS
-FREE CHOICE MODULE

Associated careers

Graduates from the course would find employment opportunities in the digital and interaction sectors working as user experience specialists, application and systems developers, data experts, and as entrepreneurs working for corporates, start-ups, digital agencies, web 2.0 enterprises and so on.

Graduates from the proceeding course have found employment in various companies, both corporates and agencies, as well as NGOs. This includes for example Cisco, Hearst, Hubspot, KPMG, Lloyds Banking, Microsoft, Microsoft Xbox, Neverbland, News UK, Pearson, Periscopix, PwC, Reckitt Benkiser, QVC, Samsung, SapientNitro, and Skype. A number of graduates have started their own business including Software Optics Limited, Olyvon, Brave Media, D Crypt Digital and FanTeamz.

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The heart of Centennial College's Interactive Media Management program is user experience (UX). Your ability to design and create meaningful interactive digital experiences will position you to succeed as an interactive media professional.

This Interactive Media Management program, facilitated through the School of Communications, Media and Design, is ideal for you if you have completed a post-secondary program and wish to apply your skills to a career in interactive media management. If you're passionate about making interactive experiences that "just work", this program is for you.

Your courses teach you how to plan all elements of an effective interactive digital experience, starting from assessing what your audience needs then accommodating their needs through the interface, its design and the words it contains. You also have the opportunity to work on your own project, from concept to prototype.

The interactive digital media industry is changing as mobile and immersion computing becomes more important and prevalent. As such, this collaborative and project-driven program emphasizes:
-Digital strategy
-UX design
-Content strategy and planning
-Interactive storytelling
-Analytics
-Digital project management (grant charts, budgets, project planning, agile methodology)
-Researching and surveying the interactive media landscape

You learn about the industry and available career options in the early stages of the Interactive Media Management program and you complete your learning with a nine-week industry field placement.

Career Opportunities

Future Alumni
Where do program graduates go? With a combination of creative and practical skills, alumni are well-positioned as the interactive media professionals of the future. Alumni work in all aspects of the interactive media industry both in Canada and internationally.

Some of the Interactive Media Management program's alumni include:
-Angelique Abranches, Interface Architect, Shaw Media
-Christine Hanson, User Experience Architect, Critical Mass
-Guilherme Chee, Interactive Designer at Electrolux (Brazil)
-Jaimie Lerner, Digital Content Producer, Indie88
-Danielle Williams, Web Content Coordinator, The Shopping Channel
-Matthew Flanagan, Digital Content Coordinator, Movie Services at Bell Media
-Miguel Martinez, Pipeline Technical Director, Atomic Cartoons
-Laura James, Digital Content Producer & Strategist; CEO at Mulberry Media Interactive
-Rebecca Milner, Community Manager, OneMethod
-Andrew Rajaram, UX Architect, OneMethod

Program Highlights
-In the first semester, you gain fundamental skills in analyzing, designing, and creating interactive user experiences. As a result, you acquire a solid understanding of elements of UX, with an emphasis on content and audience analysis, UX strategy, wire framing, practical coding, A/V production and management skills.
-The second semester is spent working on your own senior project, while you apply advanced learning in business, analytics, technology and planning documentation.
-In your third and final semester you learn how to pitch and present an interactive media project and polish your entrepreneurial skills before heading out to work in the industry on your field placement.

Career Outlook
-Interactive producer
-Digital strategist
-Content strategist
-Social media manager
-Information architect
-Web development
-User experience (UX) designer
-Digital content producer
-Technical director
-Games producer

Areas of Employment
-Interactive and game studios
-Advertising agencies
-Marketing companies
-PR agencies
-TV broadcasters
-Radio stations
-Content production companies (video, animation)
-Government, financial and tetail sectors
-High-tech industries
-Freelance production/strategy

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