Siebel Center for Design

Courses

Learn and practice design thinking and human-centered design with our "DTX" courses

SCD uses our research to develop content for our courses, and creates unique offerings in partnership with instructors and colleges. Our own "DTX" course code stands for "Design Thinking & X", meaning any discipline could combine with human-centered design. 

Our DTX courses range from an introduction to Design Thinking to specialty capstones.  These courses allow students to take a deeper dive into the key principles and mindsets of Design Thinking and learn how they can apply this to their specific fields. To enhance the connection to real-world situations, many of our adjunct instructors are primarily brought in from industry.

Full DTX Course Catalog

Fall 2026 Courses

DTX 180 | Exercising Empathy

This course emphasizes the role that empathy can play in everything we do. Understanding empathy throughout our lives enables us to live a full and intentional life. How do we become compassionate people? When we approach trying to solve problems in our world, how do we ensure that we consider others, their perspectives and their needs? This course will provide students with a foundational understanding of empathy and engage them in empathetic practices such as observation, interaction, and perspective taking.

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16 Week Course, In Person
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for: Social & Beh Sci - Beh Sci

DTX 221 | Human-Centered Design Across Disciplines

Lecture, discussion, and case studies provide a foundation for examining the Human-Centered Design (HCD) process. Key stages—assessing needs, synthesizing insights, ideating, prototyping, and implementation—are explored alongside applications in technology, healthcare, education, and social services. Theoretical exploration highlights ethical considerations, common challenges, and emerging trends. By analyzing real-world examples, students develop a deep understanding of how HCD shapes innovation and drives meaningful impact across fields.

 

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16 Week Course, In Person

DTX 451 | Introduction to Design Thinking

Provides a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design. Students will analyze and reflect on design challenges as well as participate in human-centered design while working collaboratively on group projects. Through project work, students will learn methods to perform initial research and project scoping, conduct interviews, create journey maps and wireframes, brainstorm and propose ideas, plan and develop prototypes to communicate and test ideas.

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16 Week Course, In Person

DTX 495 | Special Topics in Design Thinking

Student-Centered App Design is an 8-week, project-based course that focuses on using Human-Centered Design (HCD) principles to examine the needs of students at the University of Illinois and reimagine a student-centered app experience. During this course, you will work in teams to identify opportunities, brainstorm ideas, create wireframes, test prototypes, and refine your app concepts. By the end of the course, you will develop a more thorough understanding of HCD methodologies and gain iterative experience in app design, preparing you for future projects in the field. Students from all academic backgrounds are encouraged to enroll, as no prior programming or design experience is required, but DTX495: Introduction to UX Theory and Tools is recommended as a precursor for students interested in more practical hands-on training with popular UX design tools like Figma.

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8 Week Course
In Person

An exploration of questions at the intersection of ethics and human centered technology design. We will be focusing on the “empathize” component within human centered learning principles, to best serve others in designing products that serve others. As well as observing subjects through an empathetic and ethical lens, such as; data, environmental stability, artificial intelligence, apps and social media, content truth/validity, physical and mental health, and equity/inclusion. How do we design a humane world? Please contact Siebel Center for Design (designcenter@illinois.edu) with questions.

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8 Week Course
Online Asynchronous

Introduction to UX Theory and Tools is a foundational course aimed at providing students with an initial grasp of the theoretical principles fundamental to User Experience (UX) Design, along with practical hands-on training in essential UX tools. The curriculum delves into key concepts of UX, encompassing user psychology, interaction design, information architecture, and usability principles.

Moreover, the course offers interactive sessions to familiarize students with popular UX design tools like Figma, with a focus on wireframing, prototyping, and collaboration functionalities. Through a blend of lectures, workshops, and project-based tasks, students will develop beginner-level proficiency in utilizing these tools to create and assess effective user interfaces. Upon completion, students will have acquired introductory knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate the usability of digital products and create functional prototypes.

Students from all academic backgrounds are encouraged to enroll in this hands-on course, as no prior programming or design experience is required. This course is recommended as a precursor for DTX 495: Student-Centered App Design, and other similar courses on campus.

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16 Week Course
In Person

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! Please send your request and UIN to designcenter@illinois.edu.

No—DTX 499 no longer requires instructor approval to register. However, because this is a capstone-level course, students are expected to enter with foundational experience in human-centered design. To be successful in DTX 499, you should have:

  • Completed DTX 451: Introduction to Design Thinking or another DTX course OR

  • Gained equivalent experience through project work that involved understanding user needs, synthesizing insights, generating ideas, and prototyping solutions.

If you are brand new to design thinking or have not applied the HCD process before, we strongly recommend taking DTX 451: Introduction to Design Thinking before enrolling in DTX 499. This ensures that all students begin the capstone with a shared foundational skill set and can fully participate in the fast-paced, project-driven experience.

Please send your request and UIN to designcenter@illinois.edu