College of Communication and Information
School of Information
School of Visual Communication Design
www.kent.edu/iSchool

About This Program

The User Experience Design minor teaches students to create a range of products and material that prioritize the positive, clear and fulfilling experience of the end-user. Courses focus on fundamentals, prototyping, usability, technology, software and information architecture.

Contact Information

• School of Information Director: Meghan Harper | iSchool@kent.edu | 330-672-2782
• School of Visual Communication Design Director: Daniel Alenquer | vcd@kent.edu | 330-672-7856
• Speak with an Advisor

Program Delivery

• Delivery:
  • In person
• Location:
  • Kent Campus

Admission Requirements

Admission to a minor is open to students declared in a bachelor’s degree, the A.A.B. or A.A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree (not Individualized Program major). Students declared only in the A.A. or A.S. degree or the A.T.S. degree in Individualized Program may not declare a minor. Students may not pursue a minor and a major in the same discipline.

Technology Requirement

In order to be successful in the program, students must have:

• Personal laptop, preferably a MacBook Pro or a comparable PC that can handle video and animations.
• Subscription to LinkedIn Learning (Kent State supplies LinkedIn Learning campus subscription with enrollment).
• Subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign, XD, Muse and Edge Animate) and MS Office or Apple's iWork Suite.
• Other software may include Sketch, InVision, Transmit (or another FTP client), Text Edit, Balsamiq, Axure or Omnigraffle.

Program Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be upper-division coursework (30000 and 40000 level).
• Minimum 6 credit hours in the minor must be outside of the course requirements for any major or other minor the student is pursuing.
• Minimum 50 percent of the total credit hours for the minor must be taken at Kent State (in residence).

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

1. Create a portfolio as a means to demonstrate UXD competencies.
2. Design and conduct research in a variety of ways necessary to understand users, stakeholders and competitors.
3. Apply principles of Information Architecture and Content Strategy to web and mobile design problems.
4. Create and evaluate structures to support information and content organization.
5. Test and critique existing designs and prototypes by employing usability testing methods.
6. Communicate design ideas in a variety of ways to design teams, stakeholders and developers.