Technologies · Year 9

Active learning ideas

Introduction to UX/UI Design

Active learning helps students move beyond abstract concepts by stepping into users’ shoes. For UX/UI design, this means experiencing firsthand how empathy and research shape meaningful solutions. Collaborative activities like interviews and persona building make invisible processes visible and build foundational skills that stick.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9DT10P05

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 30 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Empathy Interview

Students interview a partner about a frustrating digital experience they've had (e.g., a confusing app). They then work together to create an 'Empathy Map' that captures what the user was thinking, feeling, saying, and doing during that experience.

Differentiate between User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) design.

Facilitation Tip

Before the Think-Pair-Share, model a short empathy interview with a student to set expectations for open-ended questioning.

What to look for

Provide students with two screenshots of the same app, one with good UI and one with poor UI. Ask them to write one sentence explaining which is better and why, referencing at least one UX or UI principle discussed.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Persona Development

Groups are given a project brief (e.g., a community garden app) and must create three distinct 'Personas', fictional users with different ages, abilities, and goals. They present these personas to the class, explaining how each one's needs will shape the final design.

Explain why human-centered design is crucial for successful digital products.

Facilitation Tip

Provide sentence starters on cards during the Collaborative Investigation so students focus on observable behaviors rather than assumptions.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are designing a new app for booking public transport in your local area. What are two key user needs you would prioritize, and how would your design address them?' Facilitate a brief class discussion on their responses.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Whole Class

Gallery Walk: User Journey Maps

Students map out the steps a user takes to complete a task on a website. These maps are displayed around the room, and peers use 'pain point' stickers to identify where the user might get confused or frustrated.

Analyze the impact of good versus bad UX on user engagement.

Facilitation Tip

Before the Gallery Walk, assign roles such as Timekeeper and Observer to keep the walk focused and productive.

What to look for

Ask students to quickly sketch a simple wireframe for a login screen. Then, have them label two key UI elements (e.g., username field, password field, login button) and briefly explain their purpose.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should avoid presenting UX/UI as a set of rules and instead frame it as a mindset of inquiry. Use real-world examples where poor design caused frustration, then guide students to analyze what went wrong. Research shows that students learn empathy more deeply when they interview real users, so whenever possible, bring in community members or use recorded testimonials. Avoid letting students default to designing for themselves by explicitly assigning personas that challenge their assumptions.

By the end of these activities, students will articulate user needs using real tools like personas and empathy maps. They will critique interfaces with UX principles in mind and produce low-fidelity wireframes that reflect user-centered design decisions.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Think-Pair-Share: The Empathy Interview, students may assume their own experiences are universal.

  After the interview, have each pair present one surprising insight from their user’s responses and explain how it challenged their initial assumptions.

• During Collaborative Investigation: Persona Development, students might focus on surface details like favorite colors instead of core needs.

  Ask groups to justify each persona trait by pointing to evidence from their empathy interview or research notes.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk