Master in User Experience

We are a highly regarded University Centre for integrated training in the areas of design, innovation and technology, contributing to the invigoration and advancement of the Creative and Digital Industry.

With over ten years of experience and growth, there are currently 1,400 students receiving specialised official training in our classrooms.

ESNE academic staff meet the level of excellence demanded by ANECA. Our lecturers have a proven track record of professional experience in the creative and technology industries. ESNE also carries out intensive research and technology transfer through its R&D&I and its links to cutting edge companies in each design field.

Our passion for creativity, combined with new technology is embodied in our specialised state of the art facilities, making ESNE a leading University Centre in the training of the designers of the future. In particular, the students of the Master in User Experience in Design of Digital Products and Services have spaces for workshops to develop projects in the fields of innovation, design and technology.

In addition, Telefónica I + D makes its User Experience Lab available to students. These workspaces enhance and guarantee this Master's educational success.

 "User experience design determines the value of a communication service and the quality of experience for users. Compared with physical products, communication services are experiences, not things. Interaction design deals with intangible processes and services that cater to the preferences and needs of the individual"

John Thackara, expert usability and innovation designer

User Experience in Design of Digital Products and Services

User experience is decisive in the selling of goods and services, responding to new professional demands. There are disruptive factors based on the new technological uses and communicative practices between new generations, forcing the adaptation of the design of products to innovative and dynamic guidelines in line with these transformations. From the conviction of the need to adapt to the references that mark the technological and innovation fashions, the Master’s Degree in User Experience in Design of Digital Products and Services is born.

Its main objective is to train qualified professionals in one of the most demanding areas of work within the digital content industry. The Master’s is a pioneering response in Spain, consistent with the avant-garde alliance between ESNE-University School of Design, Innovation and Technology and Telefónica R & D, a pioneer in the creation of user experience teams (UX). The result, a training programme adjusted to the growing demand for employment in aspects previously neglected by higher education: Design focused on User Experience.

In addition, this programme is an innovative model in terms of University-Business collaboration. Activating the all-necessary knowledge transfer between both sectors and combining the consistency of university education with a professional avant-garde internship in digital content companies.

ESNE has many collaboration agreements with leading companies in this field, such as:

Skills

Understanding the contemporary debate on the design of user experience, its theoretical bases and the different perspectives from which it is addressed.

Analysing the results of user and contexts research and translate these into concepts of user experiences design.

Analysing the theoretical concepts of user experience design, applying them to the creation of products and services.

Effectively and creatively applying user experience design methodologies to develop products and services' experiences design projects, in their different stages.

Knowing the current theories, techniques and methods of identity design, information and interaction and applying them to the design of user experience for products and services.

Effectively and adequately using the techniques and methods of representation and visualisation to communicate design ideas and processes to different audiences.

Understanding and appreciating the influence of user experiences design in the process of innovation in products and services.

Student Profile

This master is especially interesting for designers of any field: architects, researchers of users' experience and behaviour, consumers, sociologists, psychologists, industrial engineers, computer experts or specialists in marketing, communication and business intelligence, wishing to acquire knowledge and skills for leadership positions within the broad professional field of User Experience.

Nowadays, in a buoyant market like this, there is a demand in different professional environments —large corporations, small and medium enterprises, start-ups, consultancies, etc. This master provides the opportunity to adapt prior knowledge, creative skills and personal concerns to respond to this new need.

Internships and Career Opportunities

The area of activity of these professionals is very broad and in constant growth, in both private and public sector companies. It is applicable to any area where goods and / or services are created for people, from banking services to mobile applications, review and redesign of hospital services, among others.

USER EXPERIENCE MANAGER / HEAD OF DESIGN / HEAD OF RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT / SENIOR DESIGN / RESEARCHER / SENIOR RESEARCHER AND INNOVATION STRATEGIST / SENIOR PRODUCT & SERVICE DESIGNER / UX LEAD / INNOVATION DESIGNER / UX COORDINATOR / UX ADVOCATE / DIGITAL STRATEGY

Since it is an official university master, it provides access to PhD programmes, paving the way for a prospective lecturing and research career in the University sector.

Admission Process

University Information and Orientation Departament: +34 915 522 528 postgrado@esne.es

Beginning your admission process:

——Delivery of documentation: A copy of your Degree certificate or academic transcript stating the completion of the university programme/ A photocopy of the DNI or passport / Updated CV

—— Interview with the Master's Academic Director.

—— Enrolling: Once notified, the candidate can formalise the enrolment by paying the registration fee.

Curriculum

60 ECTS · Year 2018/19

UX Design Fundamentals| 6 ECTS

New paradigms of design in the 21st century.

State of the art. The industry of digital products and services. UX challenges and opportunities.

The UX professional context. Organisational models (start-ups, consulting companies, departments within companies, etc.). The different disciplines involved in the process, related profiles, competencies and knowledge. The UX department of Telefonica's R&D department as a study model.

Introductory project workshop (Background and internal research, user research, design, prototype, testing and production, business, launch, measurement).

History, background and basics of UX. The different perspectives and their evolution towards a common body.

Design of Digital Products and Services / 6 ECTS

Products and Services: history and context. The role of the designer and their relationship with UX.

Fundamentals of Strategic Design: Creation of value, vision and narrative.

Methodologies: Teamwork and alignment of actors with Design Thinking in Agile, Lean or Waterfall contexts.

Processes and tools: Exploration, conceptualisation, prototyping, implementation, launch and follow-up. Metrics and validation throughout the process.

Innovation / 3 ECTS

Introduction to Innovation: Frameworks and perspectives. Evolutionary vs. Revolutionary Innovation.

Innovation in products and services.

Innovation in business processes and models.

Social innovation.

Business Models / 3 ECTS credits

Review of the business perspective in the development of products and services.

Business Strategy Design.

Business models. Analysis of business models in high-uncertainty environments. The evolution of business models.

Successful metrics, company performance metrics and product /service metrics.

General design principles / 6 ECTS

Introduction. The multiple dimensions of the design context and its influence on the user experience.

Psychology and Physiology in Design and Communication.

Theories of Design. Vocabulary and grammar.

Theories and principles of design. Behavioural principles.

Research on User Experience / 6 ECTS credits 

What is UX Research?

Objectives and problems covered by UX Research.

Role of UX research in the development of products and services.

Stages of the research process. Activities and challenges of research projects.

Methodologies and qualitative & quantitative research techniques in UX.

Sampling, sample selection, user typologies.

Analysis: Data interpretation, hypotheses generation and information modelling.

Tools for gathering information from users. Deliverables and information-sharing artefacts.

Emerging Technologies | 3 ECTS

Emerging technologies´ social, cultural and ethical impact on society and on human behaviour.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

Big Data.

The design of products and services and user experience in the context of ubiquitous computing or IoT.

Internet of things.

The process of product design, development, industrial manufacturing and life cycle.

Impact on design.

Academic research methodologies / 6 ECTS

Academic research methodologies: analysis and conceptualisation, design and scheduling, development, analysis and validation of models, and techniques & tools for outreaching research.

Research areas in User Experience Design:

People / users: users research, models and psychological theories.

Products / artefacts: the product as a starting point for the UX design.

User / product: interaction between user and product.

The social nature of User Experience: theories about relationships and communication between people.

Design: Contribution of design theories to User Experience.

UX Management | 6 ECTS

The managers and leaders of UX. Skills, responsibilities and knowledge to be a good leader. Types of leaders. Self-knowledge: first step to lead. Professional development plan.

The UX team. Profiles and disciplines. Team and organisational structures models. Team building, attracting talent, recruitment and selection processes. CV and portfolio.

Leadership and UX team development. Collaborative work.

UX project management. Typologies, time scheduling and resources. Budgets and incident management.

Interdisciplinary work, communication inside and outside the team, and UX Community.

External Internships | 6 ECTS

Professional internships in companies, aimed at students wishing to pursue a professional career; students will be integrated into a team, putting their acquired knowledge into practice in a real environment.

Master’s Thesis | 9 ECTS

Conception and development of a cutting-edge design project in an area of interest, applying all the acquired knowledge and intellectual, technical and professional skills.

Contents

The curriculum integrates and delves into the multiple disciplines involved in the creation process and in all aspects of the user's interaction with a product or service that enable an improved commercial or communicative interaction. This Master provides a deep theoretical and practical knowledge of the social, technological, business and corporate context in the conception of innovative products and services, from the perspective of the experience they provide to the user, as well as the tools, techniques and methods necessary for both the current practice of the profession and innovation itself.

On the other hand, the program helps to develop the student's research ability. The planning of subjects is based on project knowledge criteria to respond to the development stages of a design project focused on UX, fostering development of both skills and subject matter. These skills will be acquired in a cross-curricular way in all subjects and in a specific way in each module.

Methodology

The program combines the development of group projects —which reinforce learning by reproducing the professional environment— together with a structured plan of study, readings, seminars and short project assignments.

It is complemented with master classes and lectures given by guest UX expert professionals belonging to the different business sectors.

In order to approach user experience design from different professional perspectives, the practical methodology of this Master is based on the development of projects, active participation in the classroom and multidisciplinary teamwork. The different knowledge and skills of the students contribute to the development of constructive and collaborative learning.

Academic Staff

Delfina Morán

Master’s Director. She has a PhD in Design from the University of Malaga, and has extensive experience as an Interaction Designer, combined with her teaching and research activity.

Maripaz Madrid

Maripaz has more than 25 years’ experience in managing teams and projects; she is responsible for the building of the UX team for Telefónica R&D as an UX Manager. MA in Humanistic Counselling, she is focused (and always has been) on the development and personal & professional growth of people.

Michael Thompson

For more than 25 years he has held positions of responsibility in the areas of Product, Marketing and User Experience for companies such as Apple and SAP, and he recently was UX Global Director of Telefónica R & D. His expertise encompasses start-ups to large companies, including the management of a package of products with more than € 200m in annual revenue. Michael has 3 patents for his innovations.

Francisco Javier Zorzano

Telecommunications Engineer from the UPM of Madrid. He led the Physical Internet Lab of Telefónica R & D, where they progressed to integrate the Maker world and interaction design with mobile communications. Head of Technology of IoT Devices for Telefónica.

Javier Sierra

Design Researcher with more than a decade of experience in Design and Innovation processes. He has worked for companies such as Telefónica and Fjord. He currently leads the User Experience Research activities for ING Spain.

Beatriz Horcajo

Beatriz is a researcher in the field of User Experience. At present, her work is focused on speeding up research on innovation projects, where she channels the results and findings into high impact decisions on product design.

Nicola Vittori

Senior Products and Services Designer. His work focuses on interaction, and he combines his career with his activity as a teacher in the field of Design and User Experience.

Guido García Bernard

Telecommunications Engineer from the University of Valladolid. He has more than 15 years of experience technically leading different software projects for companies in the Telecom sector. He currently works as a software architect in Telefónica R & D.

David Jiménez

Responsible for Training and Development in the Global Areas of Telefónica, ICF-Coach and member of the Executive Committee of the International Organization of Human Capital Directors (DCH).

Rafael Conde

PhD in Sociology. Expert in user studies, HCI, usability, accessibility, gamification and serious gaming. Researcher in national & international projects related to UX for complex collectives.

Marta Pérez García

PhD in Design-Driven Innovation. She has worked in different markets and countries committed to the identification of consumer insights, development of new innovation processes and methodologies and ideas management. She is an expert in UX research in Aura, Telefónica R + D's Artificial Intelligence project.

Anxo López

PhD from the Alfonso X El Sabio University. He currently works as Design Strategist in BBVA 's Design Team. His professional experience is linked to Design as a strategic role; first in XVDMC, later as an independent professional and finally, in Designit.

Emnuela Mazzone

She is an expert in Interaction and Usability Design and has a PhD in co-design methods. She is a UX researcher with more than 10 years of experience in international R + D projects.

Carolina Vázquez

Telecommunications Engineer with vast experience in project management in the field of electronic health (eHealth). Specialised in R + D + i management through finding calls for proposals, their preparation and final justification.