This class had pros and cons. I learned a lot about user research and design, and I liked that it not only applied to software systems, but also to daily use products. I found it difficult to pay attention in lecture and attendance is not mandatory, but there are 5 quizzes spread throughout the quarter. She didn't have an access code until the last quiz, so a lot of people stopped showing up in class to take the lecture and took it at home. You are not supposed to use notes during these quizzes.

Other than the way the quizzes were structured, there was a big group project which she broke down into three smaller parts, and it's typical group work- some people will contribute some people won't. She gives you the option to rank your groupmates to give them participation points though.

The project was useful- something you can put on your resume and she is VERY helpful with any questions you have.

Overall, material is interesting, project is good, but quizzes weren't. Major part of grade was the project.

This is one of the only psych classes that is directly applicable to industry, which made it a very refreshing experience. Most of the content is very intuitive and easy to connect the dots to real-world products and objects. Although the material is not overly complex, you do still need to study because the quizzes are closed-note and have "select all" type answers. The professor does adjust scores after the quizzes to accommodate potentially unfair questions, which is nice. Overall, I really enjoy Dr. Murray as a professor and believe she is a very effective lecture and structures her class content well--this is actually the third class I've taken with her.

The big part of this class was the 6-person group project. It was immensely rewarding but also a lot of work. The only gripe I have is that the deadlines (considering the amount of work for the projects) were very tight. Honestly, it felt similar to doing an actual consulting project (take that as you will). While the tasks themselves were relatively challenging, the grading was extremely lenient. I learned a lot in this class and would recommend it to anyone interested in UX!