Lindsey Wilson College has partnered with the Louisville Center for Design (LC4D) to create a Masters of Interactive Design program. I’ve been accepted as a charter student scheduled to graduate in the fall of 2016, and I’m extremely excited for the opportunity.
In the past, I’ve had little success finding an accredited graduate-level program that matched my design/development philosophy. LC4D offers continued education that matches my goals at a price I can afford.
Developing my skills
Like most developers, I began by hand-coding HTML, CSS and a bit of Javascript—which laid the groundwork for my front-end skill set. In college, I added back-end development skills by earning a Computer Science degree.
Most developers stop there. And that’s okay. But in advertising, I think continuing to learn and keep up with current trends in critical. That’s why I wanted to master the art of developing sites with exceptional usability and intuitive design.
All of my courses in the Interactiive Design program are focused on the human element of projects and the user’s interaction/experience with the website, application or interface. And we all know the importance of good UX.
Developing for Humans
The three classes I am currently taking are: Theories of Interaction Design, Visualizing the Human Experience and Information & Interface Design. Each class has overlapping principles that are constantly being reinforced from a different perspective.
Currently, I’m enjoying all of the courses. But if I was forced to pick a favorite, it would have to be Information & Interface Design. The course material directly relates to my day-to-day work at Current360 and gives me some insight into the mind of an art director—which is sometimes hard for developers to understand. Plus, it’s always nice to be able to learn new skills at night and apply them at work the next day.
Many of us at Current360 take the extra time to improve our skills, develop new expertise or continue our education. For me, it was a natural next step.
Stay tuned for more updates about the things I’m learning as we dig deeper into the material.
