The document proposes a new major in Human-centered Design & Development that takes an experience design approach to curriculum creation. The curriculum is organized around six skill strands and uses learning goals, activities, feedback, and learning studios to teach technical skills, design, user research, humanities, entrepreneurship, and global awareness. It presents a vision persona of Sarah, a graduate who leads multi-disciplinary teams through the user-centered design process to create innovative digital products.

1. Using an Experience
Design approach to
Curriculum Creation
Mihaela Vorvoreanu
mihaela@purdue.edu
Patrick Connolly
connollp@purdue.edu
Department of Computer Graphics Technology

2. New major:
Human-centered Design & Development
What
1
How
2

3. Understand
clients
stakeholders
problem
Approach:
Goal-directed design

4. Polytechnic
transformation
UX job growth
Understand:
Clients, stakeholders, problem
1

5. Vision:
Persona
2

6. Vision:
Persona
2
Sarah
Sarah draws upon her deep
understanding of human behavior
and her strong programming skills
to lead multi-disciplinary teams
through the user-centered design
process in order to create
innovative digital products that
create seductive user experiences.

7. Design requirements:
Learning goals
3
life-long learning
multi-disciplinary
project-based

8. The HOW:
Curricular framework
4LEARNING GOAL
(what)
LEARNING ACTIVITIES (how)
creativity and design
user centered design; brainstorming; creative challenges;
project based instruction
teamwork and collaboration project based instruction; distance collaboration
critical thinking project-based research; evaluation of design solutions
life-long learning
project-based research; stretching to new platforms;
developing habits for staying abreast of new information
(e.g. reading professional blogs)
communication skills technical writing; presentation; reports; data presentation
content mastery and
application
project based instruction; reflection; design challenges,
design critiques
technical competencies
project based instruction; mentoring; prototyping;
internships

9. Feedback
5

10. Curriculum
6Strand Specific skills
1. Technical skills Programming, mathematics, physics, science
2. Visual and information
design
Graphic design, information visualization, statistics
3. User-centered design
User-centered design process, research and
evaluation methods, project management
4. Humanities
Oral and written communication, psychology, design
history, technology history
5. Entrepreneurship Business planning, management and promotion
6. Global conscience
Foreign language and culture, study away,
international collaboration

11. Curriculum
6Learning
studios
Experience
studiosCapstone

12. Informal evaluation
7
Where do I
sign up?

13. Lessons Learned
Vision persona
1
2

14. Using an Experience
Design approach to
Curriculum Creation
Mihaela Vorvoreanu
mihaela@purdue.edu
Patrick Connolly
connollp@purdue.edu
Department of Computer Graphics Technology