BA (Hons) Information and Interface Design

Content

BA (Hons) Information and Interface Design is a design-led, digitally focused course, exploring user experience (UX) and user interface design (UID) for current and emerging technologies.

The course offers a rigorous, practice-based design education, with a thorough grounding in the digital skills of coding, animation and information design – required to work in this expanding area of design.

The course embraces code as a creative medium and prepares communication designers to work in specialised screen-based areas, such as design for the web, app design, interactive data visualisation and in emerging areas such as wearable technology and augmented reality.

Interface design is growing enormously, as digital products and services proliferate at ever increasing speed, via the spread of digital devices and the internet.

The course produces industry-ready designers, with a creative, practical and critical understanding of new technologies, who are excited by the potential of digital design practice.

The course introduces you to the core competencies of graphic and information design, alongside animation for design and coding for the web.

One fundamental skill for a designer working is in this area is the ability to coherently structure visual information. You will work on set projects that develop this ability, as well as an applied digital skill set.

You will start to explore more complex interactivity and larger data sets which will prepare you for the UX/UI design studio. Here you can apply both design and digital skills and produce web interface and app solutions.

At the end of this year, you can apply these skills to areas of emerging technology, such as augmented reality and wearable tech.

The Diploma in Professional Studies is an optional placement year in industry between the second and third year of the course. It is a managed year of professional experience, largely undertaken in the design profession in a variety of national and international locations.

Successful candidates are selected on a competitive basis from academic performance and studentship, successful completion of the DPS bridging studies and by portfolio and proposal. Please view the Diploma in Professional Studies Programme Specification (PDF - 120KB) for more details.

In Year Three you'll have the opportunity to produce a range of project work, from professional competition briefs to an extended major project. You will build a portfolio that enables you to progress into the digital industries or further study.

The digital industries demand designers that have a strong user-centered understanding of visual information and information design and who also understand how to create compelling micro-narratives and bring information environments to life.

BA (Hons) Information and Interface Design provides an opportunity to study in an applied context highly aligned to professional practice.

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Monday 24 September – Friday 7 December 2018

Monday 7 January – Friday 15 March 2019

Monday 15 April – Friday 21 June 2019

Course units

In common with all courses at the University of the Arts London, this course is credit-rated. The course is 3 years, levels 4-6. Each year requires you to achieve 120 credit points. To be awarded the BA (Hons) Information and Interface Design qualification, you need to accumulate a total of 360 credits.

Units summary:

• Introduction to Information and Interface Design (20 credits)
• Information Visualisation and Typography (40 Credits)
• Animation and Coding for the Web (40 Credits)
• Contextual and Theoretical Studies 1 (20 Credits)

Units summary:

• User Experience, User Interface, UX/UI Design Studio (40 Credits)
• Interactive Data Visualisation Studio (40 Credits)
• Collaborative Unit (20 Credits)
• Contextual and Theoretical Studies 2 (20 Credits)

Units summary:

Route A:

• Digital Design Portfolio (40 credits)
• Contextual and Theoretical Studies 3 (40 credits)
• Major Digital Project (40 credits)

Route B:

• Digital Design Portfolio (40 credits)
• Contextual and Theoretical Studies 3 (20 credits)
• Competition Projects (20 credits)
• Major Digital Project (40 credits)

The information outlined is an indicative structure of the course. Whilst we will aim to deliver the course as described on this page, there may be situations where it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, for example, because of regulatory requirements or operational efficiencies, before or after enrolment. If this occurs, we will communicate all major changes to all applicants and students who have either applied or enrolled on the course.

Please note that due to staff research agreements or availability, not all of the optional modules listed may be available every year.

In addition, the provision of course options which depend upon the availability of specialist teaching, or on a placement at another institution, cannot be guaranteed. Please check this element of the course with the course team before making a decision to apply.

We will update this webpage from time to time with new information as it becomes available. In the meantime, if you have any questions, use our online course enquiry form.

BA Information and Interface Design Programme Specification 2017/18 (PDF - 308KB)

Staff Course Leader

John Fass

Tobias Revell

Dr Ian Hague

Teaching on BA (Hons) Information and Interface Design is complemented by visiting lectures from a range of industry practitioners working across the design spectrum. Previous guest lecturers so far have included the likes of Max Gadney from design agency After the Flood and Hem Patel of Signal Noise.