Drexel University’s Information Science course INFO 310 Human-Centered Design Processes & Methods has been selected to pilot a new student learning program by remote user research platform UsabilityHub.
Initiated in June 2021, UsabilityHub’s partnership with Drexel is providing free access to user testing for class participants. The CEO of UsabilityHub, Matt Milosavljevic, explains, “At UsabilityHub, our mission is to champion human-centered design by making user experience (UX) research accessible. Partnering with institutions like Drexel University furthers that mission by putting our platform into the hands of budding designers and researchers, introducing them to industry best practices.”
Taught by Assistant Teaching Professor Tim Gorichanaz, PhD, the class introduces students to the process of human-centered design of interactive user interfaces. “This course introduces students to the principles and practices of human-centered design, making sure that our products respond to human needs and values, including those of both direct and indirect stakeholders,” says Gorichanaz.
The Drexel professor pitched this partnership to UsabilityHub in order to empower students with real-world testing experience. “I am always looking for ways to give my students a chance to practice and build their skills with industry-standard products. I am grateful to be able to partner with UsabilityHub to offer our students access to their platform and testing panel for this course,” Gorichanaz adds.
Student Sharmin Kashem, BS data science ’25, reflects on leveraging UsabilityHub in class, remarking, “I used the site UsabilityHub to conduct user research for the low fidelity prototypes that my team was creating. UsabilityHub was an amazing resource that allowed me to reach out to countless users to make design choices which may have otherwise been impossible in such a short time period.”
Professor and Department Head of Information Science, Andrea Forte, PhD, emphasizes the value of this collaboration, saying, “Usability is fundamental to designing everything from medical information systems, to social media, to artificial intelligence. Access to professional tools and training is a fantastic opportunity for Drexel computing and informatics students who will design and develop the next generation of computing technologies and information environments.”
About Drexel University’s College of Computing & Informatics
Drexel’s College of Computing & Informatics (CCI) contributes to theory and practice along dimensions that include technical, human, organizational, policy and societal considerations. This broad perspective positions the College to address the complex, multi-disciplinary problems that are increasingly common as society becomes more dependent on information technology. CCI boasts one of the oldest continually ALA-accredited library and information science programs in the US: the Library and Information Science major in the College’s Master of Science in Information degree program.