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Experience New Media at UEL
If you are passionate about digital media design,
web and mobile applications, location-based media,
interaction design and multimedia production then
our BA (Hons) in Interactive Media Design and
our BSc (Hons) in Multimedia Design Technologies
might be the degree for you?
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What will I study on the degrees?
The approach we take can to be divided into three
interrelated areas of study
1.
Creative Design
How we see, use, feel and
touch, and reflect on the design of
media technology is as significant as
issues relating to functionality. Design and
creativity are indeed essential to digital media
practices. We will therefore encourage you to
design for exhilarating user experiences by
producing seductive graphics, inviting
interfaces and interactions, and easy
to use and engaging navigation
systems.
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2.
Technology
(Production)
Our broad focus on web-based media, mobile
applications and location-based technology is
unique. We are not a computer science degree (we are
in an arts and digital industries school), but we want you to
be empowered by technology - to program, to hack into and
experiment with it!
Our Mac and PC labs are kitted out with industry standard
software and our programme team will encourage you to try
out new ways of interacting with digital media and the
world around us.
You will also work with real clients to produce
cutting edge interactive and multimedia
experiences.

3.
Researching User Experiences
Following industry trends we are as interested
in understanding the user experience (UX) as we
are in usability and functionality. As one author puts
it, “beautiful things work better”. So you will learn how to
comprehend, research and test the varying levels of user
experience. Your research then becomes the starting point of
extensive design and production work.
We have a dedicated UX lab in which you can learn
all about testing user experiences employing our
innovative techniques.
See related webpage: http://www.grinbath.com/content/tonysampson
Our Student Experience
What our students say about the new media degree
programmes and the teaching team based at Docklands…
“My
project work
involved producing
physical interactions
using hacked technology,
this allowed me to be
creative and explore
an area that was of
interest to me.”
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“The
Multimedia
degree at UEL
provided me with a fresh
perspective on the digital
world. During the course of
my degree I stopped being a
passive consumer of digital
media and became a
researcher and a
designer.”
“The
lecturers are
passionate about
their subjects and
continually encourage
us to explore our own
interests as well
as the latest
trends.”
“The
research focus
is extremely relevant
to industry. The design of
digital products has moved
away from being based solely
on efficiency and increasingly
on how users ‘feel’ about them.
Companies have to produce
better user experiences
in order to generate
customer loyalty.”

“Thanks
to my UEL
degree I gained both the
practical skills and theoretical
knowledge required to become
a user experience consultant. My
current role involves researching the
effectiveness of websites/apps and other
digital interactions in order to improve
the experience of the user. In this role
I have worked for major broadcasters
and telecommunications
companies and have spoken
at major industry
events.”
“ A s
someone with
previous experience
in graphic design for
print, studying Interactive
Media at the UEL not only
helps me to expand my
skills and knowledge but
also my career opportunities.”
“Studying
Interactive
Media Design BA
(Hons) at the University
of East London has helped
propel me into an exciting
career as a director of
an award winning
digital agency.”
“In
the fast paced
world of interactive
design and new media, this
degree enables students to grow
through acquiring necessary practical
skills in design, programming and client
management as well as understand the
theory behind it all. The interactive comic
I produced for my final year project won
a prestigious British Interactive Media
Award, to which I owe a great deal
of gratitude to my tutors who
guided me throughout the
development of the
project.”
“I’m
now in level 3
completing my project.
A special highlight for me
was to be recommended by my
tutor for a work placement with
an award winning design agency.
Through this experience I learned
how much I was capable of, even
getting my work featured on
television on the Gadget
Show.”
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“I gained the
internship that has led
to my current role via the University’s
good industry connections
and in turn I am continuing that
relationship through my company
Cyber-Duck with us taking on more
talented UEL students via an internship
scheme; in return we are providing UEL
students with live client briefs giving
them the opportunity to learn how
real creative and technical
agencies work in the new
media industry.”
“After
completing
the course I was able
to enter employment in the
user experience industry where
I now work on projects for large
international companies. I feel that
the course did a lot to prepare me
for my current job, both in terms
of literature and techniques.
I am delighted with how
“Working
relevant the course is to
with my tutor
commercial work.”
is brilliant. He
is teaching us to use
technology and produce work
in a professional way, which
can be challenging, but he
is really supportive and
committed to helping
us succeed.”
“Having
studied on the
BA(Hons) Interactive
Media Design, I have been
very impressed with the
variety of topics and disciplines
that were covered on the course,
helping me to develop my skills
for both practical design
and managing research
projects.”
8 9
“I’m in level
two and the work is
really good; an interesting
experience. There is a good
balance between technical and
research. The Flash project this
year was really good. It helped me
put everything I’ve learned so far
into practice; including interaction
design theories, as well as the
technical skills necessary to
produce the work.”
“The
tutors on
the course were
all very helpful and
provided me with a
great breadth of
knowledge”
“With
its combination
of multi-talented staff
both in the Digital Industries
and Academia, MMDT is a course
I would recommend to anyone
with an interest in Multimedia.
The course offers the opportunity to
work on multimedia design projects
in conjunction with ‘real clients’,
and prepares us so that we are
not only great graduates
but work-ready
too.”

Following
a successful bid to
the Challenge Fund we recently
set up our emotionUXD usability lab.
Working closely with our industry partners we have
purchased cutting edge usability and user experience
(UX) technologies including recorder, observer and data
management software. This enables us to observe users and
analyse their every mouse click and scroll. We also have
an eye tracker which tells us where users are looking
and an EEG device which helps us to gauge states
of attention and relaxation during user
testing by looking directly at
The
lab is used by
brain activity.
our new media students,
industry partners and is
central to staff projects aiming
to develop new methodologies
for user testing and UX
research.
Student Work
Dead on Arrival our BIMA winner in 2007
http://www.bima.co.uk/bima-award/0509131704/bima-awards-2007/view-shortlist/18/
Our students on Channel Five Gadget Show in 2011
http://www.draculacomic.co.uk/
http://www.uel.ac.uk/news/press-releases/2011/10/draculavirtualcomic.htm
Wii remote hack project blog
http://www.affect-ed.com
Dynamic art project
http://www.playratecreate.co.uk
Second year interface work
Bursary project
http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/T.D.Sampson/Student_Work/Jerome/project_4.3.html
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Find Out More
Come along to our next taster day
Book online
http://www.uel.ac.uk/adi/newsandevents/opendaystasterdays/
To see which modules you take on the degrees
http://www.uel.ac.uk/undergraduate/specs/multimedia-bsc/
http://www.uel.ac.uk/undergraduate/specs/interactivemedia/
Email the programme leader to arrange to talk on the telephone or
meet up with tutors and students at our Dockland Campus.
Dr Tony Sampson (PhD, PGCE, MA, BSc)
t.d.sampson@uel.ac.uk
(please include the words “Study at UEL” in the subject header)
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