User Experience Design Course

It offers students a clear route to confidently navigate the creative, open-ended, exploratory and experimental landscape of design education at IIAD. They gain a wide range of design skills and expand their design vocabulary. Upon successfully completing the Foundation year, students smoothly advance to the specialised User Experience Design course.

The first year of User Experience Design entails a journey of ‘unpacking the self’. The first semester is integrated with Communication Design and Animation Film Design, where the student learns the principles of design and visual communication that become the building blocks for User Experience Design. In the following semester they learn the fundamentals of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design. With a focus on problem solving, students of this course develop skills in visual design, user research, and prototyping using tools like Adobe XD, Figma and Invision as well as explore the principles of human-centred design and create intuitive, user-friendly interfaces across various platforms. By year’s end, the student will have developed the abilities to execute their ideas across diverse digital, audio-visual and spatial platforms.

At the close of the year, students will engage in an 8-week Learn On-site internship, which will emphasize multidisciplinary learning. During this time, User Experience Design students will gain practical industry experience in different areas of User Experience Design.

In the second year of this specialisation, the students enhance their skills in User Experience Design and advanced UX & UI techniques. They learn to use tools and methodologies such as scenario planning, user journey maps, empathy maps, system thinking tools, etc. to come up with human-centred design solutions. They also conduct user testing and iterate on designs based on feedback. Work on real-life client briefs, participating in competitions and industry projects to create innovative user experiences and interactive interfaces.

The 16-week Learn On-Site internship provides extended industry exposure, serving as a gateway to your professional career. Students will have a chance to work in various industry settings and grasp the dynamics of organisational structures. Experience working in environments like design studios, tech companies, and digital agencies, and gain insight into the workflows and processes of professional user experience design projects. Previous students have interned at several top design studios, including Ogilvy & Mather, JWD, Quicksand, Denstu, Studio Fry, Fabindia, Quicksand, Anagram, Lucid Design, InHouse Digital, Mouse & Cheese, Oyorooms, Double Barrel Production house and Reliance, among many others.

Beginning with a process of ‘unpacking’ and moving towards ‘repacking’ the self, students complete a full circle by their final year in the User Experience Design course. At this stage, they develop a distinctive and industry-relevant practice while enhancing their networking and entrepreneurial skills. By working on socially relevant user experience design projects, they evolve into ethical and purposeful professionals dedicated to “designing for a better future.

Exposure to various aspects of this dynamic field, combined with hands-on on-site experience, allows students to concentrate on their areas of interest and refine their skills within their chosen focus. The Major Design Project represents a synthesis of their specialised medium and subject area of interest. User Experience Design students engage in projects across diverse sectors—ranging from social impact to business and entertainment—building a varied and comprehensive portfolio. They undertake a project that reflects real-world business and social contexts, whether self-initiated or industry-sponsored, making independent design decisions while receiving guidance from faculty and industry professionals.

Their projects culminate in a creative and analytical outcome, such as interaction design, service design, user experience, spatial experience, and more, bringing a sense of accomplishment to their transformative design education.