2026-2027 Yavapai College Catalog 
    
    Aug 06, 2026  
2026-2027 Yavapai College Catalog

DES 310 - Experiential Design


Description: Examination of experiential design for built environments with emphasis on wayfinding, placemaking, and branded interventions. Students apply inclusive design principles to create legible, multisensory spatial communications using typography, contrast, lighting, projection mapping, tactile cues and integrate static signage with interactive media while measuring impact on user navigation.

Prerequisites: DES 307

Credits: 3
Lecture: 1
Lab: 6

Course Content:
  1. Programming spaces for people moving through them
  2. Environmental graphics
  3. Exhibit design
  4. Basic building materials
  5. Human factors and legibility in space
  6. Projection mapping
  7. Prototyping for physical experiences
  8. Basic codes, standards, and compliance
  9. Integration of digital and physical artifacts to create singular experiences
  10. Historical and contemporary references
  11. Project documentation and rationale
  12. Critique

Learning Outcomes:
  1. Conduct site research to define constraints for a built-environment project. (1,3,4,11)
  2. Model user journeys that specify wayfinding requirements. (1,5)
  3. Synthesize findings into a coherent location plan for a wayfinding system. (1,2,5)
  4. Design multisensory spatial communications that integrate typography, color/contrast, lighting considerations, and tactile cues for diverse users. (2,3,4,5,6,9)
  5. Apply accessible compliance considerations to environmental graphics. (2,3,8,10)
  6. Prototype designs to demonstrate system behavior in context. (7)
  7. Deliver vendor-ready files conforming to production specifications. (4,8,11)
  8. Present design rationale to stakeholders using appropriate formats. (10,11)
  9. Critique peer work using discipline-specific terminology to propose revisions. (12)