Siebel Center for Design

Sample Course Offerings

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? Students will be introduced to six core values to form a foundational understanding of empathy: collaboration, open-mindedness, empiricism, human factors, context, and reflection.

This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in Fall 2025 for: Social & Beh Sci - Beh Sci

DTX 451 | Introduction to Design Thinking

Provides a hands-on introduction to the fundamentals of Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design. Students review, analyze, and reflect on completed design challenges employing the human-centered design (HCD) approach. Students experience HCD while working collaboratively on a semester-long project. Students learn methods to perform initial research, project scoping, conduct interviews, create journey maps and wireframes, brainstorm and propose ideas, and plan for prototyping. Students also learn to implement and develop storytelling and critiquing skills.

DTX 495 | Special Topics in Design Thinking

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?

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.

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.

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.