Teaching design in an age of change
I regularly teach courses and guest lectures on UX, UI, and design systems at universities in Berlin.
My focus is on bridging practice and education by sharing methods, tools, and real-world project insights.
Upcoming - WS 25/26 - SRH Berlin - Intro to UX/UI Design
Course overview
This five-week introductory course is designed for first-semester students with no prior knowledge in user experience or interface design. The goal is to demystify UX/UI as a discipline, highlight its human-centered foundations, and help students translate ideas into tangible, testable interfaces.
Approach
Each session combines theory and hands-on practice. We start with core concepts of user needs, design thinking, and research, then move toward ideation, wireframing, and interface design using Figma. Through iterative testing and feedback, students learn that good design emerges from understanding users, not from aesthetic intuition alone.
Outcome
By the end of the course, students have created their first interactive prototype and presented it in a short Show & Tell session. They leave with a foundational understanding of how UX and UI design complement each other and the confidence to keep exploring.
WS 25/26 - HTW Berlin - AI & Generative Interfaces
Course overview
This short-term project invited communication design students to explore the intersection of design and artificial intelligence. The goal was to understand how generative tools can support, challenge, and expand traditional interface design workflows.
Approach
Over one fulltime week, students tested and compared a wide range of AI-driven tools for ideation, layout, image creation, and interface generation. We focused on real-world use cases rather than speculative concepts, emphasizing hands-on experimentation and critical reflection. Tools included emerging platforms like Figma Make, Relume AI, Krea, Stitch and so on.
Outcome
Each student developed a small interactive prototype that demonstrated how AI can be meaningfully integrated into the design process. The results ranged from speculative web experiences to functional UI prototypes. A key learning was that AI, when used with intention, can accelerate creativity without replacing the designer’s role.
WS 22/23 - HTW Berlin - “Rise of the DesOps”
Course overview
This course introduced students to the foundations of design systems and the emerging field of DesignOps. The focus was on understanding how modern design workflows evolve when teams move from isolated visuals to scalable, component-based systems.
Approach
Students analyzed existing apps or websites and recreated them with their own branding. Through this reverse-engineering process, they learned to identify underlying design principles, establish reusable components, and define tokens for typography, color, and spacing. The course emphasized the connection between visual consistency, collaboration, and operational efficiency in design teams.
Outcome
Each student delivered a mini design system built in Figma, including core styles, components, and documentation. By the end, they had a practical understanding of how DesignOps thinking supports both creativity and scalability in digital product design.
WS 19/20 - BUI - Basics of Media Design
As co-lecturer alongside Prof. Jakob Lehr, I supported students in building a solid foundation in digital media production. My focus was on practical tool knowledge and workflow efficiency, helping students navigate the Adobe Creative Suite with confidence.
Rather than teaching software in isolation, I used real design tasks to demonstrate how to solve common challenges quickly and effectively. From photoshop retouche to animating there illustrations in After Effects, the sessions emphasized practical, industry-relevant skills that students could immediately apply in their coursework and future projects.
WS 18/19 - HTW Berlin - Basics of Frontend
This course introduced design students to the fundamentals of frontend development. We started with the absolute basics: understanding what a code editor is, how HTML structures a page, how CSS selectors shape its appearance, and how JavaScript adds interactivity through simple functions and variables.
To apply these concepts, students created their first personal web portfolio, learning to connect structure, styling, and logic in a single, working project. It was a hands-on introduction to coding that emphasized experimentation and curiosity over perfection.
Reflection
Looking back, the chosen assignment topic was far too ambitious for a first coding experience. Many students spent more time struggling with content and concept than exploring the fundamentals of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Today, I would design this course differently, focusing on a smaller, well-defined project scope and embracing modern no-code tools that make frontend concepts more accessible for design students.
Why am I my teaching?
Teaching keeps me close to fresh perspectives and reminds me why good design starts with curiosity.
Copyright - HTW Berlin/Alexander Rentsch
Want the full picture?
You can download my complete CV in English and German as a two-page PDF including roles, projects, and education.
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