Today, we interview two students who took the Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) for AI Systems Design course with Cambridge Advance Online, from the University of Cambridge Online. They provide insights into why they chose to enrol for this course and how it has shaped their professional development and enhanced their careers.

As we discussed in the article “The 3 skills that made 92% of surveyed Product Developers, Design Managers and System Designers progress in their careers in Human-Computer Interaction”, this course offers the most sought-after skills in this field.

The Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) for AI Systems Design course is provided by Cambridge Advance Online, part of the University of Cambridge Online and aims to teach how to practically model and design human-AI systems, mastering automation, user experience and risk management.

Student reviews for Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) for AI Systems Design course by University of Cambridge Online

Since its inception in 2023, this course has garnered widespread popularity among professionals in the AI field. Our two interviewees are from diverse backgrounds, and their experiences provide insights into how the course impacted their individual careers and how it could impact the careers of others too.

Eva Wenyu Zhu ​is a talented Senior Process Development Engineer at Unilever​ and Corinna Cremin​ is an experienced Senior Product Designer at Spotify​. Both joined the course with the aim of stepping up their career in Human-Computer Interaction. Let’s see what their experiences were in this review of the course.

Q&A with past learner Eva Wenyu Zhu

1. Eva, What were your most valuable takeaways from the course, and how have they influenced your approach to HCI and AI design?

The most valuable takeaways were that not everyone working in the AI design field comes from a computer science background. Interdisciplinary collaboration involving different fields such as psychology, design, and engineering is critical in design thinking.

How did the course achieve this? By opening up my mindset, I value diverse perspectives in solving complex problems.

2. Could you provide an example of how you've applied the skills and knowledge from the course to a real-world project or challenge?

I’m a process development engineer in the FMCG field. I’m currently working on a roll-out of a digital data capturing system in our advanced technology centre, where capturing information, including machinery setting and analytical testing digitally for the entire centre.

In the HCI course, we covered a topic in ethical consideration. It helped me in the design phase, where I’m taking the responsibility to ensure designs are ethical, transparent, and fair. For example, transparency allows users to understand the rationale behind decisions.

3. Based on your experience, what advice would you give to prospective learners considering this HCI course?

As previously mentioned, you don’t have to come from a computer science background. Additionally, I’d like to share some advice for people who are working or studying full-time and are concerned about the time required for study. The course is designed to support learners to study at their own pace. It includes webinars for interactive sessions and pre-recorded videos through which the professor guides learners. Last year, all of us from the cohort were either working full-time or studying full-time. The course was thoughtfully designed to support distance learning.

4. What aspects of the course did you find most engaging or beneficial, and why?

The online webinars provided opportunities to discuss topics with Professor Kristensson and the cohort. The online portal, where we posted our views, was surprisingly engaging. It gave me a chance to see challenges from other fields and real-life examples of applications.

5. Can you share how the course has impacted your career trajectory or opened up new opportunities?

My future career path is more defined as moving towards the engineering and digital field. After expressing my interests within Unilever, my job role and responsibilities shifted as part of my personal development. Consequently, I changed teams and have been involved in projects related to the digitalisation strategy.

In summary, Eva has experienced career benefits after completing the course, as it has propelled her towards the engineering and digital field by broadening her mindset. She values diverse perspectives in tackling complex problems.

Q&A with past learner Corinna Cremin

1. What were your most valuable takeaways from the course, and how have they influenced your approach to HCI and AI design?

The most valuable takeaway was being able to assess whether AI is a suitable route for a defined solution-free problem statement. The key takeaway here for me is twofold. First, it’s about ensuring that a valid problem exists for users - next, it’s about assessing multiple options for solving that problem and ultimately questioning the validity of using AI, weighing up lots of elements, such as cost, implementation, and ethical impacts.

These particularly spoke to me as I wanted to find tools and processes to ensure I didn’t blindly jump on the latest bandwagon but I wanted to equip myself with world-class strategic thinking to be confident that I was making the right decisions for the right reasons. And most importantly having a strong awareness of the power of governance when it comes to Human-AI interaction.

2. Could you provide an example of how you've applied the skills and knowledge from the course to a real-world project or challenge?

In my current project that I can’t talk too much about but I can say that I’m designing a web tool, I’ve applied the problem statement definition and idea expansion to the project and have proposed implementing a partial AI solution to enhance the experience of the user without being central to it.

I’ve found introducing AI to enhance a flow in this case has been beneficial over making the AI interaction central to the piece. Most, if not all, of the examples we studied during the course were solutions to problems to existing workflows. In some cases making a task quicker/more fluid and in some cases enhancing users’ confidence in performing a task.

3. Based on your experience, what advice would you give to prospective learners considering this HCI course?

Some practical advice would be to read the course literature for that week ahead of the live sessions, if you can. This includes the first session. I didn’t realise I could access the course before the first session - so I had a little catching up to do for the first couple of weeks. I was a week behind schedule from the offset which led to a couple of extra late nights! But I was able to catch up over time. Regardless, I could always follow the live sessions and discussions even if I hadn’t read the course material beforehand, so the structure works regardless.

4. What aspects of the course did you find most engaging or beneficial, and why?

I think the format was fantastic. I really could access the course materials etc. in my own time. The live sessions were so well structured. Per Ola is fascinating and has so much experience in this field that it was interesting to hear him and his perspective every week. In fact I miss those live sessions. If Per Ola had a podcast, I’d subscribe…just saying!

I also found that carrying out the coursework, meeting new people, having live and written discussions ignited something in my brain I haven’t felt since I was at University. There’s something amazing about the analytical and strategic thinking and discussion forums and putting myself out of my comfort zone that has altered how I approach my day-to-day work. I’ve felt more confident in work conversations and more empowered to make the right decisions.

5. Can you share how the course has impacted your career trajectory or opened up new opportunities?

Nothing tangible yet I wouldn’t say but I am now able to put myself forward for relevant projects at work with the course credentials to back my interests.

I’m also applying the methods to my work which will, in time, build up to a portfolio to prove that the practices and processes work. I’ve also received quite a few LinkedIn messages from recruiters in AI. So I feel like it was the right move and has broadened my options.

All in all, it was really interesting to see how the Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) for AI Systems Design helped Corinna by being able to assess whether AI is a suitable route for a defined solution-free problem statement.

For further insights into Eva's and Corinna’s experiences and review of the course, watch the full webinar session with Professor Per Ola Kristensson here(Opens in a new window).

For further insights into what HCI can bring to other business fields, apart from Corinna’s and Eva’s, you can read “Navigating the Intersection of Humanity and Technology: Unconventional Applications of Human–Computer Interaction” where Professor Per Ola discusses unconventional applications of HCI.

We invite you to visit the Human–Computer Interaction (HCI) for AI Systems Design course and propel your career forward with the University of Cambridge Online.