I didn’t have this blog at the time I took the course, and the course may have changed since. I’ll still post a quick review in case it helps people choose their studies.
First of all, UX can look like a messy subject, in my opinion. Sometimes it looks like a psychologist’s role, to figure out what people think they want in a product. Sometimes it looks just like market research. Then it looks like design. I got more lost than focused while doing this pair of courses.
I’m not sure how much of that is due to the instruction materials vs. the UX field itself. I got the same weird vibe while studying business analysis later. From a distance, both UX and BA look like a scattering of interconnected parts that I’ll bet make more sense once you’re in the job. I believe the course materials exposed me to the tasks a UX designer might do, but the course lacked structure that my inexperience craved.
The two classes go together
Over the length of the two courses that become a microcredential, I completed several tasks including the following (based on my memory):
- Analyze a situation you know of that has problems, to determine a problem that can be fixed with technology
- Describe a target persona that is affected by the problem
- Interview people that fit that persona to determine needs
- Post their statements on a Mural board, and move them around to collect similar items (affinity mapping)
- Choose one need that can be tackled in the 6 or 7-week time frame
- Figure out solutions that could solve it
- Develop a prototype to build one solution that solves the one problem you discovered, using free tools you learn about in class
- Produce a report that describes the problem, target consumer, and the rationale for your choices in developing the prototype, plus show off the prototype along with results of testing
I’m sure there were lots of other tasks but I hope this gives you a sense of what you’d be doing in class assignments.
My experience in the UX classes
- The learning materials were pre-recorded videos that seemed to be recorded ages ago and slapped together too quickly
- There was no live lesson, so if that’s important to you, reach out to the office staff to find out from the current instructor the methods of teaching will be
- It was easy for me to lose track of the big picture, not knowing what’s coming next or what the end result would be in the second class
- Lessons included links to a variety of sources (e.g. Youtube), so it’s like learning from a bunch of different people each week – super exhausting for a continuing studies student with a job
- I didn’t really learn what the job of UX is like; everyone seems to have a different concept and this course looked more like what I’d call product research
- In the end, I did get a job in tech (entry level) soon after I put this micro-credential on my resume
I liked my project very much, and I learned how to work from pain points discovered from real people during the interview stage. I kept working on it enthusiastically week to week, even though I wasn’t sure I understood the UX aspect. It just felt like product research then app development to me, and I knew how to interview people thanks to freelance writing experience 20 years prior. I also had app dev and web dev experience so nothing with technically intimidating for me, luckily.
I’d like to study UX again at a different place, even YouTube, to fill in my understanding of the UX profession and processes. So regardless of my dislike of a disorganized course (just my opinion), I definitely got some practice doing market research and design, and would like to study more.
My experience in other OCAD continuing studies classes, for reference
My conclusion about the OCADU UX courses 1 and 2 comes up later, but first, I’ll let you know why my opinions about the UX courses are so strong.
I took OCADU’s Character Design course in 2023. My experience was better there. The instructor provided PDFs of character drawing methods. We had live class once a week for 3 hours to go over the materials and ask questions. We all interacted and had great outcomes:
- We got weekly practice with peer review: giving critiques and receiving feedback
- Students enthusiastically incorporated feedback in the next week’s assignment
- The instructor gave substantial advice to each student
- We went from basic shape and details to really fleshing out the personality of our characters – in a short time, 6 weeks!
- The final project was obvious and each week clearly led to it: a ‘turnaround’ of our character fully detailed, refined, and coloured
- The instructor was a working character designer and it showed in how he taught, cared, and gave advice
- We regularly got insight on what character design jobs are really like, and career advice
Character Design at OCADU continuing studies was worth the price, even though I’m used to paying for a book not a $500 course. My drawing improved each week and continues to improve thanks to the confidence I got there.
Final thoughts on OCADU’s continuing studies UX courses
For $1100, I got my money’s worth. I wanted a technology course on my resume to help me screen in for tech jobs. I met that goal. I also value my final project very much. It’s on my portfolio.
Two flaws in the UX courses for me
- I haven’t ‘done UX’ since then; it’s not a process I feel strongly about using for my personal or work projects
- The material could’ve been taught better – more modern
My suggestions for improving outdated courses like this one
Here’s my long list of things I’d consider if teaching this course, based on the experience I had in 2022:
- Adopt a modern video style – like Coursera or EdX – good audio and video without clutter or background noise, and with current or recent examples
- Take care when designing weekly live classes – to at least summarize if not demonstrate the pre-recorded materials, and allow Q&A and peer critique
- Ensure students get a clear syllabus that shows how each week’s lesson and assignment contribute to a final project, where applicable
- Add extra recordings that demonstrate the material if not already shown in official weekly lesson videos
- Remove links to old videos or articles done by other parties – the material may be a valid lesson but a busy student gets exhausted learning from so many different voices and teaching styles
- In my opinion, the instructor should make their own version that’s current and relevant to their students
I encourage other people who’ve taken short continuing education classes to write about their experiences. That will help future students, I’m sure.
Happy learning, y’all!
Heidi Bada