The Interdisciplinary Aspect of Senior Projects
Sarah Immel, a senior double majoring in human computer interactions and English writing studies, is using the Honors program as a way to merge the different interests in her majors and design interdisciplinary projects.
This semester, Sarah took HN 400, a one credit class where Honors seniors complete an individual project with faculty support and guidance. This class caters completely to the individual students’ majors and interests to allow them to design a project that can be a jumping off point for their future.
Sarah used HN 400 to design a project that she believes will address a gap that currently exists with User Experience software design.
“In UX [User Expereince], we have a lot of research on the ways that software can be addictive, manipulative, and generally harmful for its users, but we don’t really have a framework for designing against those tendencies. My project proposes a framework for ‘modest design’ as a starting point for conversation in the UX community: how can we actively resist manipulative design patterns and create digital experiences which take the users’ well-being into account?” she said.
Sarah was excited that this project will allow her to address a common problem that affects almost everyone. She also appreciates the opportunity this project gave her to network with people of many different backgrounds and professions.
At the end of the project, Sarah hopes to have fostered a “community of like-minded designers and developers willing to work together to refine these ideas and set new standards for user-centric design.”
After Sarah graduates she will attend the Narrative Futures: Art, Data, Society Master’s program at the University of Edinburgh. Through this program she will be able to continue exploring the social, political, and ethical dimensions of data and emerging technology through a narrative lens.