“User experience (UX) focuses on having a deep understanding of users, what they need, what they value, their abilities, and also their limitations. It also takes into account the business goals and objectives of the group managing the project. UX best practices promote improving the quality of the user’s interaction with and perceptions of your product and any related services.”
— Source: www.usability.gov
How are college campuses changing to accommodate the evolving modes of when, where and how students learn?
The 2018 SCUP Pacific Regional Conference focused on that question, with a theme of “Student UX (User Experience): A Network for Success”. TLCD’s Senior Interior Designer, Suzanne Nagorka and I recently attended the conference held at the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.
The SCUP Conference is a great opportunity to keep up to date with current and future trends in teaching and learning environments, and participate in the constructive dialogue. This year’s conference hosted dozens of workshops, including topics like social equity, active learning, live/learn communities, student engagement, wayfinding, healthy buildings, and planning for changing labor markets. We found numerous parallels with Sonoma State University’s Wine Spectator Learning Center which we recently completed.
As part of the Conference, we were able to take guided tours of local completed projects that encompass many components of the Student UX theme. Two of my favorite tours were the Getty Center and the renovation of the Pauley Pavilion. As a big sports fan, I loved the opportunity to see some of the behind the scenes spaces in a newly modernized major athletic facility.
There were also many great networking opportunities interspersed between the workshops and tours to mingle with colleagues, consultants, and representatives from various colleges and universities. As a result, we are exploring a new collaborative venture for a student housing project that we’re really excited about!
Brian Wright, Education Practice Leader, TLCD