Graduate Certificate in Interaction Design

Interaction design is concerned with designing interactive digital products, digital environments, systems, and services that can satisfactorily meet the needs and desires of the intended users. The Graduate Certificate in Interaction Design prepares and equips students with up-to-date theoretical knowledge and requisite practical industry-standard skills in this rapidly advancing field.

This is an entry-level course, part of an articulated postgraduate program in interaction design.

While industry demand for skilled interaction designers and various other jobs, such as user experience (UX) designers, service designers etc., is increasing, there is a lack of formal education/training offered by universities in interaction design. This course is designed to provide students with the most current and requisite skills in this fast-evolving field. Graduates possess skills in industrially applicable and cost-effective information environments (i.e. multimedia, interactive systems design and associated information technology). The course provides industry with graduates who can combine these skills with those of their original discipline in professional applications-oriented settings.

The course is committed to producing graduates who have a deep understanding of human-centred approaches to designing digital technologies. This ensures that 'products' created are more likely to 'fit' meaningfully into users' lives, because the design process is informed by a deep understanding of people's practices, particular situations and values.

The Graduate Certificate in Interaction Design is attractive to different types of learners, namely:

1. those who are currently working in a job that is not related to interaction design
2. those working in jobs closely related to interaction design, and
3. those already working in interaction design-related jobs.

Graduates can gain employment in a range of technology design-related roles, such as interaction designer, UX designer, UX researcher, service designer, or digital experience architect.

For those currently working in closely related jobs, such as web design, graphic design, interface design etc., this course provides the necessary formal training in the discipline in order to make a more definitive move into jobs in interaction design. Similarly, many find themselves working within the field of interaction design without formal training, and this course provides a good foundation and opportunities to extend their interaction design skills more formally.

For those not working in a job related to interaction design, this course provides the opportunity to learn about the discipline and to transition into the various jobs under the interaction design umbrella.