Pioneering a UX Class
Background
Our magnet program is built with the principles of design thinking in mind but ironically has not had a dedicated course centering around design thinking. Seeing this opportunity gap, I proposed to my principal and program coordinator an Intro to UX Design and Research course that I would develop and teach to 7th grade students and have been piloting this course since August.
Approach
This class transitions students from thinking about computer science as a tool to solve their own problems towards considering the broader social impacts of computing. Through a series of design challenges, students are asked to consider and understand the needs of others while developing a solution to a problem. The second half of the unit consists of an iterative team project, during which students have the opportunity to identify a need that they care about, prototype solutions both on paper and in App Lab, and test the usability of their solutions with real users to get feedback and drive further iteration.
Roles
Instructional Designer + User Experience Research Manager
Team
25 Student UX Designers
Timeline
August 2022 to Present
*In Progress
Research Methods
Usability Testing