Designing the Future with IxD
The ability for students to experience the growing technology and resources involved in the interactive design industry is at their fingertips.
Illustration of the Center for Media and Design Campus at Santa Monica College by Carolyn Burt | The Corsair
Santa Monica College (SMC) students have the opportunity to fully apply themselves to their passions by engaging in the Interactive Design Program. Interactive Design is a discipline that studies and develops technological methods for simple, comprehensive, and efficient communication of media between people and technology. The SMC program is accepting new applicants for Fall 2021, with the deadline to submit March 1 at 11:59 PST.
SMC was one out of the fifteen community colleges to pilot a bachelor's degree in January 2015. In May of that same year, SMC received the final approval from the California Community College Board of Governors and launched the IxD program in Fall of 2016. In the state of California, only two other private universities offer a bachelor’s degree in Interaction Design (IxD) or User Experience Design.
Since its launch, the program has hosted four cohorts of 20-25 students, exemplifying the school's willingness to create a strong foundation of design creatives and industry professionals.
Each facet of interaction design involves the capacity to focus on the user’s needs. This way of thinking and designing is constantly emerging in the ever-changing, digital society. “Students have these great opportunities to work with leading professionals who are our faculty and it can lead to all sorts of careers,” said Jeff Gordon, Project Manager of IxD.
The application for the IxD program is a free evaluative process and encouraged for students that are inclined to join this field. A wide range of educational backgrounds are eligible to apply to the IxD program; including a junior standing with 60 transferable units, those who have earned a previous Bachelor’s degree, International students, or graduates of a Graphic Design program.
Once a student is ready to start the application process, they must speak with an SMC IxD counselor to establish their Major Preparation Plan. The evaluation of transcripts, two personal essays, and a portfolio involving three to five projects will be taken into consideration once they apply for the intended semester.
These projects should be curated to showcase the student’s most relevant work. This aspect of the application must highlight the applicator’s interest and appreciation in design. Assessors will then analyze concepts, strategies, and one’s research design process when reviewing each application.
Due to distance learning and the intention for SMC to continue education remotely until Summer 2021, students under this program have had to adapt quickly to these changes. "A lot of the students at SMC and CMD who live in different cities outside of [Santa Monica] were kind of already slowly starting to do stuff remotely,” said Irene Rivera, a current student in the IxD program.
Designers are urged to remain flexible for their users. In order to build something useful and unique, great attention to detail is necessary for people pursuing IxD design. Understanding the user’s needs while balancing the needs of the industry is essential to design in a world full of technological advances. Creating a relationship while connecting with one another is a powerful process. It remains important to examine the impact within this field of work and how it has the ability to innovate our daily lives.
Brent Lawson, an SMC alumn, has applied his knowledge from the program in significant ways. As a Class of 2020 graduate, his advice to upcoming or current students, “Just trust in your vision. If it's weird then own that it’s weird, be weird. At the end of the day, design is a lot about failing.”
For more information on IxD program or how to apply, visit ixd.smc.edu.