Software Design for Non-Designers

The Software for Non-Designers interactive course aims to explain common aspects of design as way to improve user experience in software engineering, and will provide an introduction to a few basic steps you can apply to your next project. It is taught by Scott Klemmer from UC San Diego, and a team of design-driven development experts from SAP.

In this course you will:

• Grow an understanding of the relevance of design to the development of quality products
• Learn how to extend the current sense of "product quality" to include delighting end users
• Understand the role of designers, developers and development architects, product managers, and business experts in design
• Become familiar with the skills and resources you will need to design and build quality products
• Deepen your knowledge of design and the work of designers with development and other teams
• Get familiar with how good design can become a part of your daily work

Course structure:

Each class includes five components to make learning more effective and more fun.

• Video Lectures – Design thought leaders presenting topics with examples drawn from various sources
• Check Points – Each lecture will pause at key points for a brief quiz so you can assess your understanding of the materials presented thus far
• Hands-on Exercise – Small, manageable exercises related to and extending the class topics, to be completed individually or in collaboration
• Further Reading and Resources – Annotated links to additional class materials as well as topic experts and other sources of guidance

Throughout the course, students will receive points for weekly challenges. Upon completion of the course, students will receive a document confirming course participation.

• Week 1 - What is design and why design matters: Design thinking, design practice, and the language of design
• Week 2 - Design Process: The software interface design process, roles and concepts
• Week 3 - Needs finding: Understanding the needs of the people you are designing for.
• Week 4 - Conceptual Design: Matching product design to the work of the user
• Week 5 - High Fidelity Design: Simple, yet impactful considerations when design software applications.
• Week 6: Design at work: A peek behind the scenes of how software design works at SAP.