August 06, 2021

Evolving to align with the needs of one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, Drexel Westphal is excited to introduce the undergraduate degree in User Experience (UX) & Interaction Design (IxD). Formerly titled Interactive Digital Media, the User Experience & Interaction Design (UXID) program will continue to offer a cutting-edge curriculum that emphasizes creativity, versatility, and an interdisciplinary skillset. With this program name change, we hope to reflect current industry nomenclature and reach students who are hungry for an immersive and interdisciplinary education. 

“UX is growing,” says User Experience & Interaction Design Program Director Troy Finamore. “It’s one of the top-growing industries. Ten years ago, no one knew what the term was, and now students are looking specifically for user experience design majors.”

Where other programs in UX and interactivity may focus primarily on the psychology of user experience or the technical side of coding and development, Drexel Westphal’s program takes a holistic approach.

User Experience & Interaction Design at Drexel is built on three pillars:

• Research and Analysis: Our students conduct market research and business analysis and study the human principles underpinning user experience to drive design decisions.
• User Interface/Interaction Design: With a foundation in aesthetics and hands-on experience with design tools and technologies, students create visual experiences for technology products.
• Code and Development: Our students master coding languages (HTML/CSS, JavaScript, PHP/MySQL, XCode-Swift , etc...) to make tech products work in a variety of media.

By mastering the research, design, and technical aspects of interactivity and multimedia, our students enter the competitive job market with a diverse set of highly adaptable skills. Graduates of User Experience & Interaction Design find careers in UX design, User Interface Design, market research and analysis, web and mobile app development, information architecture, content strategy, and even project management.

“The program is for anybody who loves and wants to play in the tech sphere, even if they’re not sure where they want to go but know they want to work for an interactive agency in some capacity,” Finamore says. “They can come here to learn code, learn design, learn research and find out what fits. Then they can take electives and workshops to focus on the skills of the job they want to do. The whole tech sphere is opened up to our graduates.” 

Anticipating continued growth and evolution in the tech sector, User Experience & Interaction Design looks forward to aligning further with industry through its curriculum and co-op opportunities for students.

Learn more about User Experience & Interaction Design at Drexel.