MAD UX (UX Capstone Certificate)
University of Wisconsin-Madison - The Information School
Key Information
Campus location
Online
Languages
English
Study format
Distance Learning
Duration
1 year
Pace
Part time
Tuition fees
USD 1,200 / per credit
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
Introduction
Prepare for a Career in User Experience Design with the MAD UX Certificate Program
User experience design is the process of making information systems more people-friendly. Reports show high market demand for skills in user experience design across commercial, nonprofit, educational, government, and other sectors, with 30+% or more job growth, anticipated. A master’s degree is not required to enter the field, but relevant, project-based expertise is.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison User Experience Design Capstone Certificate, or “Mad UX,” teaches you what you need to know to develop as a UX professional. Mad UX combines expertise from two highly ranked UW-Madison academic departments: the Department of Computer Science and its HCI Lab and the UW-Madison iSchool.
MAD UX: The Basics
- 10 graduate credits;
- Entirely online- no travel to campus required to complete the program;
- 1 calendar year (fall, spring, summer);
- $1200 per credit.
How are your classes delivered?
All classes are completely online and taught by experienced and engaged instructors from UW-Madison’s computer sciences and iSchool programs, combining knowledge and networks from both the computing and information fields.
How long does it take?
One calendar year (fall, spring, summer). You are part of a cohort of learners who complete project-based activities and learn to work effectively as part of a virtual team. You must successfully complete each course in succession to earn your certificate.
What will you learn?
Build the expertise to plan, design, and assess innovative, enjoyable, and successful digital user experiences.
How will you learn?
Our program is high-tech and high-touch. You work on conceptual designs and prototypes with your cohort, with the constant guidance and involvement of your instructors. Form teams around project-based ideas, envision products, design, test, critique, and revise as you learn the tools and techniques of user experience design.
Why UW-Madison?
We are a catalyst for the extraordinary, where students and faculty partake in a world-class education and solve real-world problems. Forbes and U.S. News & World Report have rated UW-Madison in the top 10 public universities in the United States, and we are also among the top 10 colleges producing the most Fortune 500 CEOs.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Visit the university website for more information.
Curriculum
“User Experience Design 1” LIS/CS 611 (3 Credits, Fall Term)
UX Design 1 introduces you to the user experience (UX) design process, key stages in designing for user experience, and tasks, methods, and tools involved at each stage. This includes understanding and modeling users' needs and contexts and performing basic design, prototyping, and formative evaluation. The class also introduces you to the structure of the certificate and prepares you for online learning. You will develop and present a proposal for a real-life project that guides your work over the year toward the final capstone project.
“User Experience Design 2” LIS/CS 612 (3 Credits, Spring Semester)
In UX Design 2, you advance your understanding of the UX design process by learning and applying tools and techniques at an intermediate level, including conceptual and interaction design, more advanced methods for prototyping design solutions, and iterative design based on user models and evaluation. You will apply skills learned in the course to further develop and iteratively improve prototypes for your capstone project.
“User Experience Design 3” LIS/CS 613 (3 Credits, Summer Semester)
In the third class, you further enhance your mastery of the UX design process through learning and practice, broadening your command of available methods and tools and your ability to address more complex design problems. You advance your competencies in testing prototypes, understanding political and social elements of design, and design project management. You will begin to finalize your capstone project through testing and redesign, and you will draft plans for communication and management of your design proposal.
“User Experience Capstone” LIS/CS 614 (1 CREDIT, 4-Week Summer Term)
In the UX capstone experience, you illustrate how you have obtained and incorporated stakeholder feedback on your capstone project in prior classes. You will present your capstone project to a panel of industry judges and classmates, demonstrating your excellent professional oral, written, and video communications skills. The course will also prepare you to hit the job market for a UX job or approach your boss for a raise by workshopping your professional materials, such as your resume and your professional portfolio.
Program Outcome
In the MadUX certificate, you will:
- Learn theories, techniques, and tools of digital design;
- Practice assessing user satisfaction with digital media;
- Practice different prototyping techniques;
- Collect and analyze data about users, user needs, and use environments;
- Work to improve the usability, accessibility, and pleasure with which people interact with digital spaces over periods of time.
The Mad UX certificate will accommodate both existing computing professionals whose expanding job responsibilities require a deeper understanding of user experience design and people new to the technology workforce seeking introductory skills in user experience design.
How MAD UX is Different
Unlike other UX educational opportunities, this online capstone certificate program gives you an elite credential in less time, for a lower overall cost, and in an online format that allows you to complete the credential from anywhere while accommodating your current employment and family responsibilities.
All credits you earn in Mad UX are University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate credits, and you can transfer them into master's programs, including master's programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In the MadUX certificate, you will:
- learn theories, techniques and tools of digital design
- practice assessing user satisfaction with digital media
- practice different prototyping techniques
- collect and analyze data about users, user needs and use environments
- work to improve the usability, accessibility, and pleasure with which people interact with digital spaces over periods of time.
The Mad UX certificate will accommodate both existing computing professionals whose expanding job responsibilities require a deeper understanding of user experience design, and people new to the technology workforce seeking introductory skills in user experience design.
Program Tuition Fee
English Language Requirements
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