UXD in Theory and in Practice
Through a mix of theoretical and hands-on approaches, UXD students work collaboratively and intensively on a variety of design problems ranging from widespread digital systems (e.g., desktop, website, mobile) to emerging HCI paradigms (e.g., conversational interfaces, wearables, virtual and augmented reality). The concentration emphasizes interdisciplinary design thinking and knowledge translation through a User-Centred Design (UCD) approach.
Project-based design-oriented classes allow students to gain transferable insights into complex problems, to work with experts in other fields, to learn how to communicate across disciplines. Individually, in small groups, or in collaborative studios, students engage with every stage of the UXD process – ideation, data gathering, analysis, designing, prototyping, and evaluation.
Throughout their UXD journey, each student is also building a portfolio of their completed projects to define their professional identity as they prepare to design new products, publish original research, work for industry leaders, start businesses, and shape future innovation.
UXD Graduates: Where are they now?
Adam Joaquin (MI, Class of 2024)
Adam recently supported the launch of a digital resource hub for the Ontario government, designed to support individuals in their educational and career journeys. Following the launch, he led post-launch UX initiatives for further product enhancements. He now works as a Senior Service Designer continuing to support digital transformation for the Ontario Public Service.
Tiffany Lee (MI, Class of 2023)
Tiffany did a double concentration in UXD and HCDS. She valued the close-knit cohort, interactive discussions and practical assignments examining real-world ethical dilemmas. She credits the iSchool with not only equipping her with design and coding skills, but encouraging her and her peers to transform the information ecosystem into a more humane and inclusive space. She is now a UX designer at Rainforest Connection.
Abigael Pamintuan (MI, Class of 2021)
Abigael, who specialized in UXD, did her co-op at Autodesk and then accepted a permanent job there as a UX designer. Based in Toronto, Abigael is part of a geographically scattered team who work on ShotGrid, a production management and pipeline tool used in television and gaming.
Academic Concentration Requirements
MI students enrolled in 2025 and later
- Students must successfully complete a total of 8.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
- 3.0 required FCEs:
- 5.0 elective FCEs.
- The UX Portfolio (0.0 FCE) asynchronous course with portfolio milestone submissions
- Note: of the total 8.0 FCEs for this option, 0.5 FCE must come from each of the following four Professional Requirements areas: Technical, Managerial, Professional Values, and Critical Perspectives. This requirement can be fulfilled by required and elective courses for each concentration.
*All UXD students are automatically enrolled in this course in September of their first year, and they remain in it throughout their MI.
- Students must successfully complete a total of 8.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
- Thesis (2.0 FCEs)
- 3.0 required FCEs:
- Research Methods course (0.5 FCE)
- Reading course (0.5 FCE)
- 2.0 elective FCEs
- The UX Portfolio (0.0 FCE) asynchronous course with portfolio milestone submissions
- Note: of the total 8.0 FCEs for this option, 0.5 FCE must come from each of the following four Professional Requirements areas: Technical, Managerial, Professional Values, and Critical Perspectives. This requirement can be fulfilled by required and elective courses for each concentration.
- Students must successfully complete a total of 8.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
- Co-op (1.0 FCE), plus the Co-op Independent Modules (0.0 FCE)
- 3.0 required FCEs:
- 4.0 elective FCEs
- The UX Portfolio (0.0 FCE) asynchronous course with portfolio milestone submissions
- Note: of the total 8.0 FCEs for this option, 0.5 FCE must come from each of the following four Professional Requirements areas: Technical, Managerial, Professional Values, and Critical Perspectives. This requirement can be fulfilled by required and elective courses for each concentration.
Continuous enrollment
All UXD students are automatically enrolled in this course in September of their first year, and they remain in it throughout their MI.
INF3999YY UX Portfolio 0.0 Credits
This course has no scheduled class times. Students complete independent learning activities and submit two portfolio milestones: one after completing INF1611H and one before beginning INF2192H
Year 1 required courses
In Year 1, students are recommended to complete the following mandatory UXD courses, as well as 1.5 FCEs in elective courses.
INF1610H User Experience (UX) Foundations 0.5 Credits
Year 1 Fall
INF1611H User Experience (UX) Design Studio 0.5 Credits
Year 1 Fall
* Students can submit their first UX Portfolio milestone after completing INF1611H.
INF2170H Information Architecture 0.5 Credits
Typically Year 1 Fall
INF2169H Exploratory User Research 0.5 Credits
Typically Year 1 Winter
(formerly User-Centred Information Systems Development)
INF2191H User Interface Design 0.5 Credits
Year 1 Winter
Successful completion of INF1610H, INF1611H, and INF2170 is a pre-requisite
Fulfills the “Technical” Professional Requirement
Year 2 required courses
In Year 2, students are recommended to complete 3.5 FCEs in elective courses.
We understand that part-time and CDP students may be in a higher year of study when they enrol in year 2 required courses.
INF2192H UX Capstone 0.5 Credits
Year 2 Winter
2nd year MI students only, successful completion of INF2169 and INF2191 is a pre-requisite
(formerly Representing UX)
* Students are asked to submit their second UX Portfolio milestone the Fall term before INF2192H.
Fulfills the “Professional Values” Professional Requirement
Relevant to all UXD students, good for expanding core UXD skills
INF2165H Accessibility and Inclusive Design 0.5 Credits
INF2171H Usability Assessment: Concepts, Methods and Tools 0.5 Credits
INF2200H UX Leadership and Influence 0.5 Credits
Relevant to specific interests, good for specializing in narrower UXD domains
INF2164H UX Research and Design for Video Games 0.5 Credits
INF2201H Information and Communication Technologies, Design, and Marginality 0.5 Credits
INF2208H User-Centred Systems for Communication 0.5 Credits
INF2260H Speculative Design 0.5 Credits
Courses suitable for broadening perspectives and cross-concentration learning
INF1344H Introduction to Statistics for Data Science 0.5 Credits
INF2040H Project Management 0.5 Credits
INF2224H Service Design 0.5 Credits
INF2241H Critical Making: Information Studies, Social Values, and Physical Computing 0.5 Credits
INF2314H Program Evaluation 0.5 Credits
MI students enrolled in 2024
- Students must successfully complete a total of 8.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
- 2.5 required FCEs:
- INF1602H Fundamentals of User Experience (as of Fall 2025, this course is no longer offered)
- INF2169H User-Centred Information Systems Development
- INF2170H Information Architecture
- INF2191H User Interface Design
- INF2192H Representing UX
- 5.5 elective FCEs.
- 2.5 required FCEs:
- Note: of the total 8.0 FCEs for this option, 0.5 FCE must come from each of the following four Professional Requirements areas: Technical, Managerial, Professional Values, and Critical Perspectives. This requirement can be fulfilled by required and elective courses for each concentration.
- Students must successfully complete a total of 8.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
- Thesis (2.0 FCEs)
- 2.5 required FCEs:
- INF1602H Fundamentals of User Experience (as of Fall 2025, this course is no longer offered)
- INF2169H User-Centred Information Systems Development
- INF2170H Information Architecture
- INF2191H User Interface Design
- INF2192H Representing UX
- Research Methods course (0.5 FCE)
- Reading course (0.5 FCE)
- 2.5 elective FCEs
- Note: of the total 8.0 FCEs for this option, 0.5 FCE must come from each of the following four Professional Requirements areas: Technical, Managerial, Professional Values, and Critical Perspectives. This requirement can be fulfilled by required and elective courses for each concentration.
- Students must successfully complete a total of 8.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:
- Co-op (1.0 FCE), plus the Co-op Independent Modules (0.0 FCE)
- 2.5 required FCEs:
- INF1602H Fundamentals of User Experience (as of Fall 2025, this course is no longer offered)
- INF2169H User-Centred Information Systems Development
- INF2170H Information Architecture
- INF2191H User Interface Design
- INF2192H Representing UX
- 4.5 elective FCEs
- Note: of the total 8.0 FCEs for this option, 0.5 FCE must come from each of the following four Professional Requirements areas: Technical, Managerial, Professional Values, and Critical Perspectives. This requirement can be fulfilled by required and elective courses for each concentration.
Year 1 required courses
In Year 1, students are recommended to complete the following mandatory UXD courses, as well as 2.0 FCEs in elective courses.
INF1602H Fundamentals of User Experience 0.5 Credits
This course is no longer offered. Students who have not completed INF1602H are strongly advised to complete both INF1610H and INF1611H instead.
INF2169H Exploratory User Research 0.5 Credits
(formerly User-Centred Information Systems Development)
INF2170H Information Architecture 0.5 Credits
INF2191H User Interface Design 0.5 Credits
Fulfills the “Technical” Professional Requirement
Successful completion of INF1602 and INF2170 is a pre-requisite
Year 2 required courses
In Year 2, students are recommended to complete 3.5 FCEs in elective courses. We understand that part-time and CDP students may be in a higher year of study when they enrol in year 2 required courses.
INF2192H UX Capstone 0.5 Credits
(formerly Representing UX)
2nd year MI students only, successful completion of INF2169 and INF2191 is a pre-requisite
Fulfills the “Professional Values” Professional Requirement
Suggested electives
UXD electives
These courses help students deepen and define their focus in UXD.
Relevant to all UXD students, good for expanding core UXD skills
INF2165H Accessibility and Inclusive Design 0.5 Credits
Fulfills the “Critical Perspectives” Professional Requirement
INF2171H Usability Assessment: Concepts, Methods and Tools 0.5 Credits
INF2200H UX Leadership and Influence 0.5 Credits
Fulfills the “Managerial” Professional Requirement
Relevant to specific interests, good for specializing in narrower UXD domains
INF2164H UX Research and Design for Video Games 0.5 Credits
INF2201H Information and Communication Technologies, Design, and Marginality 0.5 Credits
Fulfills the “Critical Perspectives” Professional Requirement
INF2208H User-Centred Systems for Communication 0.5 Credits
INF2260H Speculative Design 0.5 Credits
Broad electives
These courses from other concentrations help students explore the breadth of perspectives within the iSchool and gain skills complementary to UXD.
Courses suitable for broadening perspectives and cross-concentration learning
INF1344H Introduction to Statistics for Data Science 0.5 Credits
Fulfills the “Technical” Professional Requirement
INF2040H Project Management 0.5 Credits
Fulfills the “Managerial” Professional Requirement
INF2224H Service Design 0.5 Credits
INF2241H Critical Making: Information Studies, Social Values, and Physical Computing 0.5 Credits
Fulfills the “Technical” OR the “Critical Perspectives” Professional Requirement
INF2314H Program Evaluation 0.5 Credits
Fulfills the “Managerial” Professional Requirement
Pre-2023 Concentration Requirements
MI students enrolled in 2023 and earlier
Year 1 required courses
While it is not obligatory, it is recommended that students complete all Year 1 required courses in Year 1, because these courses provide foundational knowledge.
For students considering the Co-op option, all Year 1 required courses should be completed in Year 1.
INF1005H Information Workshops I (2025-2026) 0.25 Credits
INF1006H Information Workshops II (2025-2026) 0.25 Credits
INF1602H Fundamentals of User Experience 0.5 Credits
INF2169H Exploratory User Research 0.5 Credits
INF2170H Information Architecture 0.5 Credits
INF2191H User Interface Design 0.5 Credits
Year 2 required courses
If all required courses are completed in Year 1, students may complete their remaining 5.0 credit requirements by taking a combination of:
INF2192H UX Capstone 0.5 Credits
Work Integrated Learning for UXD Students
The Faculty of Information offers a variety of work-integrated learning including the MI Co-op option and practicum courses. The Careers Services team helps students find suitable placements.
In addition, all students in the INF2192 UX Capstone course work on projects with external partners, delivering tangible UX outputs and real-world impact.
For Employers: Working with UXD Students
There are several existing options for organizations interested in hiring or collaborating with current UXD students.
MI Practicum
- Winter (Jan-Apr)
- 12 weeks
- 105 hours part-time
- Paid or unpaid
Who Hires UXD Graduates?
The 2022 LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise list included User Experience Researcher as number 13 among the 20 fastest-growing job titles over the past five years and the trends defining the future world of work. Given the newness of the field, job titles vary from one organization to the next and include UX analyst, UX manager and UX specialist. Other roles filled by UXD graduates include UX designer, digital project manager, human-centered design manager, product manager, information architect (IA), interaction designer, Solutions Developer and more.
Faculty of Information alumni work in a wide range of organizations and industries, including marketing and communications, digital media, advertising, financial services, technology, government, non-profit and more.
Professional Networks
Many students, alumni and faculty are members of key UXD professional associations. The strong ties with these organizations, forged over many years, keep the Faculty of Information abreast of the latest UXD trends. In addition, many instructors are active UXD professionals. UXD professional associations include:
