User Experience / Design Thinking (JS-350)
This is a Junior Seminar interdisciplinary course, a core curriculum requirement at Saint Michael’s College, that encourages students to explore academic subjects outside of their majors and apply their learning to current issues. This section examines experience design and the design thinking process, addressing ways of creating meaning and change through interaction. It is an exploration of what we, as creative problem solvers, can do to make a difference through design, right on our campus. We practice design thinking in a semester-long, practical project that students define and work on in teams. We explore an idea through research and creation, building on knowledge and skills accumulated over our academic careers and lived experiences.
Through the community engaged, practical project students are challenged to observe and reflect on SMC as a community. And find an experience or interaction that could change to make a positive difference for students. We then go through the design thinking process: observe, research, define, ideate, prototype, test, refine, and iterate.
Sections Taught: Fall 2023, Fall 2024
Current offering plan: every fall