CS 3205

This course is very different from what many of the older reviews describe. The structure and teaching style have evolved a lot, and the class now offers a genuinely valuable introduction to UX design for anyone interested in UI/UX or broader human centered design, whether you are a CS student or coming from another discipline.

The content focuses on the full UX cycle and gives you a hands-on understanding of how real design work happens. Most of the assignments are team based, which means you spend a lot of time collaborating in a way that feels close to industry practice. The workload can be a bit higher than some traditional CS classes, but most of that time goes into meaningful and creative work rather than rigid coding tasks. You also get to choose project topics that genuinely interest you, so the experience feels personal and engaging. Students with an art or media background will find plenty of room for creativity, but you absolutely do not need one to succeed.

As for the professor, the older reviews do not reflect the current reality at all. He is warm, enthusiastic, and very approachable, and he brings a playful energy that makes the class enjoyable. The claims of personal negativity in past comments simply do not match how he teaches now. He is supportive, helpful, and genuinely invested in students’ growth.

Overall, if you are interested in UX design or want a class that blends creativity with structured problem solving, this course is a great choice.

#tCFfall25

Honestly, I think the bad reviews for this class are just from people who expected the wrong thing. If you’re looking for a standard coding class, yeah, you might be annoyed. But if you’re actually interested in building products, software engineering, or UX, this class is super valuable.

It feels a lot more like real-world startup or consulting work, you have to actually justify why you’re building something instead of just grinding out code/work. You can absolutely still code a ton for your prototype if you want to, but it has to be focused on what the user actually needs.

The course is essentially a semester long project so pick something you’re actually excited about. If you choose something you’d genuinely want to see exist, the work stops feeling like "busywork" and feels more like working on a startup or side project.

The professor is also incredibly kind and understanding. If you communicate with him and put in the effort, he notices and is very fair. He’s also really approachable if you ever get stuck.

Don’t let the bad reviews scare you off. Yes, this class is a lot of work and you’ll need to invest real time, but it’s genuinely worth it. The course is well-structured, and Professor Panagiotis is clearly passionate about HCI, you can tell he put a lot of thought into the lectures, assignments, and overall flow of the semester.
If you actually engage with the material (instead of obsessing over every point), you’ll learn a ton and your grade will reflect the effort you put in. The emphasis on user-centered thinking, discussion, and reflection pushed me to think more critically about design decisions and about how technology impacts real people, not just “what looks good” or “what’s easiest to build.”
I also appreciated that the assignments felt purposeful rather than busywork. They helped connect concepts to real-world design and product decisions, and they improved how I approach problem framing, user needs, and trade-offs. Overall, this was one of the most engaging and valuable classes I took this term. If you’re willing to put in the time and you care about learning HCI in a meaningful way, I’d strongly recommend taking it.