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I went to Northeastern and my undergrad degree was in "Information Science" program which is a mix of HCI/Usability/Com Sci, though it's an unfortunate name for

by torme 16y ago

I went to Northeastern and my undergrad degree was in "Information Science" program which is a mix of HCI/Usability/Com Sci, though it's an unfortunate name for the major as most people have no idea what it means. There was very little focus on web technologies and more of a focus on interaction principles as you said. I don't know that I wanted to take an HTML/CSS/JS class, but I always wished that my major involved some more design type classes to hone people into that type of career more. I love doing front end work, but I think at this point I lack the design skills to do be an effective employee in that sense.

elbrodeur 16y ago
I think HCI -- even though it's a relatively new program in most schools -- is a response to a problem a decade late. For reasons good and bad, Academia can't keep up with Moore's Law. First, you don't want to build a major for every new technology; the half life of most technologies is very short. Second, sifting the cruft from the stuff that will outlive the specific technology (think personal updates vs. friendster -> myspace -> facebook -> twitter) is difficult. So you end up with a compromise: A school of thought that teaches (or tries to) timeless principles of interaction. This is an incredible advancement in education, but unfortunately means less to someone looking for employment right out of college. The problem is that UI and UX are a mix of science -- something taught at universities and colleges -- and what is traditionally relegated to vocational schools. It's not an applied science; it's more like being a mechanic or someone who makes those really fancy import cars even fancier. The solution, I think, is going to be a long way off; universities will have to hire people that teach more about the history of design, what people are accustomed to and expect, what interfaces work and why and how to design for people whose aesthetic changes once every couple years. Art schools will have to hire hardcore CS people to teach rock solid foundations of logic, how languages work, etc etc...

by torme 16y ago

elbrodeur 16y ago

I think HCI -- even though it's a relatively new program in most schools -- is a response to a problem a decade late. For reasons good and bad, Academia can't keep up with Moore's Law. First, you don't want to build a major for every new technology; the half life of most technologies is very short. Second, sifting the cruft from the stuff that will outlive the specific technology (think personal updates vs. friendster -> myspace -> facebook -> twitter) is difficult. So you end up with a compromise: A school of thought that teaches (or tries to) timeless principles of interaction. This is an incredible advancement in education, but unfortunately means less to someone looking for employment right out of college. The problem is that UI and UX are a mix of science -- something taught at universities and colleges -- and what is traditionally relegated to vocational schools. It's not an applied science; it's more like being a mechanic or someone who makes those really fancy import cars even fancier. The solution, I think, is going to be a long way off; universities will have to hire people that teach more about the history of design, what people are accustomed to and expect, what interfaces work and why and how to design for people whose aesthetic changes once every couple years. Art schools will have to hire hardcore CS people to teach rock solid foundations of logic, how languages work, etc etc...