UI Design Patterns for Successful Software
How This Course Will Help Your Career
What You’ll Learn
How user interface (UI) design patterns can speed up your design processes
How to choose user interface design patterns and use them appropriately
How to organize content to achieve maximum usability
How to ensure minimal effort is required from the user when moving through the user interface
How to simplify data entry and reduce errors
How to use social aspects within your user interface designs
How to enhance the user experience of a user interface
Have you ever found yourself spotting shapes in the clouds? That is because people are hard-wired to recognize patterns, even when there are none. It’s the same reason that we often think we know where to click when first experiencing a website—and get frustrated if things aren’t where we think they should be. Choosing the right user interface design pattern is crucial to taking advantage of this natural pattern-spotting, and this course will teach you how to do just that.
User interface design patterns are the means by which structure and order can gel together to make powerful user experiences. Structure and order are also a user’s best friends, and along with the fact that old habits die hard (especially on the web), it is essential that designers consider user interfaces very carefully before they set the final design in stone. Products should consist of such good interactions that users don’t even notice how they got from point A to point B. Failing to do so can lead to user interfaces that are difficult or confusing to navigate, requiring the user to spend an unreasonable amount of time decoding the display—and just a few seconds too many can be “unreasonable”—rather than fulfilling their original aims and objectives.
While the focus is on the practical application of user interface design patterns, by the end of the course you will also be familiar with current terminology used in the design of user interfaces, and many of the key concepts under discussion. This should help put you ahead of the pack and furnish you with the knowledge necessary to advance beyond your competitors.
So, if you are struggling to decide which user interface design pattern is best, and how you can achieve maximum usability through implementing it, then step no further. This course will equip you with the knowledge necessary to select the most appropriate display methods and solve common design problems affecting existing user interfaces.
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Is This Course Right for You?
This is a beginner-level course suitable for newcomers to user interface design and experienced practitioners alike:
- UX and UI designers interested in using the right UI design patterns to create optimal product designs
- Project managers keen on incorporating tried and tested UI design patterns to speed up and optimize the product development process
- Software engineers looking to boost their skill sets and gain a foundational understanding of user interface design
- Entrepreneurs who want to make sure their products have the appropriate user interface for maximum success
- Newcomers to design who are considering making a switch to UX or UI 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: 24 hours 12 mins spread over 10 weeks .
Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 25 mins.
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0.1: Welcome (11 mins)
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0.2: An introduction to courses from the Interaction Design Foundation (37 mins)
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0.3: Let our community help you (1 min)
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0.4: How to Earn Your Course Certificate (16 mins)
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0.5: Meet your peers online in our discussion forums (5 mins)
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0.6: Meet and learn from design professionals at an upcoming meet-up (1 min)
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0.7: Gain Timeless Skills Through Courses From the Interaction Design Foundation (21 mins)
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0.8: Mandatory vs. Optional Lesson Items (7 mins)
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0.9: A Mix Between Video-Based and Text-Based Lesson Content (6 mins)
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0.10: Discussion (9 mins)
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0.11: Congratulations and Recap (37 mins)
Lesson 1: Implementing Page Structure
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 21 mins.
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1.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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1.2: Add Structure to Your Designs with Visual Frameworks (1 hour 1 min)
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1.3: Discussion Exercise to Draw on the Knowledge You Already Have (7 mins)
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1.4: Center Stage – Help the User Focus on What’s Important (24 mins)
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1.5: How to Use Movable Pieces to Support Multitasking (21 mins)
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1.6: Help Users Skim Contents with Titled Sections (20 mins)
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1.7: How to Use Responsive Enabling to Simplify Tasks (21 mins)
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1.8: Community-based learning and networking (9 mins)
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1.9: Congratulations and Recap (36 mins)
Lesson 2: Organizing Content for the Best Results
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 40 mins.
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2.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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2.2: How to Implement Slideshows to Grab the User’s Attention (34 mins)
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2.3: Two-Panel Selectors for Easy Access of Content (25 mins)
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2.4: Search for Items with Scrolling Lists, Archive Lists or List Inlays (23 mins)
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2.5: Display Contents the Classic Way with Dropdown Menus (37 mins)
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2.6: Embrace the Mental Models of Users by Implementing Tabs (30 mins)
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2.7: Split the Contents of a Website with the Pagination Design Pattern (49 mins)
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2.8: Exercise to Use Your New Knowledge in a Case Study (7 mins)
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2.9: Community-based learning and networking (9 mins)
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2.10: Congratulations and Recap (6 mins)
Lesson 3: Affording Fluid Navigation
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 8 mins.
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3.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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3.2: Implement Global Navigation to Improve Website Usability (28 mins)
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3.3: Help Users Retrace Their Steps with Breadcrumbs (21 mins)
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3.4: How to Apply Search Boxes to Increase Efficiency (27 mins)
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3.5: Take Advantage of Essential Keywords with Tag Clouds (26 mins)
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3.6: Design Patterns for Fluid Navigation – How to Use Inline Linking (19 mins)
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3.7: How to Implement Sitemap Footers to Keep Users Going (19 mins)
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3.8: Exercise to Practice Your Fluid Navigation Design Skills (36 mins)
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3.9: Community-based learning and networking (8 mins)
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3.10: Congratulations and Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 4: Simplifying Data Entry
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 9 mins.
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4.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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4.2: Warm-up Exercise to Get Your Thoughts Flowing (7 mins)
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4.3: How to Simplify Data Entry for Users with Autocomplete (26 mins)
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4.4: Giving Your Users Freedom with Editable Input Fields (51 mins)
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4.5: Increase the User’s Sense of Control with the Refined Search Design Pattern (18 mins)
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4.6: How to Implement a Forgiving Format to Accommodate Users’ Mistakes (26 mins)
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4.7: Speed up the User’s Process by Adding an Event Calendar (23 mins)
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4.8: Support Users with Small Clues in the Input Hints Design Pattern (24 mins)
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4.9: Community-based learning and networking (10 mins)
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4.10: Congratulations and Recap (2 mins)
Lesson 5: Social Aspects of UI Design
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 22 mins.
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5.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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5.2: Display Achievements to Encourage Website Usage (25 mins)
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5.3: Increase Competitiveness in Users with Leader Boards (19 mins)
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5.4: Improve the User Experience by Experimenting with Language (56 mins)
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5.5: Create a Quick Overview of Opinions by Implementing Starred Reviews (24 mins)
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5.6: Increase Efficiency with the Imported Connections Design Pattern (17 mins)
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5.7: Use Sign-in Reminders to Support Extended Functionalities (22 mins)
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5.8: Attract Users’ Attention with Update Alerts (20 mins)
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5.9: Cool Down with this Exercise on Social Aspects (7 mins)
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5.10: Community-based learning and networking (9 mins)
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5.11: Congratulations and Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 6: Dark Patterns
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 21 mins.
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6.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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6.2: Coercing, Manipulating and Tricking Users with Dark Patterns (25 mins)
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6.3: How to Approach Prioritized Advertisements (14 mins)
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6.4: Beware of Harvesting Users’ Information with Forced Registration (16 mins)
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6.5: Use Color to Prevent Confusion and Help Your Users (47 mins)
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6.6: Exercise to Question Your Integrity as a Designer (5 mins)
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6.7: How to Get Users’ Agreement with the Opt-in/Opt-out Dance (18 mins)
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6.8: How Some Brands Get Users’ Long-Term Commitment with a Monthly Charge (21 mins)
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6.9: How Designers Sneak Products into Users’ Shopping Baskets (21 mins)
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6.10: Be Mindful of the Implications of Implied Consent (22 mins)
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6.11: Community-based learning and networking (9 mins)
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6.12: Congratulations and Recap (2 mins)
Lesson 7: The Complete User Interface
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 47 mins.
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7.1: Welcome and Introduction (7 mins)
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7.2: Analyzing the YouTube Website on Design Pattern Use (34 mins)
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7.3: Exercise to Understand the Design Patterns of Facebook (35 mins)
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7.4: Walkthrough of the Wikipedia Website to Uncover Its Design Patterns (8 mins)
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7.5: Analysis of Design Pattern Use in the EBay Website (8 mins)
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7.6: Learning from One of the Most Popular Websites in the World – Twitter (7 mins)
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7.7: Community-based learning and networking (8 mins)
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7.8: Congratulations and Recap (3 mins)
Lesson 8: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up
To be scheduled.
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8.1: Get Your Course Certificate (1 min)
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8.2: Course Evaluation (1 min)
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8.3: Continue Your Professional Growth (1 min)
Learning Paths
This course is part of 4 learning paths:
How Others Have Benefited
Gloria Novinc, Croatia
“Course is great!!!!! I would recommend it to every designer!”
Sarah Corney, United Kingdom
“Absolutely loved this course. Well-structured, well-written, really interesting, very practical. My favourite course so far.”
Gideon Cohen, Canada
“I really liked the section on Perspective Writing. Overall, this is good material that helps orient the nascent interaction designer in the terminology and tools of the trade.”
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