Designing for People (DFP)

Designing For People (DFP) specialization

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is an interdisciplinary field of study that explores human behaviour in technology-rich environments with the goal of informing the design and testing of new technologies. UBC offers a collaborative, cross-disciplinary program called Designing for People (DFP). The DFP is a research-oriented program, structured as 12 credits of specialization components that enrich another degree program. The specialization includes a dedicated project course and a research thesis or major research project supervised by a DFP-affiliated iSchool faculty member. Students receive a degree in their home department, but their program is enhanced with core knowledge from anchor courses and electives in the areas of design and HCI.

The DFP program is open to graduate students from participating units across UBC, including MLIS, Dual and PhD students at the iSchool. Interested students are encouraged to apply to the DFP program as soon as they have been accepted to the iSchool (PhD) or during their first year in the program (Masters). Most iSchool DFP students join the DFP in their second year. The first step in applying is to find an iSchool DFP faculty member willing to sponsor the application and serve as research supervisor. The list of DFP faculty is available on the DFP website.

Each DFP cohort begins in September of any given year. The Core consists of DFP Fundamentals (Term 1; iSchool students can take LIBR 555 instead); and the program’s centerpiece DFP Project (Term 2), a team-based project sponsored by industry and public-sector partners. iSchool students in the DFP must complete a thesis or major research project in the design/HCI area as part of their graduate program.

Questions?

To learn more about this specialization, contact Luanne Sinnamon or visit the DFP at UBC website.