Information related to an interaction degree (i.e., UX, product) I founded and ran from 2014 - 2024.
The Interactive Design undergraduate degree (IAD) was conceptualized in 2014, approved in 2016, and has grown over 300% since. I used research from my dissertation and interviews with over 50 contemporary design professionals to understand what skills students would need for the job market. Successful students have attained jobs at companies such as: Apple, Cox, Deloitte, Google, Home Depot, and IBM.
Goals
Role
Degree Creator and Coordinator
Duration
August 2014 - December 2014
AIGA MAKE Conference, 2018
In 2014, I was hired by KSU during its consolidation with Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU). Although an Assistant Professor at the time, I was given the job of Coordinator with a mandate to discontinue one degree (New Media Arts) and create a new degree that didn't conflict with existing degrees at the newly consolidated university.
I needed to create a degree that not only fulfilled the needs of students but also made sense within the organizational structures at KSU. Using research from my dissertation and noting a dearth of user experience (UX) design-related programs in the Southeastern United States at that time, I zeroed in on interaction design for the new degree.
Even though I deeply researched experience design for my dissertation, that did not mean that I could be sure of the skills undergraduate students needed. To make sure we would teach appropriate skills, from 2014 to 2015, I interviewed 50+ gracious design professionals (from institutions such as: 18F, Cars.com, Fitbit, Google, Home Depot, Medium, Razorfish, State Farm, Twitter) to better understand skills and the job market.
On-campus meeting with Home Depot employees, 2017
The degree I founded was proposed in 2015 and officially certified by the University System of Georgia's Board of Regents in 2016.
I used a definition of interaction design (IxD) from Alan Cooper -- the “design of interactive digital products, environments, systems, and services” with a focus on the “design of behavior.” This definition put the degree within the long tradition of interaction design, which has also been called user experience design and (now) product design in the United States.
The degree focused on the design of digital products and services -- anything that includes a screen-based component. We didn't teach design as something that's only applied to the look of a product or service. Rather, we understand design as happening at every stage of the longer process, from opening planning meetings to creating screen-based deliverables. Thus, students learned a range of skills along the contemporary value chain -- systems thinking, contextual and user research, synthesizing research, defining requirements, architecting wireframes, and creating high fidelity prototypes. Additionally, all students were taught core communicative skills necessary to work on cross-functional teams in the workplace.
The first graduating class was in May of 2018 and, as of December 2024, the IAD degree has roughly 400 students. High-performing alumni have attained jobs at companies like Apple, Cox, Deloitte, Google, Home Depot, and IBM.
The curriculum was set up to prepare students with skills that would be transferrable to different types of jobs in our ever-shifting economic landscape.
Following feedback from design professionals, I created a degree that covered all parts of contemporary design practices -- design methods, screen design, computational thinking, and professional development:
I created and refined all the curriculum and syllabi for classes over time. We also had students work on their portfolios throughout their time in the degree and not just at the end. This made them more viable for internships. You can see examples of former alumni portfolios here: John, Kahaduwe, Taylor, Wu.
Many designers I interviewed were firm on the importance of professional development activities to prepare students for the job market transition. In addition to a stand-alone professional development class, we also included development information in core classes like Interaction Design I and II.
Additionally, I created a comprehensive knowledge base for the degree, which helped inform potential students about the degree in addition to pointing current students to information regarding:
On-campus workshop by Mailchimp design researchers, 2018
My department defines coordination as overseeing program direction and curriculum, addressing retention and growth, annual assessment reporting, student mentorship, point of contact for new students, conducting exit surveys, leading searches for new hires, and annual teaching evaluations.
I believe that good degree coordination not only focuses on student success in the classroom, but tries to imagine how the skills students learn in the class will shape their trajectories long afterward. To me, this means that a good coordinator must always stay current with changes in the field and understand the exigencies students face on the job market.
During my time as Coordinator, we also strove to engage with the local business community. We had employees of Cox, Home Depot, Mailchimp, Microsoft come and speak or run workshops with students. Additionally, because we operated in the Atlanta Metro area, we had privilege of including part-time teachers from companies such as Home Depot, Mailchimp, and Paya.
I also ran a Discord server for the degree (before our company-wide mandate to use Microsoft Teams), which helped me to expediently answer questions and announce potential internship and job opportunities.