Become a UX Designer from Scratch
How This Course Will Help Your Career
What You’ll Learn
- An introduction to the areas of study categorized under the umbrella of “user experience”
- Key design principles established over the last four decades that together form the basis of a user’s experience of a product or service
- Key psychological principles that underlie these design principles
- What cognitive processes underlie human-computer interaction, and how to design with this knowledge in mind
- How visual perception affects the viewing experience
- Examples of good and bad design to help you avoid common mistakes
- The importance of usability over aesthetics
User experience, or UX, has been a buzzword since about 2005, and according to tech research firm Gartner, the focus on digital experience is no longer limited to digital-born companies anymore. Chances are, you’ve heard of the term, or even have it on your portfolio. But, like most of us, there’s also a good chance that you sometimes feel unsure of what the term “user experience” actually covers.
[User experience] is used by people to say, ‘I’m a user experience designer, I design websites’, or ‘I design apps.’ […] and they think the experience is that simple device, the website, or the app, or who knows what. No! It’s everything—it’s the way you experience the world, it’s the way you experience your life, it’s the way you experience the service. Or, yeah, an app or a computer system. But it’s a system that’s everything.”
— Don Norman, pioneer and inventor of the term “user experience”, in an interview with NNGroup
As indicated by Don Norman, User Experience is an umbrella term that covers a number of different areas. When you work with user experience, it’s crucial to have a good understanding of what those areas are so that you know what tools are available to you.
Throughout this course, you will gain a thorough understanding of the various design principles that come together to create a user’s experience when using a product or service. As you proceed, you’ll learn the value user experience design brings to a project, and what areas you must consider when you want to design great user experiences. Because user experience is an evolving term, we can’t give you a definition of ‘user experience’ to end all discussions, but we will provide you with a solid understanding of the different aspects of user experience, so it becomes clear in your mind what is involved in creating great UX designs.
If you are new to the Interaction Design Foundation, this course is a great place to start because it brings together materials from many of our other courses. This provides you with both an excellent introduction to user experience and with a preview of the courses we have to offer to help you develop your future career. After each lesson, we will introduce you to the courses you can take if a specific topic has caught your attention. That way, you’ll find it easy to continue your learning journey.
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Is This Course Right for You?
This is a beginner-level course suitable for newcomers and UX professionals who want to brush up on the different areas UX covers:
- UX designers looking to boost their work experience with evidence-based knowledge as well as hands-on learning
- Project managers who want to build user-centered products that stand out from the competition
- Software engineers interested in understanding user experience
- Entrepreneurs who want to gain a deep understanding of user experience so as to ship the best products
- Marketers looking to gain a holistic view of what constitutes a user’s experience with a product or brand
- 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: 19 hours 25 mins spread over 7 weeks .
Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 36 mins.
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0.1: A Beginner's Guide to User Experience (7 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)
Lesson 1: Introduction to User Experience
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 8 mins.
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1.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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1.2: What is User Experience? (16 mins)
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1.3: Why is UX Design so Important (16 mins)
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1.4: Mind the Empathy Gap (1 hour 5 mins)
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1.5: Usability: A part of the User Experience (50 mins)
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1.6: Human Centered Design (25 mins)
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1.7: Discussion (6 mins)
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1.8: Congratulations and Recap (7 mins)
Lesson 2: Why You Should Care about User Experience
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 6 mins.
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2.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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2.2: How to Sell UX Design to Clients (2 hours 28 mins)
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2.3: User Research: What It Is and Why You Should Do It (24 mins)
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2.4: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
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2.5: Congratulations and Recap (6 mins)
Lesson 3: Understanding User Experience
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 41 mins.
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3.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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3.2: Marc Hassenzahl’s Introduction to User Experience (33 mins)
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3.3: Marc Hassenzahl’s Guidelines for Experience Design (1 hour 9 mins)
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3.4: Marc Hassenzahl’s Future Directions for Experience Design (38 mins)
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3.5: An Experience Story -Discussion (7 mins)
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3.6: Discussion (6 mins)
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3.7: Congratulations and Recap (6 mins)
Lesson 4: Three Aspects of Product Experience
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 23 mins.
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4.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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4.2: Norman's Three Levels of Design (38 mins)
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4.3: Visceral Level of Processing (49 mins)
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4.4: Behavioral Level of Processing (24 mins)
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4.5: The Reflective Level of Emotional Design (17 mins)
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4.6: Identifying Examples of Norman's Three Types of Design (6 mins)
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4.7: Congratulations and Recap (6 mins)
Lesson 5: Emotion and Experience
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 45 mins.
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5.1: Welcome and Introduction (17 mins)
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5.2: Emotions in Systems (27 mins)
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5.3: Application Areas (1 hour 1 min)
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5.4: Crackers Case Study (58 mins)
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5.5: Designing for Peak Experience (1 hour 0 mins)
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5.6: Congratulations and Recap (6 mins)
Lesson 6: Design Thinking
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 47 mins.
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6.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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6.2: The 5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process (48 mins)
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6.3: Stage 1 in the Design Thinking Process: Empathise with Your Users (28 mins)
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6.4: Stage 2 in the Design Thinking Process: Define the Problem and Interpret the Results (21 mins)
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6.5: Stage 3 in the Design Thinking Process: Ideate (22 mins)
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6.6: Stage 4 in the Design Thinking Process: Prototype (17 mins)
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6.7: Stage 5 in the Design Thinking Process: Test (17 mins)
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6.8: Community-based learning and networking (7 mins)
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6.9: Congratulations and Recap (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
Veena Sankaranarayanan, Australia
“I learned a good deal from various lesson items and design examples. I also appreciate how repeating key topics helped me memorize them and kept me well involved. Thank you.”
Juan Xabier Monjas Campandegui, Spain
“Perfect balance between knowledge, capacity to transmit the knowledge and sense of humor.”
Prince Onyeabor, Nigeria
“I liked how the instructors were able to link what they are saying to real life scenarios, it helped to consolidate learning for me.”
How It Works
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