User Experience Capstone - SI 407/487

Proposal open date: June 1
Proposal close date: August 2
Project timeline: September-April
Project duration: 30 weeks
Number of projects needed: 40

SI 487: User Experience Capstone Syllabus

Description

In the User Experience Capstone (SI 407/487), advanced undergraduate students work through the user experience (UX) process to conduct user research and provide UX and interaction design solutions to clients. Methods used will include user requirements analysis, user research, prototyping, specification gathering, documentation and user experience evaluation.

Capstone projects span the entire academic year. In the fall semester (September-December), students are matched with clients, engage in project scoping, develop a research and design plan for the project, and conduct relevant background research in SI 407. In the winter semester (January-April), students will conduct UX research to better understand user needs, identify design requirements and design respective UX prototypes in SI 487.

Deliverables

Project plan
User research report
Design prototypes
UX specification documentation
Written final project report
Final presentation

Please note that implementation of the designs are out of scope for this course. The final deliverable is an interactive prototype, typically in Figma.

Client Requirements

Level of engagement for course/program
- Regular meetings in the fall semester (September-December)
- Weekly meetings in the winter semester (January-April)
- Regular feedback and communication to student team based on the course schedule
- Introduction to stakeholders and users for interviews and/or data gathering
- Access to organizational data, systems and/or resources necessary to project completion
- Attend final presentation
- Complete project evaluation
Special requirements for the course/program
- Projects must include both user research and UX design
- A plan for how you will assist in recruiting relevant users for research activities should be shared in the project proposal
- Students will not implement the final design deliverable, so we recommend that client organizations develop a plan for implementing the design after the project is complete

Previous Project Examples

Client Testimonials

“The student group gave us insights on our current process we never would have known and designed a user portal with features we would not have thought of that will be extremely effective for staff and families. The team was friendly, professional, able to answer questions and provide support - a top notch experience!”
- Gretchen Sanewsky, The Arc of Northwest Wayne County
“The students did remarkable work, interacting with residents, gathering user feedback and interpreting the results in an easily understandable manner. The students brought our ideas to life as it relates to user-friendly app that residents could use to track health outcomes and connect with their neighbors to support peer-to-peer encouragement on health goals.”
- Jeff Jones, HOPE Village Revitalization
“They contributed huge value as they fully designed a new website, taking into account members' interests and needs. This has saved us, a nonprofit, thousands of dollars and a lot of time! The students were engaged, serious and responsible. They did what they said they would do, showed up early to every meeting and listened carefully to us and our members. They are rockstars!”
- Sarai Brachman Shoup, Ann Arbor Track Club

Past Clients

Contact us

Engaged Learning Office | [email protected] | (734) 763-1251

Please complete this form to submit a project proposal for one of our client-based courses or other programs, or to receive information about these opportunities throughout the year.

UX Design: redesigning a mobile application