You will work in a senior role developing a vertical slice suitable to pitch to industry, running a simulacrum of a games development studio. You will be joined by Level 5 students, mentoring and assisting them in junior roles, making use of industry standard collaboration tools and processes throughout.

The module offers a comprehensive exploration of design thinking and its integration with human-centred design principles and practices to realise highly usable interactive systems. By the end of the module, students will be equipped to design innovative and user-friendly digital products and services, balancing business objectives with user satisfaction. This is supported by a focus on collaboration and teamwork, ensuring that the practices and processes of the industry are reflected. Over its duration, the module will engage with topics including, but not limited to, the following:

• Human-centred design and ISO 9241-210
• Balancing business goals with user needs
• UX research
• Experience mapping
• Design thinking
• Information architecture
• Progressive enhancement
• User interface design techniques
• Defining inclusive design and accessibility
• Style-guides and specifications for developers
• Design sprints for software innovation
• User testing and evaluation

Through this module, you will master the art of creating games for mobile devices and emerging platforms, addressing the distinct constraints and opportunities that set these environments apart from traditional PC and console development. The module covers platform-specific design principles, touch-based interaction, variable screen sizes, limited processing power, and interruption-driven gameplay. You will develop hands-on expertise in optimising performance, implementing intuitive controls, and crafting engaging experiences that leverage the unique capabilities of smartphones, tablets, and other innovative gaming platforms.

Students will undertake a large self-directed software project in a specialist topic of their choice with guidance and support from a dedicated academic supervisor.

The project will begin with an appraisal of said topic, usually through a literature review and/or a commercial assessment of viability. This will be followed by planning and creation of a practical software artefact covering an implementation lifecycle, making use of project management techniques.

Ethical issues will be explored, leading to required approval for quantitative and/or qualitative testing, with results then analysed and used to inform futher development and to draw conclusions against a hypothesis.