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Ask the Expert: Scotty Craig, PhD

Scotty Craig

Dr. Scotty D. Craig is an associate professor of human systems engineering at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University and ASU Online. He serves as the ASU Learning Engineering Institute’s director of research and evaluation and as director of the ASU Advanced Distributed Learning Partnership Lab.

Dr. Craig is a learning engineer with expertise in cognitive science, design science, and the science of learning, specifically learning technology. He has made contributions at the intersection of psychology, education, and technology within multimedia learning and virtual environments, as well as in the development and evaluation of learning technology within laboratory and applied settings.

OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What is something you wish the public understood about UX/UI design?

Dr. Craig: All products can be easy to use, almost to the point of seeming intuitive. When they are not, that means that UX design principles were not followed. This causes frustration and causes users to disengage with the product. This is, unfortunately, because companies put a lot of effort and time into their products.

UX/UI design could not only produce a better product with it but has also been shown to help reduce development costs and employee productivity by eliminating errors earlier in the process.

OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What advice would you give to aspiring students in UX/UI design?

Dr. Craig: The user experience area has two main sides: design and research. A good training program will provide training with exposure to both. But you also need to know that UX is applied in many domain areas such as product development, medicine, sports, and technology development. You need to be clear on which area you want to focus on.

Before you start any of your training or looking for programs, find out what the jobs in your specific focus area are looking for. Make sure that the training program you choose provides you with the core skills but also offers you opportunities to focus on those specific areas.

Ask the Expert: Roshan Peiris, PhD

Roshan Peiris

Dr. Roshan Peiris is an assistant professor in the School of Information at Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. He teaches courses in human-computer interaction.

Dr. Peiris is also director of RIT’s Accessible and Immersive Reality (AIR) Lab, where he leads research to understand human abilities and develop innovative technologies and methods that enable, empower, and enhance human experiences and capabilities.

OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What is something you wish the public understood about UX/UI design?

Dr. Peiris: Every technology that we interact with has an interface. Hence, good UX/UI design is key to making these interactions effective and efficient so that we can get the best out of technology.

One thing often misunderstood is that UX/UI design is not just about making interfaces and things look pretty. It’s fundamentally about solving problems, creating intuitive, functional experiences, and understanding user needs deeply. Good design requires balancing aesthetics with functionality, user psychology, and accessibility.

OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What advice would you give to aspiring students in UX/UI design?

Dr. Peiris: Learn to empathize with users. Understand that great design isn’t about what you like; it’s about what works best for the users. Get comfortable with feedback and iteration as design is an evolving process.

Also, keep up with the latest tools and trends but focus on mastering the fundamentals of user psychology and usability principles. Practice designing for accessibility and inclusivity from the beginning, as these are increasingly essential skills in UX/UI.

OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What does the future of the field look like to you?

Dr. Peiris: The future of UX/UI design is likely to see a stronger focus on immersive experiences, accessibility, and AI integration. As technologies like extended reality (XR) become mainstream, designers and developers will have new dimensions to work with, paving the way for more virtual experiences and making them more realistic. With AI, there will be greater personalization, enabling experiences that adapt dynamically to each user’s preferences and behavior. This evolution will demand that designers continuously update their skills and think even more inclusively.

1Arizona State University (BS)

ASU offers an online bachelor of science program in graphic information technology with a concentration in user experience. Students will learn how to create user-centered designs that facilitate efficient interactions between companies and customers across various platforms.

They’ll also learn the conceptual underpinnings of good design, from psychology to usability. Coursework includes digital publishing; information design and usability; graphics industry business practices; human-computer interaction; and user experience. The program consists of 120 credits.

Additionally, students who are interested in exploring additional user experience disciplines can check out other related programs offered by ASU. These include an online bachelor of science program in human systems engineering with a user experience specialization and an online bachelor of science program in technical communication with a user experience specialization.

  • Location: Tempe, AZ
  • Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
  • Expected Time to Completion: Four years

2Lesley University (BS)

Lesley University offers an online bachelor of science in design for user experience where students will develop the critical thinking and conceptual skills necessary to design intuitive experiences across a wide spectrum of different mediums.

Starting with a strong foundation in graphic design principles, the program expands to include all aspects of the UX design process. Core courses include user experience; sketching for interactive design; typography; information architecture; elements of interface; and user experience design business practices. The program consists of 120 credits.

Graduates will be able to take up rules such as environment designers, mobile app designers, art directors, web developers, software developers, graphic designers, interactive designers, and product managers.

  • Location: Cambridge, MA
  • Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
  • Expected Time to Completion: Four years

3Arizona State University (MS)

The Polytechnic School at ASU offers an online master of science in user experience. Housed within the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, this program is a collaboration between three programs: graphic information technology, technical writing and communication, and human systems engineering so that students can learn to conceptualize, prototype, and iterate designs that improve products and services for end users.

Courses include topics such as cross-media design solutions; methods and tools in human systems engineering; product design evaluation; and interaction design, planning, and implementation. The program consists of 30 credits, including a capstone.

Graduates will be able to take up positions such as content designers, human factors engineers, usability engineers, user experience designers, user experience developers, and user experience researchers.

  • Location: Tempe, AZ
  • Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
  • Expected Time to Completion: 18 to 24 months

4Kent State University (MS)

Kent State University offers an online master of science in user experience design where students graduate with both a degree and a design portfolio. Courses cover topics such as information architecture; accessibility evaluation and universal design; knowledge organization structures, systems, and services; interaction in practice; and user experience design principles and concepts.

Students will also choose a culminating requirement: either a portfolio assessment, an internship, a final project, a research paper, or a thesis. The program consists of 36 credits.

  • Location: Kent, OH
  • Accreditation: National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD); Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
  • Expected Time to Completion: Two years

5Drexel University (MS)

Drexel University offers an online master of science in information: human-computer interaction (HCI) & user experience (UX). Students will learn not only the fundamentals of HCI and UX design, but also the social implications of design interventions for individuals, groups, and society at large.

Courses include topics such as designing with data; social and collaborative computing; prototyping the user experience; and social network analytics. For their capstone, students can choose between either a research- or production-oriented project. The program consists of 45 credits.

Applicants to the program must have a four-year bachelor's degree in any major from a regionally accredited institution in the United States or an equivalent international institution with a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Graduates will be able to take up roles such as user researchers, user interface designers, front-end developers, user interface developers, and UX designers.

  • Location: Philadelphia, PA
  • Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
  • Expected Time to Completion: Two years

6Indiana University (MS)

Indiana University offers an online MS in human-computer interaction that prepares students for work in UX research and design, conversational interfaces, social computing, and the internet of things. Despite its fully online nature, the program is immersive and hands-on, with students collaborating with industry leaders.

The program’s core curriculum includes courses such as interaction design practice; interaction design methods; prototyping for interactive systems; meaning and form in HCI; and psychology of HCI.

In addition to the core curriculum, students will take electives in collaborative and social computing; experience design for ubiquitous computing; tangible and embodied interaction; programming for interaction design; and UX design ethics. The program consists of 36 credits.

  • Location: Bloomington, IN
  • Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
  • Expected Time to Completion: 18 to 24 months

7Rochester Institute of Technology (MS)

RIT offers an online MS in human-computer interaction that integrates service and design thinking alongside human, technological, and organizational topics. The core curriculum covers areas such as research methods, usability testing, and information and interaction design.

Students may then choose an application domain by selecting two electives from a list that includes geographic visualization; visual analytics; project management; health informatics; and interactive courseware. The program consists of 30 credits.

  • Location: Rochester, NY
  • Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
  • Expected Time to Completion: 18 to 24 months

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