Hello!
Welcome to our Online Information Session!
I’m Ivan Trujillo and I am the program director
for the Professional Program in User Experience
Design.
Today, I’m going to talk about the program
and how it can benefit you,
whether you are a career changer or already
working in graphic design or user experience
design.
We’ll begin by talking about the field of
user experience design and how our program
can give you a competitive edge to enter this
exciting field or enable you to advance to
the next level.
You’ll also learn the nuts and bolts of
our user experience design program
and how you can get started with it.
If you have any questions during this presentation,
please go ahead and send them in;
we’ll do our best to answer your questions
as we go through the presentation and answer
as many as we can at the end.
So let’s get started!
User experience design or UX design is more
than just a buzzword.
It’s a growing field that has expanded beyond
just website design.
It’s reaching into all fields of product
development—anything that a user touches,
you can be sure that a UX professional was
involved.
Good design is as simple as this: Is what
has been designed doing what it's supposed
to do?
How well is it actually performing its specific
function or end?
And, from a business standpoint, is it profitable
to implement this design strategy?
So it’s no wonder that the Bureau of Labor
Statistics predicts that we’ll see a 13%
increase in jobs opportunities for the various
web-related fields, which includes user experience.
Companies are incorporating user experience
design professionals into their org chart
because these companies know that if their
product, service, website, app does not meet
the user’s thoughts, emotions and behaviors,
then that user is going to purchase a product
or use a service from their competitor.
When users can easily click away from a particular
product or company and find a reasonable alternative,
that user is going to go someplace else if
a product has bad UX.
A well-designed product becomes a much more
strategic advantage for a company that must
be successful in this competitive, global
environment.
With many firms jostling for attention, eyeballs
and dollars, businesses that continue to grow
have done so, in part, because of great UX
design.
So what exactly is UX design?
It’s a great question.
It’s a Gestalt approach to interactive media
design by using a collection of elements to
form a whole unit.
UX design places an emphasis on the human
side of human-computer interaction and its
affective results in individuals.
It also looks at the human performance aspect
of interface design, which relates to the
field of ergonomics.
In the last decade, we’ve seen great changes
when it comes to user experiences when interacting
with a variety of channels, such as desktop
computers, smart phones, tablets and such.
We’re also seeing UX being incorporated
into product design for not just electronics
but a wide variety of consumer products, healthcare
and transportation.
UX is also being brought into how we select
certain materials for our products in order
to become more sustainable and efficient.
We think about the end-user and how this person
will be interacting with an interface, the
user’s behavior as they use the product
or service.
If you have a bachelor’s degree—which
is recommended, but not required—combined
with our UX program, you’ll have the knowledge
and skills to be successful and marketable.
You’ll gain the knowledge to either enter
the field or advance in your current position.
Possible job titles include visual designer,
content strategist, interaction designer,
interface designer, information architect,
user-centered designer, or user researcher.
Visual designers communicate the look and
feel of the brand using graphic elements to
connect the audience with the brand and puts
together ideas and concepts into context.
Content strategists are involved in content
design, analysis, planning out content development
and production and management and measurement.
An interaction designer designs applications
that work and function in the hands of the
user.
An interface designer combines research and
creativity.
An information architect builds a structural
facade or creates web-development processes.
The user-centered designer analyzes the ideal
user behavior by testing.
User researchers gather research for companies
about a product or service and understands
the emotions of the target audience, which
is very important so that you can design accordingly.
And a UX designer is a sort of generalist
type of position.
This person does a little bit of each of the
positions I just described.
So, how can UC Berkeley Extension help you
achieve your career goals and become more
competitive in this growing field?
UC Berkeley Extension is the continuing education
arm of the flagship campus,
UC Berkeley.
Since 1891, we’ve been assisting students
in reaching their professional goals and accomplishments.
We offer more than 65 professional certificates
and specialized programs,
and more than 2,000 classroom and online courses,
with 45,000 enrollments each year.
We pride ourselves on academic excellence.
All of our courses and instructors—as in
this program
are approved by the appropriate campus department.
In particular, this program is approved by
the UC Berkeley Arts and Design program.
Our instructors, all of whom work in the field,
also bring their real-world experience to
the classroom.
So, when you enroll in a UC Berkeley Extension
course, you are guaranteed a real-world, professional,
Berkeley-quality education.
So let’s focus on the program itself.
The Professional Program in User Experience
Design will help you prepare for a new career
or advance in a field that incorporates UX
design.
It’s great for those of you who are already
working in UX design but want to hone your
skills or learn the latest techniques.
So as you can see, our program draws a lot
of different types of students, which really
creates an interesting and collaborative classroom.
And, it’s a great way to network.
Through the program, you’ll develop a strong
foundation of knowledge by taking courses
on
User-centered design principles
Design techniques for multiple interfaces
Content strategy and information architecture
Decision-making based on user research and
user feedback
You’ll develop the fundamental skills in
UX design, by learning both the theory that
guides our work as well as the tools and techniques
to execute our designs.
You’ll continue to build on these skills
as you progress through the program.
The skills that you learn in the classroom
will be put to use every day in your UX design
career.
This is truly practical learning.
The curriculum combines lectures, group activities
and course projects to help you master these
concepts and apply them to projects relevant
to your work—either work you’re currently
doing or the work you’ll be doing as a UX
designer.
In each class, you’ll work on projects so
that you can take course content and apply
it to real-world projects of your choice or
recommended by instructors.
So this could be a project you’re currently
working on or a project that will impress
a future boss.
And to show off those new skills, you’ll
create a comprehensive body of work that can
be shown to employers,
This portfolio will provide that you know
the tools and techniques of UX design by showing
off a comprehensive website and printed materials.
This is going to help you market yourself.
Let’s take a look at the courses you will
take to complete the program and work toward
that portfolio.
To complete the entire certificate, you’ll
take 6 required courses and 2 units of elective,
which is usually about 1 course.
In total, you’ll receive 14 semester units
of classwork and 222-228 hours of hands-on,
practical instruction.
Most students complete the certificate between
one to two years.
You can complete the program in as few as
two terms.
If you want to study full-time, you can take
four courses during the first term and three
in the second (or vice versa).
You have up to 3 years to complete all of
the courses once you’ve registered for the
certificate.
You might be wondering,
how much time will I be devoting to my studies?
As a general guideline, for every hour spent
in the classroom, you should expect to spend
at least about two hours outside of class
time studying.
For example,
if you are in a class that meets once a week
for three hours,
count on spending at least six hours outside
of class time reading,
preparing assignments, and working on projects.
In total
This will be about nine hours for both class
and studying time.
Here are the required courses.
In Introduction to UX Design, you’ll study
user experience design concepts, processes
and practices, including topics such as user
research, personas, heuristic evaluation,
information architecture, wireframing, design
tools, rapid prototyping, usability assessment
and design communication.
During the course of 10 weeks, you work on
and then present a course project of your
choosing using the UX design principles learned
in class.
This project serves as a cornerstone of your
portfolio showcasing end-to-end design thinking.
In Diagramming and Prototyping, you’ll learn
how to use diagramming to visually communicate
with end-users and other team members about
the holistic experience they are developing.
In class, you’ll go through multiple iterations
of the prototype and usability testing to
document your process, collect and apply feedback
and assess your product usability in a timely
manner.
This course would give you the opportunity
to add this project to your final portfolio.
In Visual Design Principles, you’ll learn
how to use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
You’ll explore typography, design principles,
color theory, grid systems, logo design, perception
and more.
This will help you understand visual communication
as it relates to user interaction, prototyping
and best practices.
Then in User Research for UX, you’ll take
a look at the logistics and theory of conducting
user research and how that data impacts the
product development process and the multiple
possibilities to do research.
You will exit this course with a full presentation
of the data collected through the various
user research methods implemented.
Information Architecture and Content Strategy
lets you explore the basics of content strategy—from
research and development through governance.
You finish up your studies by learning the
the vocabulary, processes and key deli-ve-rables
of information architecture.
You will leave the course with a project presentation
for an organization that can become part of
your UX portfolio.
User Interface Design focuses on the principles
of information, interaction, navigation design
and information architecture in order to organize
and present information for optimal UX.
You’ll learn in a studio-style format that
prioritizes collaborative discussion for a
more active learning environment.
You’ll also finish this course with a project
presentation that you can add to your portfolio.
In order to complete the program, you’ll
also need to take 2 units of electives, which
is normally just one course.
We provide a wide degree of electives to help
you grow professionally in a way that works
for you.
Electives give you the opportunity to customize
your learning by taking those courses that
are most relevant to you and your career.
Here is the list of electives that we offer.
They cover more UX design-related courses
such as web development aspect, take a course
on web design with HTML5 and CSS3, design
thinking and UX strategy, Human-centered design
for data visualization, UX design portfolio
or an internship in UX/UI design at a company,
can be in-person or remote depending of company’s
availability.
If you are interested in UX research, we have
two courses: qualitative research: design,
implementation and methods and quantitative
UX metrics and research.
If graphic design is your preference, we have
courses such as Typography fundamentals, Illustrator,
Photoshop, InDesign and Branding.
Again, take an elective that interests you
in a subject that you can really dig into.
Also you can take as many electives as you
wish.
We recommend that all students working extensively
with digital image creation should own a laptop
computer.
We highly recommend you have an Apple MacBook
Pro 15 inch.
You can check out the Apple website, which
offers educational-related discounts on purchasing
a laptop.
We recommend that your computer is 2.7 gigahertz
quad with 16 gigabytes memory and 750 gigabyte
serial ata drive.
These are just recommendations, so if you
have or you prefer 13, 15 or 17 inches, or
like to use a MacBook Air, that's totally
fine as long as it has similar capabilities.
We recommend Apple products because that's
what is highly used in the industry.
Most offices are going to have Apple products
but some companies have PC products so if
you're a fan of PC computers with similar
capabilities, that is totally fine.
Again, these are just recommendations.
You’ll learn best practices, techniques,
and strategies from our UX design instructors
who bring years of real-world experience to
the classroom.
Again, they are also approved by UC Berkeley.
Our instructors are skilled experts deeply
vested in your success!
They are passionate about sharing their knowledge
with you and helping you achieve your professional
and career goals.
They bring to the classroom concepts that
illuminate the topics as well as real-world
examples from their job and consultancy experience.
Here are three select profiles of our roster
of outstanding instructors:
Josh Halstead is a designer at Landor in San
Francisco, where he is responsible for translating
business strategy into creative solutions
that push the boundaries of design, technology
and branding.
Drawing on experience across a broad range
of B-to-B and B-to-C industries, Josh has
identified recurring patterns that have shaped
his problem-solving methodology around a systems-thinking
approach that helps clients form coherent
and consistent customer relationships.
He has created dynamic experiences for clients
in technology, financial services, consumer
electronics, professional services, energy
and nonprofit spaces.
Another stellar instructor is Kristin Zibell
who is currently a UX researcher for AnswerLab,
developing strategic research programs that
uncover key findings about our clients' digital
(web/mobile) presence.
She was previously a key member of the design
teams at Akili Interactive Labs and CA Technologies.
She has a background in brand and product
management and cognitive Psychology.
Sarah Gregory is the user research lead at
Coinbase where she is building a team of researchers
to study the cryptocurrency industry and help
build an open financial system for the world.
Previously, she led user experience research
for Ancestry.com.
Her portfolio includes work for brands such
as Marriot, Allstate, Harley-Davidson, TurboTax
and SanDisk.
We offer courses at our San Francisco campus,
which is located in the South of Market area
and is just a short walk from the Embarcadero
BART station.
In terms of when you’ll take courses, classes
run on weeknights, usually starting around
6:30 and ending at 9:30.
These courses run generally one night per
week over a period of 10 weeks.
Also, we offer courses on Saturday mornings
or afternoons.
In addition, we offer courses online.
These courses may be live online by meeting
your instructor and classmates at a determined
day and time of the week through Zoom, or
fixed-date online courses.
Fixed-Date courses have specific start and
end dates.
Your access to the course content begins on
the course start date.
You will complete assignments within the specific
dates posted in your online classroom, and
as set by your instructor in the course syllabus.
Earning your Award of Completion is a simple
3-step process.
First, register for the program.
We recommend you do this before starting your
second course.
Check out the requirements on our website.
Then,
complete all of the required courses with
a grade of C or better within the 3 year time
period.
Probably one of the biggest benefits is that
you pay as you go.
You don't pay for the entire program at once.
You pay for each course one at a time.
Prices vary based on each course.
Prices for the individual courses are available
on the website.
Finally, once you’ve completed all of your
courses,
you’ll receive your Award.
Many of you might be wondering, “What do
your graduates go on to do?”
We’re always super-proud of our students’
success.
Many of our instructors share stories of former
students who have landed positions or who
have advanced in their UX design career.
Here are a couple of our recent graduates
and their current positions:
Stacey Balter is a UX research associate at
Google with expertise in behavioral and cognitive
science.
Prior to com ing to Extension, she was a research
coordinator at various Bay Area medical and
government agencies, including UCSF Medical
Center, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute
at UC Berkeley.
Lisa Jacquiot is an associate product designer
at Glassdoor, where she oversees product launches
in francophone markets, including product
localization, QA testing and reporting.
She also handles all French customer care,
content moderation and blogging and manages
the company’s French social media platforms.
Oscar Ko is a UX Designer and Researcher at
the Alliance of American Football who looks
to turn complex problems into elegant and
meaningful solutions.
He was previously a product designer for mobile
at BitTorrent.
Prior to coming to Extension, Oscar worked
as a UX engineer at Boeing.
Before that, he was a software engineer at
CPU Technology.
You can read more about these and many of
our other graduates on our Voices blog on
the website.
So how do you get started?
If you are new to Extension, you’ll need
to create a free student account through our
website.
You’ll use this account to enroll and pay
for your courses, find out about your grades
and track your progress through the program.
Then, enroll in your first course.
I suggest visiting the course page and finding
a section that fits your schedule.
I also suggest filling out our newsletter
sign-up form.
You’ll receive monthly emails about upcoming
courses and new blog posts.
All those great photos you just saw?
Those were created by our students for their
courses.
I’d like to provide credits to our students
and some of the images that were used for
this presentation.
Thank you for submitting your questions,
many of which we’ve been able to answer
during the presentation.
Here are a few more that have come in.
Well, that’s all the time we have to take
your questions.
But if you have any additional questions that
I wasn’t able to answer,
here is my contact information.
I would love to hear from you and discuss
how this program, or individual courses, can
help you become a qualified and knowledgeable
UX designer.
Thank you again for taking the time to learn
about our professional program and course
offerings in UX design.
I look forward to seeing you in one of our
San Francisco classrooms!
