User Experience (UX)
Engage with UMSI students along the design cycle to provide meaningful, relevant, accessible, and desirable experiences for users via a variety of projects. Some examples of UX projects are field research and product ideation; evaluation of the usability and engagement of an existing website; creation of initial designs and mockups for a new idea; development and launch of a working prototype; and solving challenges with technology and accessibility
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SI 622: Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation
What is Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation?
In SI 622: Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation, master's-level graduate students work with clients to evaluate how well the user experience of their product or service meets the needs of its users, using a variety of methods to identify areas where the product or system succeeds and where it can be better at helping users achieve their goals.
Deliverables
What do clients receive for participating in this course?
All clients receive a series of reports and analyses, plus a final video presentation:
Interaction Map - View Sample
Interview Report, including Personas and Scenarios - View Sample
Comparative Analysis - View Sample
Survey Design (potentially including A/B test and web analytics) - View Sample
Heuristic Evaluation - View Sample
Usability Test Report - View Sample
Final Presentation
Client Eligibility
Who can participate?
Potential clients should meet the following criteria:
Able to provide students access to a software system (e.g., a website, desktop software, mobile application, voice-activated peripheral, etc.) to evaluate
Able to help provide students with or help them obtain contact information for current or potential users of the system for user interviews, surveys, and usability testing
Projects
What are some examples of successful projects?
Exploring what new features could be used to differentiate a voice-activated app from other first-party experiences on the Alexa app.
Discovering more innovative ways to offer learning content digitally, at scale, using new technologies.
Gaining a deeper understanding of a website's audience and stakeholder needs while updating navigation and search, and identifying solutions to challenges with site maintenance and editing.
Conducting user research for a toolset in support of making publicly available data sets more accessible through more user-focused design.
Determining what differences exist in how two user groups interact with a learning management system in support of redesigning the system to improve individual learning experiences.
What do the students do during the project?
How many projects are selected for this course?
Winter 2021: 21 projects selected
Fall 2020: 4 projects selected
Winter 2020: 37 projects selected
* Due to variability in the number of enrolled students each year, these numbers are subject to change and can be used as a rough estimate.
Timeline
SI 622 usually occurs in the Winter semester (January–April), but for the 2021-2022 year there will be a small Fall semester offering (~10 projects)
Winter Semester
June – December
Client submits project idea
Client Engagement Team (CET) reviews project idea and requests full project proposal
CET works with client to scope and refine proposal
January
Faculty choose proposals to present to students
Students choose their project
January – February
Students begin project
April
Students finish project and provide deliverable(s) to client
Fall Semester
June - August
Client submits project idea
Client Engagement Team (CET) reviews project idea and requests full project proposal
CET works with client to scope and refine proposal
August - September
Faculty choose proposals to present to students
Students choose their project
September - November
Students begin project
December
Students finish project and provide deliverable(s) to client
Participate
How do I become a client?
Potential clients should complete this brief form with their contact information and a short summary of their project idea. Our Client Engagement Team will review your submission and reach out to you within 3 business days with next steps.
What if I don't have a project right now, but I'm interested in future opportunities or want to learn more?
If you don't have a specific project in mind for the upcoming semester, but would like to stay informed about future opportunities to work with students through our client-based courses or other programs, complete this registration form to be added to our mailing list.
Former Clients
Who's participated in the past?
What do they have to say?
"The students provided us with valuable insight about how our elementary school parents interact with our website, employing a number of professional techniques and tools to provide us with an amazing report that we can use to improve delivery of content on our site. The results of their reports will help us improve clarity and focus of information on our site."
Carol Isakson, Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
"The student team presented an overview of what seemed to be working and what could be improved on within the website, with achievable follow-up steps. We learned that our resources can sometimes be hidden or not easily navigable, and have begun to work on some of the students' proposed solutions. The findings that came out of the project will help the office create a more navigable site."
Ellie Diaz, American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom
"The students' work confirmed issues we knew about and also highlighted some new ones. We really enjoyed working with them, and feel confident that we can improve our application based on the recommendations they made and make a positive impact on our users."
Michelle Henley, Ohio State University