Interactive Media Management - Interaction Design

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Courses - September 2024

Level 1

Course details

Lean UX
BUS8530

Description: Bringing a new product to market is a journey that can take many paths, not all of them rewarding or productive. Lean UX applies Lean Startup principles alongside design thinking and Agile software development ideas to provide an approach to product creation that considers users’ needs, and delivers value to users quickly and effectively. Working collaboratively in groups, students will learn and apply principles and processes of Lean UX. This course provides the environment for students to learn facilitation techniques for group processes, while working on UX projects that develop their analytical and design skills. A multidisciplinary team approach that integrates business, users, and technology leads to better products.

Hours: 42
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Conestoga 101
CON0101

Description: This self-directed course focuses on introducing new students to the supports, services, and opportunities available at Conestoga College. By the end of this course, students will understand the academic expectations of the Conestoga learning environment, as well as the supports available to ensure their academic success. Students will also be able to identify on-campus services that support their health and wellness, and explore ways to get actively involved in the Conestoga community through co-curricular learning opportunities.

Hours: 1
Credits: 0
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Digital Media Technology
DMED8160

Description: In this course students will be introduced to contemporary industry standards, digital content management, technology protocols and communication solutions across multiple digital media platforms. Through hands-on projects and experiments, students will learn practical concepts in computing and digital media that transcend everyday use of common personal computing and consumer devices. Emphasizing innovation and entrepreneurial design solutions, students will develop foundational understandings of key domains such as the open-source movement and its derivatives, client/server technologies, cloud architecture, measurement tools, adaptive technology and industry standards that govern online technological platforms and a broad array of digital content and formats. Students will also examine digital content creation standards and cross-platform optimization and communication.

Hours: 42
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Visual Design I
DSGN8130

Description: Visual Design I establishes fundamental design concepts and processes for visual communications. Students will explore such basic visual design building blocks as colour, proportion, balance, and space. They will develop an understanding of representational, abstract, and symbolic images and will be introduced to typography. Students will begin to recognize effective composition, content hierarchy and semantic design, centered on usability and human interaction with products, services, environments and systems, and apply this knowledge during critiques of their peers' projects and presentations.

Hours: 56
Credits: 4
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Interaction Design I
DSGN8140

Description: This course will introduce students to one of the fundamental applied Human Factors design disciplines, Interaction Design, through the use of case-studies, hands-on exercises and projects, all grounded in evidence-based human-centered design. Students will develop an understanding of what makes for successful interactive digital products, environments, systems and services, where human behaviour is at the centre of design. Students will learn usability testing, prototyping designs in varying levels of fidelity, and the value of rapidly iterating through proposed solutions.

Hours: 56
Credits: 4
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

User Experience Tools
DSGN8350

Description:

Designing the best digital experiences always requires an array of digital design, project management and research tools. Students will get familiar with the various UX tools used for user testing, digital whiteboarding, prototyping, and building organized design systems. Students will also experiment with AI tools and how they are used in the design process.

Hours: 42
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Social Media Strategy
MKT8270

Description:

Effective social media strategies align with corporate and organizational goals, branding, marketing and communication practices. In this course, students will leverage metrics-based analytics and evidence-based strategic design, to implement comprehensive social media strategies for products and services, as a result of a thorough evaluation of interactive media projects' requirements and understanding of user behaviour through a range of analytics tools and techniques. Topics include analytics insights platforms, social media planning process, integration of traditional marketing and social media, trends affecting the social media space, as well as legal implications and budgeting. Market research and user experience research complement the learning in this course.

Hours: 42
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Safety in the Workplace
OHS1320

Description: This course focuses on developing awareness and skills for the student to safely manage and conduct him or herself within a variety of employment settings. Through the units of the course, participants will have the opportunity to enhance their understanding and knowledge of general Health and Safety guidelines, including WHMIS, Fire Safety and Workplace Violence. The unit on Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act will instruct the student on the requirements for Accessible Customer Service and Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulations. General information on Safe Driving, Privacy of Information and Hand Washing will be addressed as well. The course also provides participants with critical information regarding their insurance coverage (WSIB or other) while employed. As well as guidelines to follow in the event of an injury. Participants will receive a printable Record of Completion upon successful conclusion of this course, in order to demonstrate awareness of safe working practices to their employers.

Hours: 14
Credits: 1
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

User Experience Research
RSCH8330

Description:

Good user research is the foundation for any well designed product. Students will learn a variety of UX research techniques both in the field and in a lab setting. They will gain the knowledge of how to gather important information and how to organize and distil it to make it valuable for their teams. Students will also learn practical skills on how to present their findings so they can have an impact on the design.

Hours: 56
Credits: 4
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Level 2

Course details

Mobile Application Design
DMED8180

Description: This course will apply software design concepts specifically to mobile platforms. Students will be introduced to best current practices in Interaction Design, and will solve a series of design problems which illustrate the unique qualities of a mobile experience. Students will also be required to develop a complex design project, working through the phases of research, conception, requirements gathering, addressing technical challenges, storyboarding, documenting and testing the design. This course will also provide the opportunity for students to evaluate the success of complex media projects from financial, technical and artistic points of view and discuss improvement opportunities.

Hours: 42
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Emerging and Immersive Technologies
DMED8190

Description:

The world of digital products is filled with user experiences that go beyond the straightforward interaction with a desktop/laptop computer or mobile phone. Through a combination of lectures, class discussion, hands-on demos, and in-depth topic presentations, students will be exposed to a wide range of interesting and exciting technologies including: virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence and spatial user interfaces.

Hours: 42
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Web and Digital Prototyping
DSGN8170

Description: The World Wide Web was invented over 20 years ago, though the underlying HyperText Markup Language (HTML) that runs in a web browser has been updated and augmented with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Javascript (JS) and many other front-end technologies in the intervening years. Students will learn to manage the building process for high fidelity interactive prototypes of web applications that run on multiple platforms, using current and emerging front-end web technologies. They will base their management process on a thorough evaluation of the requirements for complex interactive media projects and use their application prototypes for usability testing, product demos, and frameworks and specs for development and implementation teams.

Hours: 42
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Interaction Design II
DSGN8180

Description: This course is a continuation of Interaction Design - I. The emphasis of the course is on further developing human-centered design skills including advanced methods in user experience research, prototyping and interface design in order to support accurate analysis of complex project requirements. Students will deepen their understanding of applied cognitive methods that support design concepts and approaches within the field of Human-computer Interaction, while learning about information architecture and prototyping techniques. Students will engage in a group project, utilizing their creative leadership and critical thinking skills to commission design solutions. These solutions will address both the effectiveness and economic impact of implementation.

Hours: 56
Credits: 4
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Portfolio Development and Presentation
ETR8105

Description:

This course focuses on the preparation of a professional portfolio that demonstrates the skills and capabilities of the student. Students will identify and select examples of their work that emphasizes their strengths, and customize a portfolio to fit the specific job requirements of their target market. Students will present and speak to scope of work, with focus on the production pipeline and identify the specific personal work accomplished as well as the skills and knowledge required in production.

Hours: 42
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Electives: Program Option
Student must pass 1 Course(s), selected in the Student Portal from available course options

View Program Option Electives

Please note that all courses may not be offered in all semesters. Go to your student portal for full timetabling details under "My Courses".

Interactive Media Management Project
DSGN8340

Description:

Utilizing the research, design, and prototyping skills obtained throughout the program, students will focus their professional abilities through a design challenge. Students will interact with real industry partners over a 10-week period to build a research study, interactive prototype or website. Students will then present their work to the stakeholders and program faculty. These challenges not only prepare students for real-world scenarios, it strengthens their connections with regional businesses.

Hours: 80
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites:
CoRequisites:

Field Placement (Interactive Media Management Interaction Design)
FPLT8040

Description: This course prepares students and facilitates a placement experience with a company/agency which has been approved by the program. Students will review employability skills in class and then practise these skills as they take an active role in securing a placement. Students will refine self-marketing techniques to establish cohesive branding of themselves at a professional level. Engaging in the work environment of a professionally relevant company/agency will allow students to apply their education and skills contributing to their mutual benefit. Appropriate workplace behaviour and etiquette is expected as students use this opportunity to expand their network of industry contacts and effectively market their personal brand. Through this experience, students can cultivate confidence, escalate awareness of industry practices, add to their resume & portfolio, and contribute to their own career success.

Hours: 80
Credits: 3
Pre-Requisites: OHS1320 AND OHS8320
CoRequisites:

Program outcomes

Facilitate effective completion of both individual and collaborative interactive media projects.
Use and evaluate best practices and tools to design and develop dynamic, rich-media content.
Conduct and evaluate a thorough assessment of the requirements of a complex interactive media project.
Coordinate the development, budgeting, planning and professional presentation of a complex interactive media project.
Design and coordinate a complex media project (interface, navigation, graphics, text treatment) using best practice design and development principles and applying conceptual and theoretical frameworks.
Manage the building of effective and dynamic complex Web sites and/or mobile applications.
Propose solutions to ethical and professional issues arising in an online environment.
Apply research and conceptual skills to propose optimal solutions for mobile/multimedia/Web development problems and facilitate these skills within the project team.
Provide creative leadership that results in the effective design, development and implementation of complex interactive media projects.
Evaluate the financial, technical and artistic success of a complex interactive media project and present recommendations for improvement.
Apply specific interaction design methodologies such as goal-oriented design, personas, cognitive dimensions framework, affective interaction design etc. to create interfaces adaptable to their target users.
Use the relationships between the dimensions of interaction design (words, visual representations, physical objects, time and behaviour) to develop interactions focused on the cognitive, behavioural, social and persuasive processes.
Integrate business, IT/programming and design elements into interaction design projects focused on the human aspect rather than the technology utilized.
Use market demographic experience and research for product user experience to design and enhance services and products.