October 18, 2024
Any interaction - whether it’s through a screen or in a physical space - creates an experience. If it’s designed badly…well, we’ve all suffered through an irritating app or frustrating interface and know how it makes us feel. The flip side is also true. The experience can be really great if it is designed well.
As digital and physical spaces become more connected, we now interact with countless “smart” devices and systems every day. So, how can these experiences be designed to help users reach their goals? How can we make the process more satisfying, intuitive, and easier? These are the central questions of user experience design.
UX is literally everywhere we turn. Creating positive user experiences requires people who are trained to understand user needs and design solutions that not only make tasks easier but also more enjoyable and engaging. That’s why Grand Rapids Community College has introduced a completely new Web and UX Design and Development associate degree this fall.
The Web UX Design and Development associate degree teaches students to focus on understanding user needs and translating those insights into functional, desirable solutions. While interface design is one of the final outputs, students will also learn the broader strategies and processes that ensure users can navigate systems with ease and achieve their objectives.
In addition to learning to design, students gain essential technical skills, such as programming and coding, to bring their ideas to life. Additionally, they can also choose electives to further specialize their career paths in areas like full-stack development, user research, or graphic design. The program is even looking at how to integrate artificial intelligence into the curriculum.
“The ‘web’ portion of the degree highlights how most of us interact with systems today. The web has become the backbone for many things we do, connecting and supporting a wide range of experiences,” said Jacob Pollak, assistant professor of Computer Information Systems. “This area could also be called ‘front-end development’ or ‘human-computer interaction.’ A website represents one medium where interaction happens, so we teach our students the programming and coding skills to create compelling web-based experiences.”
Bridging UX/UI principles across media
But the program doesn’t stop at the web. Students also learn to bridge UX/UI principles across a variety of media, including virtual reality, augmented reality, and physical spaces. This prepares them to design seamless, user-focused experiences across all platforms, meeting the industry’s need for connected interactions across different devices and environments.
“In UX, we’re looking at how the interface works for people,” Pollak said. “Does it bring joy? Does it promote safety and give the users the information they need?”
A degree in this field opens up unlimited career opportunities. Manufacturing, video games, product design, finance, healthcare, app design…virtually every field you can think of has user interfaces, along with data synthesis and access requirements.
“My goal is for students to work on real-world, industry-relevant projects,” Pollak said. “We use practical examples that simulate actual work environments. For instance, one of our current projects involves the Grand Rapids Public Museum as a potential client. Students are tasked with designing a digital archive to make the over 250,000 artifacts in storage accessible to the public. While this is hypothetical, it mirrors the problem-solving they’ll face in their careers. As our program matures, our goal is to more closely partner with organizations to provide students with real-world, hands-on experience.”
The associate degree in Web and UX Design Development represents a brand-new degree opportunity for GRCC students beginning this fall.
“Our curriculum teaches the skills employers need today,” Pollak said. “Although UX-focused degrees are starting to appear at the bachelor and master degree levels, they are still rare at the associate level, especially in Michigan. Our program goes beyond just coding or visual appeal and prepares students to collaboratively design user experiences by focusing on problem-solving, usability, and understanding user needs.”
Careers in web and UX design development
A student who earns this degree will be immediately employable.
“Inquisitiveness, problem solving and divergent thinking skills are essential in this degree,” Pollak said. “A student who shows excitement, interest and ability can make $60,000-$80,000 immediately out of school. If you work hard, it’s possible to make more than six figures a few years out of school.”
Pollak noted that the entire degree program does not yet transfer to a four-year program, but individual courses can be transferred. However, he also noted that a four-year degree in this particular field is not a necessity. The only thing it might do is speed up the job search process a bit.
“This is an exciting field because there are no right answers,” Pollak said. “The work is constantly iterative. There’s always the opportunity for a better solution.”
Learn more about the Web UX Design and Development degree.
This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.