Formal Design Methods: Formalism and Design
How This Course Will Help Your Career
What You’ll Learn
- An introduction to formal methods, and how formalism can help in design problems
- A brief history of the development of formalisms (in logic, mathematics, and science)
- What states are, and what the various kinds of states that can exist in an interactive product are
- How to model and specify the states of a design in a detailed manner
- How to use dialogue notation, such as state transition networks, to present the different states in your designs as well as annotate any danger states that might be present
You've just fixed a usability problem and are about to release the updated app or website... but have you really got it right this time? Is there an unusual use case you haven't thought of? Can you ever be sure? Thankfully, applying formal methods to your design can help you.
Formal methods are usually employed in mathematical and scientific fields, as the preferred way of presenting information. Many mathematical and scientific theories we know today are in fact written in a formal manner. The scientific theory of gravity, for instance, is presented with all variables, parameters, and factors clearly named and defined, and all assumptions explicitly stated. The power of formalism is that it allows a concept, theory, or model to be completely and clearly defined, so anyone who reads it can easily spot any gaps in logic or exceptions to the rule.
When applied to design, formal methods allow designers to flesh out the entire product (e.g., all the states of an app) explicitly and completely. This allows designers to spot potential flaws in the design (e.g., incomplete user flows, links, or buttons that are not defined in the design, etc.) in less time.
In this course, you will learn how various forms of formal notation and methods can help you catch potentially disastrous problems early in a design process. Formal design methods will also give you confidence that the delivered systems are both what you intended and as free from major usability flaws as possible. You will also learn how to use formal methods to increase the probability that the developers will deliver precisely the design you intended.
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Is This Course Right for You?
This is an advanced-level course on formal methods, and it is recommended for designers with some form of experience:
- UX designers keen on boosting their workflows by incorporating formal methods into their designs
- Project managers looking to improve the product development process with formalism
- Software engineers interested in creating a close integration of design and development, by using models and notations to specify designs
- Entrepreneurs keen on creating products that are free from major usability flaws
- Newcomers to design who are considering making a switch to UX design
Courses in the Interaction Design Foundation are designed to contain comprehensive, evidence-based content, while ensuring that the learning curve is never too steep. All participants will have the opportunity to share ideas, seek help with tests, and enjoy the social aspects afforded by our open and friendly forum.
Learn and Work with a Global Team of Designers
You’ll join a global community and work together to improve your skills and career opportunities. Connect with helpful peers and make friends with like-minded individuals as you push deeper into the exciting and booming industry of design.
Lessons in This Course
- Each week, one lesson becomes available.
- There's no time limit to finish a course. Lessons have no deadlines.
- Estimated learning time: 13 hours 44 mins spread over 7 weeks .
Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 30 mins.
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0.1: An introduction to courses from the Interaction Design Foundation (37 mins)
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0.2: Let our community help you (1 min)
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0.3: How to Earn Your Course Certificate (16 mins)
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0.4: Meet your peers online in our discussion forums (5 mins)
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0.5: Meet and learn from design professionals at an upcoming meetup (1 min)
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0.6: Gain Timeless Skills Through Courses from the Interaction Design Foundation (21 mins)
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0.7: Mandatory vs. Optional Lesson Items (7 mins)
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0.8: A Mix Between Video-Based and Text-Based Lesson Content (6 mins)
Lesson 1: Formalism In Action
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 30 mins.
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1.1: Formal methods - introduction (45 mins)
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1.2: Early examples - formalism in action (1 hour 40 mins)
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1.3: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 2: What Is Formal?
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 50 mins.
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2.1: What is formal? (41 mins)
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2.2: A brief history of formalism (1 hour 5 mins)
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2.3: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 3: Dialogue
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 21 mins.
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3.1: Dialogue notations (16 mins)
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3.2: State transition networks (12 mins)
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3.3: Properties of dialogue (51 mins)
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3.4: Checking properties: Reversability and completeness (15 mins)
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3.5: Checking properties: Dangerous states (27 mins)
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3.6: Lexical issues and layout (19 mins)
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3.7: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 4: A Success Story
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 5 mins.
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4.1: A success story (1 hour 6 mins)
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4.2: Lessons about state (55 mins)
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4.3: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 5: Modelling State
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 45 mins.
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5.1: Modelling state (1 hour 41 mins)
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5.2: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 6: Generic interaction models
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 43 mins.
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6.1: Interaction Models (1 hour 38 mins)
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6.2: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 7: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up
To be scheduled.
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7.1: Get Your Course Certificate (1 min)
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7.2: Course Evaluation (1 min)
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7.3: Continue Your Professional Growth (1 min)
How Others Have Benefited
Jim Brown, United States
“I was completely unfamiliar with formalism prior to this course and am looking forward to see how I can apply this methodology in my day to day work. Certainly applicable to interaction design and experience design.”
Richie McGirr, United States
“Great course. It made me think about things and use parts of my brain that I haven't used for a while. I really needed this.”
Neha Hall, United Kingdom
“This is an interesting course; not being very advanced in mathematics I was initially quite taken aback by the formulaic nature of the slides, however as the course instructor goes through them, the takeaways make sense. You wouldn't necessarily need to do the equations to prove your UX/UI recommendations to the client, however you can use that logical basis to validate your design recommendations and ensure that you design products that are logical to use and thus don't create a burden on the user to try and figure out what they need to do.”
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