Today was the halfway mark for the semester.

What problem are you trying to solve?
Who is your user? (user persona)
What challenges if your user facing?
What communications issues are there?
What do you want to ask your class? (feedback/advice)

I wish someone would figure out a way for regular doors to make that Star Wars WHOOSH sound when they open.— Eleven-ThirtyEight (@eleventhirtyate) January 5, 2017

I wish someone would figure out a way to open ironing boards without the screeching banshee nails-on-chalkboard sound.— Brittany Cranston (@BrittCranston) August 1, 2018

i wish someone would make a website that tells u why helicopters are in ur neighborhood at any given time— Becca Laurie (@imbeccable) December 18, 2014

the only form of social media I’d be very grow tired of is the old version of myspace. I wish someone would make a new website just like it.— тαуℓєя🌻 (@vivaciousxsoul) September 2, 2015

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User Experience At VCU
11am-12:15pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Temple 2211
Instructor: Christina Dick

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Design brand communications that involve physical experiences for consumers. Learn to create experiences around ongoing brand strategies, and to create experiences based on research of website usage, store appearance, employee behavior, and the purchasing process. 11am-12:15pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays in Temple 2211
Instructor: Christina Dick

Office hours: By Appointment Only
Office + Mailing Address: 1901 East Franklin Street Suite 119 Richmond, VA 23223
E-mail: dickcm@vcu.edu

Slack: VCU User Experience

Blackboard: User Experience (Spring 2019)

11am-12:15pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays
in Temple 2211

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Show Your Work by Austin Kleon (Amazon, VCU Library Free Online Access for Students/Faculty)

RECOMMENDED READING
A list of recommended books, articles, videos and tools is available here.
CLASS WEBSITE
We will use Slack extensively in this class. Through Slack, you will have access to class announcements, supplementary readings, lecture notes, instructions for assignments, and online discussion.

CALCULATION OF FINAL COURSE GRADES
This chart show how much each gradebook item will be worth. This grading scheme will be modified if we change the number or types of assignments or tests during the semester. Changes will be announced in class and on Blackboard.

• In-Class Assignments 25%
  User Personas (Google Slides Format)
  Question for Cheng Hong (Slack Thread)
  Partner Website Critique (Hard copy turned in class or digital version posted on Slack)
  Five People You Follow + Commenting On A Classmate’s Blog
• Blog Posts 25%
  What is UX?
  UX at Carmax and (Jake Mitchell Guest Lecture Learnings & Takeaways
  Cheng Hong Guest Lecture Learnings & Takeaways
• Passion Project 25%
• Personal Website Project 25%

 

HOW YOU’RE GRADED
90% or more A
80-89% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
Below 60% F

 

ATTENDANCE
If you miss more than two classes, you fail the course.
INCOMPLETES
No incompletes will be given in this course, except for dire emergencies. All assignments must be completed by the end of the semester to pass.
ETHICS AND PLAGIARISM
The VCU Honor System will be strictly enforced in this class. If you fabricate or plagiarize material, your name will be turned in to appropriate university officials for disciplinary action. The honor policy provides substantial penalties for violation, including expulsion.
Unless I specify otherwise, all work done for this course is “pledged” work, as defined by the Honor System. Each assignment implicitly carries this pledge:
“On my honor, I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment.”
For a complete copy of the VCU Honor System, see:
http://www.provost.vcu.edu/pdfs/Honor_system_policy.pdf
CLASSROOM DECORUM AND BEHAVIOR
According to the student conduct policy in the VCU Undergraduate Bulletin, you are entitled to receive instruction free from interference by other students. If you believe that another student’s behavior is disruptive, tell me and I will deal with the situation.
No food or drink is allowed in the classroom. Turn off your cellular phones before class begins. You may not sleep, wear headphones or use electronic devices (such as computer games) in class. You must not conduct side conversations or create other disruptions. It is disruptive to arrive late and/or pack up early. Be on time for class and plan on meeting for the entire class period.
VCU rules prohibit anyone “to have in his possession any firearm, other weapon, or explosive, regardless of whether a license to possess the same has been issued, without the written authorization of the President of the university.”
Be polite; respect your classmates, your instructor and others with whom you will interact during this course. If you engage in any behavior that I deem disruptive, you will get a verbal warning for the first incident and a written warning for the second. A third incident will result in your being administratively withdrawn from this class. For more about the university’s policy on student conduct, see www.students.vcu.edu/policies.html.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY
It is vital that students in this course broaden their mass communications experiences, with guidance from the instructor, by including in their course work people and subjects such as ethnic, racial and religious minorities, people with disabilities, gay men and lesbians, and other groups. The intent is to ensure that students are exposed to diverse ideas and perspectives. In this class, it is the responsibility of the instructor and students to foster an environment that supports free expression.
Under VCU policy, you may not harass or intimidate any person or “interfere with the lawful freedom of other persons, including invited speakers, to express their views.”

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires Virginia Commonwealth University to provide academic adjustments or accommodations for students with documented disabilities. If you have a disability that requires an academic adjustment or accommodation, you must contact Joyce Knight, the coordinator of services for students with disabilities on VCU’s Academic Campus. Ms. Knight’s office is in Room 102 of the Student Commons, 907 Floyd Ave. Her e-mail address is jbknight@vcu.edu, and her phone number is 828-2253.
After meeting with Ms. Knight, you then should meet with me to discuss your needs and how we can address them. For more information, see the university’s Web page on Services for Students with Disabilities:     www.students.vcu.edu/dss/
STUDENT TECHNICAL STANDARDS
The School of Mass Communications has created descriptions of technical standards required for various professions within communications, including but not limited to print journalism, broadcast journalism, online journalism, advertising, public relations and photography. These technical standards – in the areas of motor skills, sensory-observation abilities, communication skills, cognitive skills and behavioral capabilities – reflect the performance abilities and characteristics that are necessary to successfully complete the requirements of the academic programs at the school. These standards are not requirements for admission into the programs. The School of Mass Communications complies with the requirements and spirit of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Therefore, the school will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities who are otherwise qualified. The complete technical standards may be found at:
www.has.vcu.edu/mac/ugrad_programs/tech_stand.html
WHAT TO KNOW AND DO TO BE PREPARED FOR EMERGENCIES AT VCU
1. Sign up to receive VCU text messaging alerts (www.vcu.edu/alert/notify). Keep your information up-to-date.
2. Know the safe evacuation route from each of your classrooms. Emergency evacuation routes are posted in on-campus classrooms.
3. Listen for and follow instructions from VCU or other designated authorities.
4. Know where to go for additional emergency information (www.vcu.edu/alert).
5. Know the emergency phone number for the VCU Police (828-1234). Report suspicious activities and objects.

 

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One of my favorite lessons to teach when I visit classes is the”Instagram Workshop.”  Students bring in an item from a brand they like and we studied the Instagram accounts to define the vibe/look/feel or the brand.  They study the look/feel of the visuals and photography for their brand of choice. Then, they get to work recreating and mimicking the style of the brand. The idea is that their photo recreation looks like it belongs in their brand’s Instagram – that they’d matched the brand style. 

A lot of times, we don’t get to create a brand from scratch or create things with the only criteria that we think it looks good.   A lot of their first jobs, especially if they end up in larger agencies, will be working within an established brand to create content that fits the overall look and feel. An important skill to have is being able to analyze a brand and define and replicate. To create the look that their client/boss is looking for. The goal of this workshop is to give them an into to that. 

Here’s what they had to do:

1. Choose a brand/Product:
2. Identify other brands in the category that could be competitors
Research your brand on Instagram. Look at the colors used, types of photos, positioning. Questions to consider: Do they show people or are their product shots only? Is it a bright/loud color scheme or more light and airy? Are their photos busy or more minimalistic? 3. Describe the visual look of the brand/product’s Instagram in three words. 4. Then, three words that are the OPPOSITE of what the brand looks like (what the brand is NOT)
5. Take a photo in the style of your brand, (6 &7) and in the style of each of the competitors you identified. Read More