1. Academic excellence for business and the professions
Designing a Masters Curriculum
Dr Simone Stumpf
MSc Human-Centred Systems Course Director
@DrSimoneStumpf
Simone.Stumpf.1@city.ac.uk

2. The current UX market
• Need for specialists in HCI / UX / usability
• Agency- and client-side but also increasingly start-ups
• Some industrial and academic research
UX Consultant
Information Architect
User Researcher
Interaction DesignerUsability Analyst

3. Learning landscape
• Undergraduate Computing degrees (BSc, BA)
• MOOCs e.g. HCI on Coursera
• Private companies
• MSc or MA programmes
MSc HCI
MSc Computing Interaction Design
MA User Experience Design
MA Digital Media
MSc Human-Centred Interactive Technologies
MA Interaction Design
MSc User Experience Engineering
MSc Human-Centred Systems
MSc HCI with Ergonomics
MSc User Experience Design

4. Example Programme Content
• Ergonomics for Design
– Task analysis, posture, anthropometry, ergonomics standards
and techniques
• Design Experience 1 + 2
– Ergonomic design process and techniques, UCD
• Applied Cognitive Science
– Theory of human cognition and behaviour, experimental studies
• Design practice
– Requirements elicitation and specification, design techniques
• User-Centred Evaluation Methods
– Analytical and empirical techniques (inspection techniques,
interviews, observations)
• Options: Affective Interaction, Socio-technical systems: IT and the
future of Work, Interfaces and Interactivity

5. Example Programme Content
• Digital Interdisciplinary Practice
– Iterative/agile design process
• Digital Content Production Processes
– Digital media production deliverables
• User Factors
– Behavioural theory, analysis techniques
• Experience Design 1 + 2
– Design research including design of solution, experience design
methodologies
• Usability Engineering
– Usability requirements, analysis and design
• Options: Design Research Project, Games Design, Live Project,
Creative Research Methods, Digital Audio

6. Knowledge and skills
Interfaces/systems
technical
understanding
User cognition and behaviour
HCI/UX techniques and practice
Analytical/research skills/professional issues/soft skills
Web
Mobile
NUIs
Analysis
Design
Evaluation
Specialist
Topics
Specialist
Topics
Desktop

7. MSc Human-Centred Systems
• Practices and Theories in Interaction Design
– Cognitive theory, UCD, analysis, design, evaluation activities
• Requirements Engineering
– Requirements acquisition, modelling and analysis techniques
• Information Architecture
– Information organisation, navigation/search, design techniques, analytics
• Evaluating Interactive Systems
– Evaluation techniques (expert, user testing, etc.)
• Inclusive Design
– Accessibility, designing for diverse users
• Cognition and Technologies
– Cognitive frameworks in relation to novel interfaces
• Research, Methods and Professional Issues
– Research methodologies, legal, ethical and professional issues
• Options: Creativity in Design, Multimedia Design and Development, Data
Visualisation, Telemedicine

8. Striking the right balance
Theory – Practice
Tools – Techniques
Specialists – “All-rounders”
Developers – Designers – Researchers