Most of Module #4 is up. I have to fix one thing with one of the tools (Usertesting). I’ll update you when that is fixed, but you can get started on the homework!

Overall

I think these are solid drafts of card sort and content audit reports. I’m excited to see the other deliverables that will be shaped by them.

The Goal Is to Recommend Change

The goal of all UX methods is to recommend change or to affirm past changes. No matter how technical the data you collect is, you need to be sure you’re boiling down your data into concrete recommendations for your client and justifying them with your data. Just read through your drafts one final time before handing them in and ask yourself if you’ve done this!

Be Sure To Include Your Data

Most UX clients I’ve had want two things: design recommendations and actual data. Anyone smart enough to want something called “user experience design,” is smart enough to know that it’s driven by data. Be sure you’re including at least a table summarizing all the data you collected for the module.

To Complete the Module

5) 3/29/22 by Midnight ET >>

Revise all your documents and hand them in. The point of receiving feedback from your peers, and also from myself, is to help you improve your writing. This process will be negated if the draft you submit to the course website is the same as the draft you hand in as your final. Revise, revise, revise.

• An individual Cover Letter (including how you contributed to your team’s documents) and copies of your team’s Findings Report, Content Audit, and a photo of your card sort are due to Canvas by Midnight ET

FYI! https://www.guiseppegetto.com/engl7775/module-3/

We’re interviewing users now. Check out the module for more info, we’re on Step 2!

Check it: https://www.guiseppegetto.com/engl7775/schedule-for-module-2/

One of the teams has had some issues, so their draft should be up soon. Please be patient and review it as soon as it comes in. Thanks.

Now that you’ve all teamed, it’s time to draft your project plans!

Visit the module for more details, but be sure to use Buley as a reference. You can also do your own research into UX project planning. There’s a lot of good stuff out there!

Visit the module for more details (we’re on Step 3).

These are the teams for the semester, just fyi! It’s become a tradition for me to assign silly names to each team. And by this I mean I did it one semester and thought it was funny so now I do it every semester.

Looking forward to seeing your projects take shape!

Team 1: We McCan Do It

Project Focus: https://writing.ecu.edu/

Austin
Alexis
Suzanne
Barb
Meg

Team 2: Getting Wiggins With It

Project Focus: https://universitysoupkitchen.org/

Jordan
Mattalyn
Kristin
Kim
Rachel

Team 3: The Gregorian Solution

Project Focus: https://www.rileysarmy.com/

Emily
Natalie
Brian
Kasen

Just an update on where we’re at with the class:

1/18/22:

• List of team member names and roles and a description of how team will get work done (see Module #1: Workflow, Step 2) is due to me via email by Midnight ET

I’m already receiving group emails, so that’s great. If you’re still looking for a team, feel free to comment on this post or email me or anyone in the class.

I don’t mean this to be an anxiety-producing process, just to give you the freedom, as grad students, to form whatever teams you want to form. Let me know if you have any issues.

Thanks.

Welcome to ENGL 7775: User Experience Design

Greetings!

I’m very excited to be offering this course for the first time at ECU. I have offered the course previously as a recurring special topics course, but now it’s officially in the course directory as its own standalone course!

A Bit About Me

I have been working in collaboration with folks in the technology sector, mostly as a consultant, for about ten years now. I have taught courses in technical communication and related topics at the college level for around 15 years. I also have my Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Writing from Michigan State University. I have been researching and practicing UX for about five years.

I’m stoked to share some of the insights I’ve gleaned during these professional experiences with all of you.

How This Class Works

In the interests of helping you acclimate to my style of online teaching, here are some highlights of this course website, and thus the course itself, that you’ll want to keep an eye on:

Deadlines

I’m a big fan of deadlines, small and large, and so I tend to scaffold assignments pretty tightly.

• The best place to check for deadlines is always the schedule page, from which you can view the schedule for each course module, or learning unit, as it’s posted. All deadlines for each module can also be found within the module itself.
• Your first deadline is 1/13/22, when Homework #1 is due by midnight ET.

Technologies

As this is an online course, and an online design course no less, it is obviously going to be technology-driven. In this regard, there are four main technologies to concern yourself with: WordPress, UserTesting, UXPin, and Canvas.

• WordPress is the Content Management System that runs our course website. If you ever have problems with it, I invite you to first be good technological problem-solvers and take a look at WordPress’s excellent documentation, both within the CMS itself and on their website.
• I’ll assume you’re all familiar with Canvas and so won’t go into that one, except to say that all you’ll be using it for is turning in assignments and downloading readings.
• You’re probably completely unfamiliar with UserTesting and UXPin, however. Don’t worry: you’ll be able to learn them as you go, and you’ll receive more detailed instructions for interacting with these when you need them.

Interactions

I like to think of teaching as a series of interactions during which knowledge is made. The main interactions of this course are: homework assignments, modules, and discussion on the course website.

• Homework assignments and their due dates can be found via the schedule page, under the schedule specific to each module. So, for instance, if you go to the schedule for module #1, you will see that homework #1 is due to Canvas by Thursday, 1/13/22 at Midnight ET. Homework assignments will always be the first thing due when we start a new module.
• Modules are larger assignments that are due every 3 weeks or so. You can see modules as they’re posted on the modules page, but like everything else, they’re included in the main schedule.
• Finally, you are encouraged to post stuff (questions, comments, interesting news articles, whatever) to the course website that you think your peers would like to hear about, and every homework assignment after the first one will require you to do so. That way we have a nice active online community with interesting content constantly being posted.

Reaching Me

All my contact info is available on the syllabus page, which of course you should read through thoroughly in case you have any questions or concerns about any course policies (you’ll be prompted to do this for homework #1).

• I’m pretty much always available via email and phone during normal business hours (M-F 9-5). I am slower to respond on weekends, but still check my email.
• I have virtual office hours listed in the syllabus when you can talk to me via Skype or Google hangout.
• I have obviously also worked hard to build a robust course website with a lot of information and interactivity, so please do read through it before asking me simple questions like “when is such-and-such due” or “how do I access X?” If you can’t figure out how to do something or are struggling in any way, the best way to reach me is to post a comment on the course website itself. I will receive an email every time you post something to the website, so it will be the equivalent of emailing me, and often another student will beat me to the punch with an answer to your question. Most importantly: other people who have that same question will see it and the answer that gets posted, saving us all a lot of lead time.

Working Hard

If you aren’t intimidated by the massive course website or omnibus introductory post, I should just mention that I teach a tough class. I also provide a lot of support, however, so if you’re willing to work hard, ask questions, and engage with the material, you should be fine. If you are NOT fine, reaching out to myself and your peers early and often is always the best response. If you are feeling lost in the course, which can often happen when working in online learning environments, touching base with another human being can help ground you and get you back on track. I have high expectations for students, particularly graduate students, but I don’t want anyone struggling needlessly. That’s what the assignments are for ;-).