How to Create Intuitive Products by Imitating Physicality

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How This Course Will Help Your Career

What You’ll Learn

What physicality is and how it affects whether a design is intuitive to use
How to design with physicality in mind
What is regarded as “physical” in time and space
How to model devices for natural interactions through physigrams
How to use feedback loops to examine and improve your designs

The iPhone, iPad, and other successful Apple products are good examples of how digital and physical design can be woven together, namely through taking something complex and making it intuitive. Not only can users transfer the knowledge they have gained from past experiences between products, but they also can do the same with the contexts in which those products are used (Blackler et al). This creates a need for designers to incorporate intuition into their creations; a great user experience—and ensuing product success—is more and more often the result of a perfectly designed combination of digital and physical dimensions.

This trend can be seen in all types of consumer products from toys to washing machines, which are increasingly becoming both digital and physical. Terms such as “the internet of things” and “smart cities,” as well as technologies such as wearables and self-driven cars, are examples of how the physical-digital divide is getting smaller. The interface and overall experience design of your product can follow the same approach, with your product able to meet users’ needs through intuition and exploration.

The obvious question for a designer is how to design for this ever-growing market and avoid its pitfalls in the process. You cannot, for example, claim a product is intuitive when it’s not—you will lose people’s trust ahead of your next release. In this course, you will learn how to overcome this by making the use of your product “feel right”; better still, you will learn how to incorporate existing knowledge within your designs, thereby making your product intuitive.

Gain an Industry-Recognized UX Course Certificate

Use your industry-recognized Course Certificate on your resume, CV, LinkedIn profile or your website.

Our courses and Course Certificates are trusted by these industry leaders:

Our clients: IBM, HP, Adobe, GE, Accenture, Allianz, Phillips, Deezer, Capgemin, Mcafee, SAP, Telenor, Cigna, British Parliment, State of New York

Is This Course Right for You?

This is an advanced-level course recommended for anyone involved in the product design and development process:

UX, UI, and web designers who want to create designs that are intuitive for users
Project managers interested in ensuring that the product development process is run with physicality in mind
Software engineers looking to expand their knowledge on applying physicality and making products intuitive
Entrepreneurs keen on understanding what makes products “just work,” and how to replicate that in their own products
Newcomers to design who are considering making a switch to UX, UI, or web 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.

Practical Info

Price: Free for Members

Take as many courses as you want for a flat fee.
Self-Paced Online Course with No Deadlines

You’ll never miss a class since there are no deadlines.
Permanent Access to Course Material

You’ll have access to your course material for the entire duration of your membership.
Online Lessons with Optional Meet-Ups

Take our online courses from anywhere. Join optional meet-ups in your city.
9 hours 3 mins over 3 weeks (Estimated)

There’s no time limit to finish a course, so you can take as much time as you need.
Grading by Experts, Not Machines

Our experts grade your answers—that’s why our Course Certificates are credible.
Learn on Any Device

Learn at the office, on your sofa and on the go.
Well-Liked Instructor

This course’s instructor is rated 4.2 / 5 by students.

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: 9 hours 3 mins spread over 3 weeks.

Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 32 mins.

0.1: An introduction to courses from the Interaction Design Foundation (37 mins)
0.2: Let our community help you (1 min)
0.3: How to Earn Your Course Certificate (15 mins)
0.4: Meet your peers online in our discussion forums (6 mins)
0.5: Meet and learn from design professionals at an upcoming meet-up (1 min)
0.6: Gain Timeless Knowledge Through Courses From the Interaction Design Foundation (21 mins)
0.7: Mandatory vs. Optional Lesson Items (7 mins)
0.8: A Mix Between Video-Based and Text-Based Lesson Content (8 mins)

Lesson 1: Designing for Physicality

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 26 mins.

1.1: Designing for physicality: Introduction (32 mins)
1.2: Aspects of physicality (1 hour 30 mins)
1.3: Studying physicality (20 mins)
1.4: Discussion Forum (6 mins)

Lesson 2: What is physical?

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 5 mins.

2.1: What is physical? - Kinds of things (26 mins)
2.2: What is physical? - Rules of the world (59 mins)
2.3: Continuity in time and space (36 mins)
2.4: Discussion Forum (6 mins)

Lesson 3: Physicality and devices

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 3 hours 0 mins.

3.1: Everyday devices to physigrams (22 mins)
3.2: Multiple feedback loops (1 hour 13 mins)
3.3: Device unplugged (1 hour 21 mins)
3.4: Discussion Forum (6 mins)

Lesson 4: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up

To be scheduled.

4.1: Get Your Course Certificate (1 min)
4.2: Course Evaluation (1 min)
4.3: Continue Your Professional Growth (1 min)

How Others Have Benefited

Pierleone Loreti, Italy

“Thanks for this course: I find it really stimulating and it gives lots of insights in what human expects from machines and objects.”

Ana Rajner, Germany

“I love it. And Alan is so great. It is my first time to take his course, but I will dig for more of his courses. He takes so simple examples, but explains a lot. Thank you IDF for this experience.”

Mehmet Berk Bostancı, Spain

“Our brains have been hardwired for physical interactions throughout many ages, and it is clearly important to implement the instant and ubiquitous feedback mechanisms in the physical world to the digital, for the better use of man-made objects. Understanding the essentials of the underlying principles of and what our brains expect from physical interactions is therefore critical at this point.”

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How It Works

Take lessons by industry experts

Lessons are self-paced so you’ll never be late for class or miss a deadline.
Get a Course Certificate

Your answers are graded by experts, not machines. Get an industry-recognized Course Certificate to prove your skills.
Advance your career

Use your new skills in your existing job or to get a new job in UX design. Tap into our community to help you.

Start Advancing Your Career Now

Join us to take “How to Create Intuitive Products by Imitating Physicality”. Take other courses at no additional cost. Make a concrete step forward in your career path today.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When I finish a course, do I have to pay extra to get my certificate?

No. When you pay for a membership you get access to all of the courses, with no extra charges or limits. That also means that you will get a certificate for every successfully finished course, at no extra cost.

Can I take more than one course at a time?

With a Professional membership you can take as many courses as you would like, with no further charges. For example, if there are 30 active courses, you can enroll in all 30 courses at the same time and move from one to another as you prefer.

With a Student membership, you can take a maximum of two courses at the same time. You can still take as many courses as you would like – free of extra charges – just as long as you finish or drop them so that you don’t have more than two ongoing courses.

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I missed the enrollment, and now the course is closed. What can I do?

Don't worry if you missed the course. We will re-run it shortly. One of the reasons we continually open and close courses is in order to control the classroom size.

Networking is a large part of our value proposition, so we want just the right number of people inside the courses. That is also why we display the "XX % percent booked" on our course icons.

Do I have to be online at an exact time to study?

No. You can set your own study schedule. There are no "live sessions" since we have members from all timezones around the world. We are a truly global community.

Thus, once you are enrolled, you can take all the time to complete a given course. Every "classroom" in each course will never close, so you’ll have permanent access to your classmates and your course material (as well as your own answers).

Will I receive a Course Certificate?

Yes. You will get a digital industry-recognized course certificate every time you complete a course. Certificates never expire and can be saved as a .jpg file, so it's easy to be shared. Also, there is no limit to how many certificates you can earn during your membership.

You can see an example of a Course Certificate at the bottom of the Course Catalogue.

I have answered questions in a lesson; when will they be marked/graded?

We do the marking/grading in so-called "sprints" – where we sit down and do all the marking/grading in one go. Your answers will be graded approximately two weeks after you submit your work.

We do this because it is much more efficient than doing one little step every day. It's part of our lean/agile work philosophy, and that approach to efficiency is one of the factors that keeps our membership prices so low.

I have updated my name, but my course certificate is not updated — how can I change it?

Don't worry, once you change your name, your certificate will be updated automatically in the next hour.

I have started my course later than the specified date, are my answers still going to be marked?

Sure! We will be marking all your answers for as long as you are an active member.

How are courses graded?

Open-ended questions are graded by our experts and course instructors – not by machines.

That's one of the reasons that our Course Certificates are credible and recognized by industry leaders.

For how long will I have access to the course materials?

You will have access to the course materials for the entire duration of your membership. So, if you pay for a one-year membership, you will have access for one year. Renewing your membership for a second year means you will have access to one more year, and so on.

New lessons are starting before I have completed the previous lesson(s). Am I going to be locked out of these unfinished lessons?

No, you will not be locked out of any lesson or course. You will have access to all course materials throughout your membership, so there is no pressure to keep at the same pace as the specified lesson release dates.

All we recommend is that you try to stick to the same schedule as other participants. The reason is they may have moved on to other lessons, thereby meaning you could miss out on the social aspects of the course(s).

Do I have a specific date to award my certificates?

No, you can generate your certificate as soon as you score at least 70% of the total course points.

When will I receive my Course Certificate?

Course certificates will be given to participants when they have scored more than 70% or more of the total course points. For example, if a course contains ten lessons each with ten questions, you will receive a course certificate when the instructor has awarded you at least 70 points (70% of the total course points).

There is no specified time that certificates will be awarded — instead, they are given to participants as and when they have answered all questions, even if this is long after the official end date.

How do I add my Certificate to my LinkedIn profile?

Here is how to add your IxDF certificate(s) to your LinkedIn profile:

Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
On the right, in the Add profile section dropdown, choose Background and then select the + next to Licenses & Certifications.

3. In the following fields add:

Name – Course name
Issuing organization – The Interaction Design Foundation
Check the field “This credential does not expire”
Issue date - Input the date written on your certificate (e.g., May 2021)
Credential ID – Your membership ID number (it's written on your certificate)
Credential URL: Input the certificate URL provided on your course page

4. Click the Save button.

Congratulate yourself! Earning the certificate is a great accomplishment and now you can share it with the world!

How do I add the Interaction Design Foundation Membership Certificate to my LinkedIn Profile?

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to add your Interaction Design Foundation course(s) to your LinkedIn profile:

Log in to your LinkedIn account, then go to your profile.
Bellow your profile description,in the Add profile section dropdown, choose Background and then select the + next to Licenses & Certifications.

3. In the following fields add:

Name – Membership Certificate
Issuing organization – The Interaction Design Foundation
Check the field “This credential does not expire”
Issue date - Input the date when you joined our community (e.g., May 2019)
Credential ID – Your membership ID number (it's written on your certificate)
Credential URL: Input the certificate URL provided on your profile page

4. Click the Save button.

It is as simple as that. Now, anyone who visits your profile can see your certificate!

How much will I have to pay for the courses?

After you pay for your membership, you can take as many courses as you want with no additional costs. There are no further charges on top of the membership fee.

Do you provide mostly beginners' or more advanced courses?

We provide courses for all levels of mastery and across the full spectrum. If you’re new to design, you can start from our beginner courses and progress all the way up to our advanced ones. If you’re an established designer, on the other hand, you will find some of our lower-level courses provide a good refresher—and the advanced ones, a bit of a challenge.

How long does it take to complete a course?

You will need approximately 5-8 hours to complete one lesson. Each course has between 3 and 16 lessons.

Once enrolled in a course, you will gain access to a new lesson each week, which you are free to complete without any deadlines and no end date, either.