Interaction design students

Interaction Design

Great technology doesn't just solve problems—it puts real people at the center of the user experience.

LVC’s Interaction Design degree (IXD) bridges the digital and physical—pixels, code, electronics and sensors, physical form—these are our tools. Behavior is our medium. Design interactions that solve business problems and meet users’ needs.

Gain a base in design, coding, databases, web markup, 3D form, prototyping/fabrication, and electronics. To make your LVC dreams a reality, need-based departmental scholarships are available.

Learn More About the Program

When IXD majors go to work, they merge design and technology to improve the human experience. That means becoming an expert in topics including design, communications, electronics, data, programming, research and development, and project management. At LVC, you’ll gain skills in each of those in-demand fields. Double-major in the Digital Communications program and develop an even wider range of skills.

Interaction Design IXD students use equipment

Imagine It. Then Make It.

Fun-filled Labs

Brainstorm projects in the Studio Lounge, an exclusive space for Design, Media, & Technology students. Test your ideas in the AT&T-funded Usability Lab. Then bring your visions to life using the 3D printers, scanners, and sensors in the LVC Maker Space.

Real-World Experience

Interaction design is a collaborative field. You’ll learn that lesson first at LVC, where you’ll work with others to build better experiences. That may mean partnering with digital communications majors to design cutting-edge apps or working with our student-run VALE Music Group to stage concerts and events.

Collab? Fab.

Employers are eager to hire IXD pros. You can put your skills to work at companies before you even graduate. You’ll have a chance to work on class projects for clients such as The Hershey Company or Armstrong World Industries and complete internships for organizations such as marketing agencies, healthcare organizations, educational institutions, and more.

100%
Percentage of students who land internships
$80,730
median annual pay for web developers and digital designers, 2022 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
16%
projected job growth for web developers, 2022–32 (Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Equipment Available to IXD Majors

  • Sewing/Embroidery Machine* 
  • Vinyl Cutters* 
  • Heat Press* 
  • Paper Cutter 

*Students must complete a designated training with the department to use.  

  • Cameras, DSLRs & GoPros 
  • Drone 
  • Dollies & Tripods 
  • Greenscreens 
  • Tascams 
  • Headphones 
  • Light Kits 
  • Microphones (lavaliere, shotgun, standard) 
  • PRUSA i3 3D Printers 
  • PRUSA SL1S Resin Printers 
  • DREMEL 3D Printer 
  • MakerBot Replicators 
  • MakerBot Digitizer 
  • Intelligent 3D Pen 

*Students must complete a designated training with the department to use. 

  • Revopoint 3D Scanner* 
  • HP 3D Capture Stage* 
  • HP sprout computer w/ camera stand 

*Students must complete a designated training with the department to use.

  • Roland SRM20 Desktop CNC 
  • Glowforge Laser Cutter 
  • Epilog Edge Laser Cutter 24×12 
  • Vaquform

*Students must complete a designated training with the department to use. 

  • Lightform Spatial Projection 
  • Digital Projectors 
  • Ultraleap 3D Stereo Hand Tracking 
  • Oculus Rift 
  • HoloLens Headsets 
  • HTC VIVE 
  • Metaquest Headsets 

*Students must complete a designated training with the department to use. 

  • Soldering Stations 
  • Raspberry Pis 
  • Arduinos (Uno Rev3, Uno Wifi R2) 
  • Electrical components, transducers and actuators (Bone Conductor amps, sensors, heartrate sensors, etc.) 
  • Prototyping Equipment (Breadboards, 22g wire, connectors, etc.) 
  • Helping hands 
  • Multimeters 
  • Portable Oscilloscope
  • Hot Glue Guns 
  • Heat Gun 
  • Utility Knives 
  • Tape Measures 
  • Screwdrivers 
  • Wrenches 
  • Pliers 
  • Ratchets 
  • Wire Cutters 
Student uses virtual reality equipment

Hands-On Experience

Student-Operated Ad Agency

Lebanon Valley College’s Kalo Creative is a student-operated ad agency founded in 2014 that actively engages students with local nonprofits. The one-credit course provides pro bono marketing and communications services to community organizations, offering students practical experience in project management and client relations and area nonprofits marketing help.

Emerging Media Lab

The Design, Media & Technology department (DMT) has created the Emerging Media Lab (EML) to provide LVC students with an understanding of and exposure to disruptive technologies, allow them to assess the strengths and weaknesses of these technologies, and aid in developing design strategies for them.

Brand logos of companies LVC interaction design and digital communications majors have interned and worked for.

In Their Words

The Interaction Design program here at LVC is exciting, inclusive, and covers a wide variety of interesting and helpful topics. This program has already offered me a plethora of work and learning opportunities.
Emilie Whitewolf ’25, Interaction Design
One of my favorite classes was Interaction Design. We targeted a field that needed UX assistance—healthcare—which led to my career in UX and healthcare. We created interfaces that minimized data for doctors to visualize and worked on a heart rate monitor screen and pill tracking app.
Jonathan Lam ’23, Associate Application Analyst, UI/UX, Universal Health Services (UHS) Inc.
We revise the major approximately once every four years to address changes in technology and the industry. LVC is one of the first in the mid-Atlantic to make design thinking/human-centered design central to curricula.
Dr. Jeff Ritchie, Chair and Professor of Design, Media, & Technology

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