DS/CS-488 / DS/CS-688 · UI/UX and Product Design Practicum
A Spark practicum in product and design work: user research, prototyping, critique, partner conversations, and the choices that make an interface usable by someone other than the team that built it.
DS/CS-488 and DS/CS-688 extend the Spark practicum model into product and design. Students work with partners, frame user needs, prototype interfaces and workflows, and explain design decisions under real constraints.
What students practice
The course emphasizes user research, product judgment, prototyping, critique, and clear explanation. It complements the software and machine-learning practica by putting more attention on the product choices that make technical work useful.
My connection
I oversee and support this course as part of the Spark/CDS practicum ecosystem. I am not the primary instructor.
Past terms
- Spring 2026
- Fall 2025
- Spring 2025
- Fall 2024
- Spring 2024
- Fall 2023
- Spring 2023