Summer School social programme and events
Get to know your coursemates and Finland through engaging extracurricular activities and social events organised by the Summer School team.
Human-Centered UX Design
Human-centered design plays an important role in a wide range of applications, particularly in start-ups and the development of new services. Why create something that the end user will not want? This course focuses on prioritizing human needs and experiences in the development of technological innovations, ensuring that products and services are tailored to their needs.
Teaching period:
-
Application period:
30.1.2026 – 31.5.2026
Course format:
Campus
Duration:
3 weeks
full-time
Course level:
Undergraduate
Field of study:
Art and design
Credits:
4 ECTS
Organiser:
School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Tuition fees:
1670€ tuition fee
Early Bird offer at Aalto University Summer School
The Human-Centred User Experience Design course provides students with a foundational understanding of the human-centred design process for developing digital services.
The course emphasises the importance of human-centred design, equipping students with essential skills in user interface and user experience design. This includes understanding and specifying the context of use, specifying the user requirements, producing design solutions, and evaluating the design.
Throughout the course, students will work in small teams to design and create an interactive prototype for a mobile application, covering the different phases of the human-centred design process. The course is structured around lectures, group assignments, in-class exercises, and design work in teams.
Summer School Teacher Interview: "Human-centered UX design places people at the forefront of technological advancements."
Learn how to design human-centered solutions in the Human-Centered UX Design course by Aalto University Summer School.
27 July – 14 August 2026: Lecture weeks on-site at Aalto University campus
- Daily teaching sessions between 9-12
- Supported project work in teams
- Optional social program in the evenings
| WEEK 1 | Monday 27 July | Tuesday 28 July | Wednesday 29 July | Thursday 30 July | Friday 31 July |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning (9-12) | Introduction to HCD, Design tasks, Team projects | User Interviews | Intrview Data Analysis |
Persona Development | Team Meetings |
| Afternoon (13-16) |
| WEEK 2 | Monday 3 August | Tuesday 4 August | Wednesday 5 August | Thursday 6 August | Friday 7 August |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning (9-12) | Concept Development | Storyboard Creation | Concept Evaluation | Interactive Prototype (Figma) | Team Meetings |
| Afternoon (13-16) |
| WEEK 3 | Monday 10 August | Tuesday 11 August | Wednesday 12 August | Thursday 13 August | Friday 14 August |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning (9-12) | Interactive Prototype (Figma) | Usability Evaluation | Usability Testing | Finalize Protoype | Final Presentations |
| Afternoon (13-16) |
*Please note that this is a preliminary schedule with subject to change.
Alongside the lectures, students have independent work, either in groups or individually. Students can coordinate with their teammates to complete these assignments outside of teaching hours.
The total workload of the course includes both contact lectures and the estimated amount of independent work. Some of the courses also have pre- or post-assignments included in the independent working hours.
-> Find the total course workload below
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand and apply the basic concepts of human-centered design method in the early phases of digital application development.
- Design an interactive prototype of a mobile application.
- Evaluate the usability of a mobile application.
- Demonstrate teamwork skills in a design team.
Course workload
Contact teaching 36h
Tutoring 3h
Project work in classroom 6h
Independent project 45h
Individual work 18h
Total: 108h (4 ECTS)
The course is graded as pass/fail.
Reading List
- Karen, H., & Hugh, B. (2017). Principles of Contextual Enquiry. Contextual Design (Second Edition), Morgan Kaufmann, pp 41-66.
- Adams, W. C. (2015). Conducting semi‐structured interviews. Handbook of practical program evaluation, 492-505.
- Karen, H., & Hugh, B. (2017). The Affinity Diagram. Contextual Design (Second Edition), Morgan Kaufmann, pp 127-146.
- Holtzblatt, Karen, et al. Rapid Contextual Design : A How-To Guide to Key Techniques for User-Centered Design, Elsevier Science & Technology, 2004. (Ch 12: Storyboard)
- Canziba, E. (2018). Hands-On UX Design for Developers: Design, prototype, and implement compelling user experiences from scratch. Packt Publishing Ltd.
- Riihiaho, S. (2015). Experiences with usability testing: Effects of thinking aloud and moderator presence.
This course does not require previous experience in the topic.
To succeed in the course, the student should be able to effectively engage in teaching and learning activities in English.
Additionally, all summer school course students must be 18 years or older, as it is the legal age in Finland.
Please include a motivation letter or video in your application. In your motivation letter or video, describe your motivation for taking this course. The recommended length for the motivation letter is 150-250 words and 1-2 minutes for the video.
Tuition fees for Summer School courses
One course: 1670€ (incl. VAT 25,5%)
- The course fee includes academic course sessions and assignments, an official digital Aalto University certificate and support from the Summer School team. The fee does not cover accommodation, daily meals, or transportation during the course
- Unfortunately, Aalto University Summer School does not offer scholarships for participants.
Social program fee
More information about the social program coming soon!
If you need a visa, we recommend applying by April 15th 2026.
- This is to ensure that we have enough time to process your application and that you have time to make the tuition fee payment, book a visa appointment and wait for the application to be processed.
- You can apply and be accepted to the courses after April 15th. In that case, we recommend that you pay at your earliest convenience so that we can deliver your invitation letter to you promptly.
- According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, the processing time for a visa application is 15 days. However, the processing time may be longer if a more detailed application examination is required.
Learn about the Aalto University Summer School cancellation terms. You will receive the full terms before making the payment and confirming the course participation.
Teacher Information
Antony William Joseph is a post-doctoral researcher in Human-Centred Design in the department of Design at Aalto University. He holds a PhD degree in HCI from Madurai Kamaraj University, India, and previously worked at National Institute of Design (NID) in India for over 18 years. He is one of the founding members of the master's program (M. Des) Digital Game Design at NID Bengaluru Campus. During his career at NID, he worked on several nationally important digital design projects.
Antony’s research interests are human-centred design, user experience design, human-automation interaction, futures studies, employee well-being and meaningfulness of work. His current research work focuses on human-automation interaction and the future of work with AI/autonomous systems. He is dedicated to fostering a culture of empathy in creating human-centric solutions.
Human-Centered design in action
In this course, students learn how to apply a basic human-centered design approach in the early phases of digital service development. Students will also learn how to evaluate the usability of a software application with potential users. Put your skills into practice to develop a digital service!
Contact
Summer School team
Information for Summer and Winter School Applicants
Get to know the application guidelines and tuition fees.
Aalto University Summer School
Everything you need to know about Summer School! Make this summer unforgettable and experience the best of Aalto University and Finland under the Nordic summer sun.
Travel arrangements for Summer and Winter School students
Learn about the guidelines for visa application and budgeting for your stay during the summer course.