Syllabus

Course Policies


Course Staff

Name Role Contact
Sophia Matthews Instructor sophiamatthews@berkeley.edu
Aditya Mavalankar Instructor amavalankar@berkeley.edu
Jenny Chung Instructor jaewonchung@berkeley.edu

For general questions, students are encouraged to make a private post on Ed. They can also reach out to course staff at staff@hcd-decal.org. Contact information for the TA’s will be published later on the course website.


Office Hours

We’ll offer slots of office hours throughout the week for you to drop in and ask questions or get help on anything you want! Links to schedule 1:1 office hours will be made available on the course website and/or syllabus at the start of the semester. Students can also email course staff individually using the email addresses above to schedule office hours.


About the Course

This class is an 11-week introduction to design theory and design practice, with a focus on human-centered design. The course will have an emphasis on digital design but concepts of physical design, marketing, and product strategy will also be covered. The course meets weekly for two hours for discussions, guest speakers, activities developing fundamental design skills, and project “crit” sessions. This class will provide its students with a fun and comprehensive look into all facets of design, experience working on design projects, and potential portfolio pieces.

No previous design experience is required, however, it is imperative that students have an open mind, a willingness to get out of their comfort zone, and a sense of humor.

The class meets in Jacobs 310 every Monday from 7 PM to 9 PM.

Information about the DeCal, including course materials like slides and readings, can be found at hcd-decal.org.


Evaluation and Grading

This class can only be taken P/NP. Students will be evaluated based on attendance, participation in discussions, activities, and crit sessions, as well as weekly homework assignments and completion of projects.

Weekly homework assignments will be key to understanding and putting into practice the design concepts taught in class. Two design projects must be completed by the end of the semester, with each project reflecting an increasing level of conceptual refinement.

  • 30% Homework Assignments

  • 30% Group Project (midterm)

  • 40% Individual Project (final)

Students must receive at least a 70% score to pass the DeCal.

You’re allowed a MAXIMUM OF ONE UNEXCUSED ABSENCE, no questions asked and no makeup assignment needed.

If you exceed one unexcused absence/missed makeup assignment, you may fail the course. Please see below for more information.

In addition, there will be an introductory, midpoint, and final survey, designed to gauge the students’ progress and identify ways the DeCal can be improved. Completion of all three surveys is required to pass.


Accommodations, Extensions, & Late Submissions

Most assignments, unless otherwise specified, are due Sunday at 11:59 pm, with a grace period until 7 pm on Monday.

We understand that life happens. If you need more time on an assignment, make a post on Ed. We can grant extensions up to a week after the deadline, handled on a case-by-case basis.

We will honor all DSP, religious, and other accommodations for individual assignments and attendance. Please reach out to course staff at the start of the semester to let us know about your required accommodations


Attendance

Attendance is mandatory and will be recorded every week. If you exceed 1 unexcused absence, you may not pass the course.  For every class you miss, you will be assigned a makeup assignment for that week, to be completed by the next class.

The final showcase during class time on April 28th is MANDATORY. If you are unable to attend this session, you may not pass the course.


Excused Absences

We understand that you may incur more than 1 absence due to exams, illnesses, or other reasons. If that is the case, you can makeup an absence. For most weeks, unless otherwise specified, the makeup assignment is to review the recording of that week’s lecture (which can be found under “Media Gallery” in bCourses 24 hours after the lecture), briefly summarize what we covered, and submit your reflections at hcd-decal.org/excuse.

You must complete the assignment before the following class. If you missed the class on Feb. 3rd, for example, you have until Feb. 10th to complete the makeup assignment.


Participation

Throughout the semester, students will be expected to participate in class discussions, hands-on activities, workshops, and provide constructive criticism to each others’ design projects during design crits. Everyone is expected to participate and contribute to the class each week, in some manner or form.

We recommend getting a small notebook for taking notes as well as brainstorming and sketching throughout the semester and beyond. There will also be career development activities, with a class session focused on developing a portfolio and presenting your work, and another session being a panel with industry speakers.


Design Projects

Throughout the semester, you’ll go through two cycles of the design process in a group midterm project and individual final project, with increasing levels of conceptual refinement.

The midterm project, completed in groups of 4-5, focuses on user empathy. In a group, students will pick a problem scope, develop a “how might we” statement, create and conduct a research plan, synthesize the research, and present their findings to the class on the attendance mandatory midterm presentation.

The final project, completed individually, builds off the midterm project and focuses on developing design thinking and finding empathy-driven solutions.

Students take their insights and get to work, ideating prototyping, evaluating, and improving their ideas. Students’ work will evolve from concepts, to low-fidelity prototypes, to high-fidelity prototypes. Finally, students will create a case study of their work and present it in the last week of class in a symposium style showcase.

More information about this will be provided later in the semester.


Course Schedule

Here is the planned schedule for Fall 2024. Changes may be made due to unforeseen circumstances.

Week Concepts & Activities
1 Introduction to Human-Centered Design + Needfinding
2 Research + Synthesis Methods
n/a No class (President’s Day)
3 Using Figma + Visual Design Principles
4 More Figma + Design Ethics
5 Storytelling
6 Mid-Point Presentations
n/a No class (Spring Break)
7 Ideation: Convergent + Divergent Thinking
8 Prototyping
9 Concept Validation + Product Strategy
10 Speaker Panel
11 Final Showcase

Inclusion & Collaboration

The field of design is a historically exclusive field—especially for underrepresented groups and people with disabilities. One of the principal goals of the DeCal is to make progress on this issue and make the design community at Berkeley larger and more inclusive.

We will not tolerate any hateful, rude, or insensitive comments or actions. If anything is said or done that makes you uncomfortable, please let course staff know. Our email, staff@hcd-decal.org is only monitored by the Instructors. We also have an anonymous feedback form (posted on our bCourses at the start of the semester) if you’d like to share an incident anonymously.


Course Readings & Materials

In addition to lectures, assignments, and projects, there are also weekly readings to supplement the content discussed each week. Readings will vary from case studies to academic writings to career perspectives. The assigned reading schedule goes as follows:

Week Reading(s)
1 “The ‘OK’ Computer” by Adi Robinson; “Beyond ‘Good Job’: How to Give Impactful Feedback” by Zach Adams
2 The Design of Everyday Things,” Chapter 1, by Donald A. Norman“; “I was Meant to be a UX Researcher” by Eshita Priyadarshini
3 “Accessibility vs. Inclusive Design” by Therese Fessenden; “The death og Glitch, the birth of Slack” by Johnny Rodgers
4 “Deceptive Patterns in UX: How to Recognize and Avoid Them” by Maria Rosala
5 “Design in Action Case Studies” by Stanford d.school
6 n/a
7 “Ideation in Practice: How Effective UX Teams Generate Ideas” by Aurora Harley
8 n/a
9 n/a
10 “Ten Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design” by Jakob Nielsen
11 “6 Ways to Develop Your UX Design Career” by Google Design
12 n/a

Instructor Supervision

The DeCal instructor of record, Professor Kosa Goucher-Lambert, will attend class intermittently to observe student progress. He will be invited to each of the project presentations and critique days to provide feedback for students and instructors and view the student projects. The facilitators will meet with him during his scheduled office hours to update him on course progress and establish techniques to more effectively engage the students.