ClassInfo

HCD 421 Design and Human Experience

Marta Cuciurean-Zapan

Fall 2017-2018
Class number: 13025
Section number: 701
Th 5:45PM - 9:00PM
14EAS 00206 Loop Campus

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Summary

Understanding design's profound impact on people and the way they live their lives is a key factor in the personal, professional and creative development of a human-centered designer. As such, HCD 421 helps students learn, observe and understand design's wide-ranging effect on society including the physical, cultural, emotional, psychological and social impact on people, communities and humanity.

Using real-world case studies of complex systems design, as told by the very designers who developed innovative solutions, students will learn how designers tackle these large scale design problems as well as shape the world around us. They will also use what they observe and hear to develop their own personal point of view and philosophy as a designer as well as pursue a passion project to bring new skills into fruition.

Professional designers, researchers and data scientists will deconstruct complex design experiences that solved some thorny and complicated issues, including re-designing the voting experience in LA County, providing surgeons a more precise way to work in the operating room and using machine learning to develop an intelligent search system that helps increase patient safety and minimize injury risk.

Through guest speakers, lectures, readings and assignments students will gain a real-world understanding of the challenges of designing for the human experience and develop reflective as well as practical skills to help navigate those challenges of today and tomorrow. These skills include problem framing, articulating project goals, designing and conducting interviews, and thematic analysis.



Texts

Nardi & O'Day (2000). Information ecologies: Using Technology with Heart. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 
 Toyama (2015). Geek Heresy: Rescuing Social Change from the Cult of Technology. New York, NY: Public Affairs. 
 Additional readings will be provided.


Grading

12% Class participation 12% Discussion lead 36% Weekly writing/activity assignments 40% Final Project /Presentation/ Design Statement


Prerequisites

none


School policies:

Changes to Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.

Online Course Evaluations

Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.

All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.

Academic Policies

All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.

Students with Disabilities

Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296