"To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit: it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify, to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and perhaps even to amuse. To design is to transform prose into poetry.” - Paul Rand

Documenting conversations with craft communities through UI, visual and motion design of a website for Unblock 2020. Image Source: Adharapurapu Vinod

About the Program

The User Interface and Interaction Design (UIID) program provides students the skills and knowledge to create professional interface designs and interactions across various media platforms, including applications, websites, games, and virtual reality experiences. As a student in this program, you will explore the tools and methods necessary for creating and communicating interface design and can specialize in areas such as Visual Prototyping, Motion Design, and Front-End development. This course aligns with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) guidelines for levels 4, 5, 6, and 7 and trains you for careers in the Information Technology and Media-Entertainment sectors. Whether you are designing for a mobile app or a virtual reality experience, this program equips you with the skills needed to craft effective interfaces that meet the needs of your audience.

The core content of the course focuses on:

• Development of skills to create interactive systems that engage users effectively, including understanding user behaviour, creating wireframes and prototypes, and implementing feedback mechanisms.
• Proficiency in creating user-centred designs that are accessible and easy to navigate, incorporating usability testing, user research, and analysis to optimize the overall user experience.
• Mastery in designing intuitive and visually appealing interfaces for applications, websites, and digital platforms, focusing on layout, colour theory, typography, and responsiveness to enhance user experience.

Vision

The vision of the 3-year program in User Interface and Interaction Engineering is to train aspiring practitioners to develop exceptional skills to craft high-quality, professional interface designs and interactions across multiple media.

Humans increasingly employ and interact with technologies as they go about their daily lives to get things done – all this happens through interfaces. Thus, effective and well-crafted interfaces and thoughtful interactions are the key to the success of any product or experience today – be it an application, website, game or virtual reality experience. This aspect is at the heart of many design-driven organisations offering digital products and services.

Learning focuses on the tools, standards, frameworks and methods of creating, documenting, and communicating interface design across web, mobile, gaming, augmented and virtual reality platforms. The orientation is to respect both the growing demand for skilled designers in the industry and the increasing requirement for accountability and responsibility expected from both designers and designed experiences.

The program is geared to train professional practitioners who can undertake job responsibilities within small and large organizations, with skill sets that range from Visual Prototyping, Motion Design, User Interface Design, Web design, Mobile App Design, User Testing, Front-End and UI development, etc.

Interacting with Industry mentors to understand workflows and design principles during industry exposure visits.

Sector

The three years of this course align with levels 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the NSQF guidelines and create skilled practitioners for the above sectors.

NSQF, or National Skills Qualifications Framework, is a nationally integrated and competency-based education framework that allows individuals to achieve their desired competence level. In NSQF, qualifications are organized according to the levels based on skills, knowledge, and aptitude.

Key Elements Of National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF):

• Skill proficiency promotion to create individuals with international equivalency
• Multiple entries and exit provisions for students
• Opportunities to help students become lifelong learners
• Preparedness for the industry standard with the development of skills
• A transparent mechanism for the growth of students

What you will learn

Year-1 (NSQF Level 4 & 5)

• Learn to produce high-fidelity designs and prototypes for web and mobile interfaces rapidly and efficiently using professional software tools.
• Develop skills in designing smooth animations and transitions for enhanced user experiences.
• Acquire basic programming abilities to complement design skills.
• In the first semester, focus on understanding visual and interface design fundamentals, along with interface prototyping.
• The second semester will delve into creating animations, transitions, and an introduction to basic programming concepts.

Year-2 (NSQF Level-6)

• Aim to develop professional-level skills suitable for various industry roles, including usability engineer, motion designer, data visualizer, UI designer, and front-end programmer.
• In the third semester, focus on mastering interaction testing and visualizing quantitative data using programming skills.
• Semester four emphasizes identifying and refining an individual job role within the design industry.
• Engage in practical industry briefs to produce work that contributes effectively to specific production chains.
• Overall, the year is dedicated to bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world industry demands, preparing students for diverse career paths in the design sector.

Year-3 (NSQF Level-7)

• Engage deeply with industry partners in a chosen context to develop proficiency in creating high-quality web interfaces.
• Foster collaboration between students and industry professionals, aiming to integrate students seamlessly into the professional workforce.
• Participate in ‘industry experience’ programs and mentorship labs in the fifth semester for practical training and industry insights.
• The sixth semester is dedicated to executing a capstone project and applying accumulated knowledge and skills in a real-world scenario.
• Overall, the focus in the third year is on bridging academic learning with industry practice, preparing students for immediate professional contributions.

Course Structure

The core principles that govern the design of the unit are as follows:

Mastery Learning with Guided Practice breaks down competences or skills into subskills, methods and techniques. Through targets taught through modelling and direct instruction followed by guided and independent practice, mastery of core competences and skills are achieved.

Work Related Learning is the co-design of opportunities/projects by industry based professionals or employers or other stakeholders on the one hand and faculty on the other. Guided and facilitated by mentors this space allows for future employers to participate in the learner’s journey.

Industry Linkages includes both exposure, orientation and direct interactive learning in real time contexts. This is towards specific jobs and roles, as well as work experience within each course’s respective industrial sector. Linkages between academic institutions and creative industries is inclusive of both economic and social benefits of innovation.

Fab. Ateliers build on the values of thinking, modelling and making to challenging design contexts drawn from indigenous knowledge and / or tools from digital technology.

Public Labs are open spaces that foster DIY thinking along with citizen science and other initiatives to build a culture of learning that is self-initiated, independent and collaborative. Public Labs are open to all learners for purposes of self-study, learning, archiving and developing personal interests in technologies.

Bootcamps foster accelerated learning of concepts, skills and technologies that are directly linked to either employable, entrepreneurial or livelihood based skills. Working through immersion, with a focus on hands-on problem solving and peer learning rather than instruction.

Hackathons can range from competitions or events over days to half-day jams or a one day hack-fest. This format encourages brainstorming, pitching of concepts, working in teams and also planning projects as well as development of prototypes.

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