MCH2010 : Mobile App Design Through Prototyping (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Mr Chris Falzon
- Owning School: Arts & Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
- Capacity limit: 36 student places
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
1. To instil an understanding of the importance of Application Design through grounding principles of user experience research practice.
2. To consider and practically assess the suitability and effectiveness of various design forms of online information.
3. To practice analysis techniques to produce an enhanced user experience for existing content.
4. To assist students in developing skills in researching, analytical report writing and professional communication.
Outline Of Syllabus
Drawing on the disciplines of journalism, graphic design, psychology and usability research, this practical, hands-on module will develop your understanding of a user’s engagement and interaction with online content. It will introduce you to the concepts of Prototyping, User Testing, and Information Architecture Analysis. The end goal is to highlight and give you practical experience of techniques to improve the experience of users (readers) by the adaption of online content.
Building on the practical foundation and skillset acquired from stage 1 ('Skills and Methods in Digital Cultures' or 'Introduction to Multimedia'), this syllabus will extend existing knowledge of basic content generation to incorporate a practical framework to analyse the effectiveness of presented content.
Although online content is integral to this module, students are not expected to generate new content for this module but to analyse and test how existing content is being engaged with, produce a detailed analytical report to recommend design amendments that will enhance the user experience, and to create a prototype that will demonstrate its effectiveness.
Student assessment is through an individual three-week study into the effectiveness of a mobile app, website, or specific online feature, and the production of a 2000-word analytical report.
The topics covered in this module may include:
Introducing the notion of User Experience (UX).
UX examples of good practice.
Setting up an analytical framework.
Exploring the psychology of user interactions.
Analytical and practical methods to explore effectiveness of design.
Prototyping Methodology
The shifting paradigms of user experience.
Practical testing and research considerations.
Experimental reporting conventions.
Statistical validation of a hypothesis.
Outlining recommendations in a report.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 50:00 | 50:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 11 | 2:00 | 22:00 | Selective research/reading as directed by academic staff. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 2 | 3:00 | 6:00 | Review sessions to receive individual feedback on analysis techniques. |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 1 | 50:00 | 50:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 9 | 2:00 | 18:00 | Practical engagement with user experience analysis |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 45:00 | 45:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The module will be taught through a combination of lecture (LO 1-4) and Workshops to practice the core skills (LO 5-8) and how they relate to the theory. The Small group teaching sessions in the third and seventh week will provide relevant and timely feedback on specific practical task-based activities in preparation for the assessment activity that will assess all the Learning Outcomes (LO 1-8).
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical/lab report | 1 | M | 100 | 2000-word analytical report plus evidence of user-testing and prototyping |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | Analysis task set in week 3, 300-500 words. |
| Written exercise | 1 | M | Analysis Report task set in week 7. 200-400 words. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The formative assessment components are designed to both test knowledge and understanding of core concepts and definitions integral to the Learning outcomes (LO 1-4) as well as provide two opportunities for students to practice their practical skills in method selection, prototyping, analysis and reporting (LO 5-8). The Practical/Lab report at the end of this process, along with its associated coursework will provide a succinct means to measure the effectiveness of the student’s application and understanding of all the Learning Outcomes and to build upon the formative feedback received earlier.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MCH2010's Timetable