User Experience (UX)

Drawing on research and theory in design thinking, entrepreneurship, critical thinking, creativity, ethnography, and systems theory, this course enables participants to develop skills in how to think about difficult problems that are characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity and for which there are no options that satisfy the needs of all stakeholders and constituencies. Most of the course focus will be on finding and framing problems in creative ways using techniques such as ethnographic observation, prototyping, storytelling, journey mapping, value chain analysis, and divergent/convergent idea generation before considering a range of solutions in the form of options and gathering feedback to enable the assessment of those options. Participants will apply these skills to develop user experiences.

Upon completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the four key dimensions of user experience design: determine the scope of the experience, understand the intensity of experience, identify the key experience triggers, and deepen customer engagement to evoke meanings
• Practice using design thinking tools: Problem Identification—What Is? Alternative Generation—What If? Choice Making—What Wows? Value Testing—What Works?
• Enhance potential for innovation performance
• Use design thinking to increase visibility to new opportunities
• Develop consistent streams of value creation
• Challenge the status quo
• Employ ethnographic techniques to observe, diverge and converge on insights, develop stories, and experiment with ideas
• Use entrepreneurial thinking to design experiments and model potential solutions
• Apply experiences to design
• Use systems thinking to generate options, analyze problems and solutions, and consider the impact of decisions on the organization

Register 21 days before class start date and save 10%! Enter discount code EARLY10 during registration.

Register 21 days before class start date and save $250! Enter discount code EARLY250 during registration.

Is there a discount available for current students?

UMBC students and alumni, as well as students who have previously taken a public training course with UMBC Training Centers are eligible for a 10% discount, capped at $250. Please provide a copy of your UMBC student ID or an unofficial transcript or the name of the UMBC Training Centers course you have completed. Asynchronous courses are excluded from this offer.

What is the cancellation and refund policy?

Student will receive a refund of paid registration fees only if UMBC Training Centers receives a notice of cancellation at least 10 business days prior to the class start date for classes or the exam date for exams.