Psychology of Interaction Design: The Ultimate Guide
How This Course Will Help Your Career
What You’ll Learn
- A deep, cognitive understanding of the human behind the term “user,” including the user’s memory and decision-making and problem-solving skills
- How to understand what the user sees when confronted by your product
- How to identify potential pitfalls in your design before any of them become a problem for your users
- How to elevate your design above those of your competitors by creating user-centered products, virtually free from frustrating elements
- How to design products that provide satisfying user experience and, in turn, increase sales
A deep understanding of human psychology is essential for all designers when creating a user-centered product with great user experience. While many individual differences will never cease to exist between users, we are united by our shared psychology; the constraints and abilities of the human mind are much the same for all of us. Developing an understanding of these cognitive limitations and capabilities is the key to interaction design and a great user experience. Without an awareness of how we interact with things in the real and virtual worlds, you’ll find that your designs will fall short of their potential.
This course will equip you with the knowledge to relate to your users psychologically, thus allowing you to create stand-out products. Through learning about different aspects of human cognition—and how they relate to interaction design—you will find yourself much better equipped to put yourself in your users’ shoes, shifting their thoughts to the forefront and keeping a firm hold of them there when designing your next creation.
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Is This Course Right for You?
This is an advanced-level course; even so, it is recommended for both newcomers to design and seasoned professionals alike:
- UX, UI, and web designers keen on applying knowledge in psychology so as to create interactive designs that are satisfying to use
- Software engineers interested in gaining a deep understanding of human cognition and interaction design
- Entrepreneurs who want to ship products that are user-centered and free from flaws that might blight their competitors’ products
- Newcomers to design who are considering making a switch to UX or interaction 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 individual 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: 30 hours 29 mins spread over 11 weeks .
Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 48 mins.
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0.1: Welcome! (12 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 (6 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: Sharing Ideas (6 mins)
Lesson 1: Interaction Design: An Introduction
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 6 hours 19 mins.
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1.1: An Introduction to Interaction Design (40 mins)
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1.2: Human Cognition (31 mins)
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1.3: Human-Computer Interaction (7 mins)
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1.4: Personal Interactive Experience (6 mins)
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1.5: Sensory Perception (11 mins)
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1.6: Attention (11 mins)
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1.7: Learning and Memory (18 mins)
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1.8: Language - The Five Dimensions of IxD (11 mins)
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1.9: Problem-solving (11 mins)
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1.10: Decision-Making (12 mins)
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1.11: Reasoning (11 mins)
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1.12: Reflective Cognition (11 mins)
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1.13: Cognition and the Interactive Experience (9 mins)
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1.14: Bill Moggridge: Designing Interactions (2 hours 53 mins)
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1.15: Share your Ideas (6 mins)
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1.16: Perception (1 min)
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1.17: Gillian Crampton Smith Interview (8 mins)
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1.18: Interaction Design (6 mins)
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1.19: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 2: The Psychology of Interaction Design: Cognitive Frameworks
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 7 mins.
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2.1: Conceptual Models (49 mins)
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2.2: 'Folk Theories' (9 mins)
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2.3: The Gulfs of Execution and Evaluation (14 mins)
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2.4: Humans as Information Processors (11 mins)
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2.5: The Human Processor Model (9 mins)
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2.6: External Cognition (8 mins)
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2.7: Distributed Cognition (10 mins)
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2.8: Embodied Interaction (15 mins)
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2.9: Share your Experience (6 mins)
Lesson 3: The Gestalt Laws and Interface Design
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 39 mins.
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3.1: A Valuable List of Gestalt Principles (11 mins)
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3.2: 'Law of Pragnanz' (9 mins)
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3.3: Applying the Laws (37 mins)
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3.4: 'Law of Similarity' (7 mins)
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3.5: 'Law of Proximity' (8 mins)
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3.6: Law of Familiarity/Meaningfulness (11 mins)
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3.7: 'Law of Common Fate' (7 mins)
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3.8: 'New' Grouping Laws (7 mins)
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3.9: Research (10 mins)
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3.10: The Law Of Element Connectedness (7 mins)
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3.11: 'Law of Synchrony' (7 mins)
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3.12: 'Law of Common Region' and The Origin of The Gestalt Laws (10 mins)
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3.13: Figure/Ground Organisation (10 mins)
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3.14: 'Figure/Ground' (8 mins)
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3.15: An example of Figure/Ground (6 mins)
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3.16: Perceptual Segregation: Design Considerations (8 mins)
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3.17: Gestalt Principles of Perceptual Organisation (7 mins)
Lesson 4: Visual Perception and Colour Vision
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 4 hours 7 mins.
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4.1: Understanding Human Vision (12 mins)
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4.2: Anatomy and Function of the Eye (9 mins)
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4.3: The Fovea and Design (8 mins)
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4.4: Colour Vision (10 mins)
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4.5: Vision and Design: Using Colour (39 mins)
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4.6: Theories of Human Colour Perception (7 mins)
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4.7: Colour Blindness (14 mins)
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4.8: Photoreceptors fovea (30 mins)
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4.9: Object Perception (15 mins)
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4.10: Vision and Design (13 mins)
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4.11: Context and Other Influences (14 mins)
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4.12: Using Images (10 mins)
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4.13: Vision and Attention (20 mins)
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4.14: Vision and Design: Visual Perception (10 mins)
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4.15: Vanishing Head Illusion (6 mins)
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4.16: Simplicity and Bold Vibrant Colours (1 min)
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4.17: Color Vision 1: Color Basics (31 mins)
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4.18: Visual Design Experience: Positive or Negative (6 mins)
Lesson 5: Human Cognition and the Interactive Experience
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 46 mins.
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5.1: Models of Perception: Complex User Interfaces (10 mins)
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5.2: User Specificity: Complex User Interfaces (39 mins)
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5.3: Cognitive Overload: Complex User Interfaces (16 mins)
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5.4: Designing for Recognition: Complex User Interfaces (8 mins)
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5.5: 'Radio Kabul': Complex User Interfaces (12 mins)
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5.6: User Interfaces (16 mins)
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5.7: Visual Working Memory (10 mins)
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5.8: Virtual Reality (9 mins)
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5.9: Complex User Interfaces (13 mins)
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5.10: The Power Law of Practice: Complex User Interfaces (15 mins)
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5.11: Deliberate Practice: Complex User Interfaces (10 mins)
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5.12: Helping The User (10 mins)
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5.13: User Interface Example (6 mins)
Lesson 6: User Error: Who is to blame?
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 50 mins.
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6.1: British Midlands Flight 92 (14 mins)
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6.2: Who is to blame?: User Error (40 mins)
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6.3: The USS Vincennes (13 mins)
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6.4: The Air Inter Flight 148 Crash (8 mins)
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6.5: The Space Shuttle Columbia (9 mins)
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6.6: The Herald of Free Enterprise (7 mins)
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6.7: The Three Mile Island Nuclear Disaster (7 mins)
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6.8: Air France Flight 447 (12 mins)
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6.9: User Error: Your Turn (6 mins)
Lesson 7: Tangible User Interface Design and the Psychology of Touch
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 25 mins.
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7.1: Designing Controls (38 mins)
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7.2: Specificity Vs. Generality (11 mins)
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7.3: Design Considerations (14 mins)
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7.4: One-to-One Couplings (8 mins)
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7.5: The Paradox of Modern Technology (12 mins)
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7.6: Physical Controls Vs. Touchscreens (17 mins)
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7.7: Touchscreens: Tangible User Interfaces (7 mins)
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7.8: Big Briar 331 Touch Plate (7 mins)
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7.9: Physical Controls (20 mins)
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7.10: Design Heuristics: Tangible User Interfaces (7 mins)
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7.11: Physical Controls Vs. Touchscreens: Tangible User Interfaces (5 mins)
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7.12: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 8: Comparing User Interfaces
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 14 mins.
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8.1: Game Console Controllers: Applying the Information (2 mins)
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8.2: Car Control Panels: Applying the Information (3 mins)
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8.3: Heating Controls: Applying the Information (3 mins)
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8.4: Communication Devices: Applying the Information (2 mins)
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8.5: Wheelchair Control Panels: Applying the Information (2 mins)
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8.6: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 9: Interaction Design Approaches
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 33 mins.
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9.1: An Overview: Interaction Design Approaches (11 mins)
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9.2: User-Centred Design: Interaction Design Approaches (44 mins)
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9.3: Activity-Centred Design: Interaction Design Approaches (15 mins)
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9.4: Systems Design: Interaction Design Approaches (10 mins)
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9.5: Genius Design: Interaction Design Approaches (11 mins)
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9.6: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 10: Interaction Design Methods
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours 47 mins.
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10.1: An Overview: Interaction Design (18 mins)
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10.2: Usability Testing: Interaction Design (8 mins)
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10.3: User Testing Methods: Interaction Design (11 mins)
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10.4: Testing Designs: Usability Inspection Methods (18 mins)
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10.5: Cognitive Walkthrough: Usability Inspection Methods (43 mins)
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10.6: Prototyping: Interaction Design (11 mins)
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10.7: Scenarios: Interaction Design (13 mins)
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10.8: Field Studies: Interaction Design (16 mins)
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10.9: Combining Methods: Interaction Design (9 mins)
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10.10: Questionnaires: Interaction Design (18 mins)
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10.11: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
Lesson 11: Interaction Design: The Process
To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 52 mins.
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11.1: Practical Issues: User-Centred Design (44 mins)
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11.2: What are the user's needs? (11 mins)
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11.3: What are the alternative designs? (12 mins)
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11.4: How do I choose an alternative design? (13 mins)
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11.5: Integrating UCD and Other Life-Cycle Models (28 mins)
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11.6: Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)
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11.7: Usability Testing: What to Test (1 min)
Lesson 12: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up
To be scheduled.
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12.1: Get Your Course Certificate (1 min)
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12.2: Course Evaluation (1 min)
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12.3: Continue Your Professional Growth (1 min)
Learning Paths
This course is part of 1 learning path:
How Others Have Benefited
![Vasanth Kumar Talla](https://public-images.interaction-design.org/user-uploads/14053/profile-pictures/original.06fb328c3d250c6a669874a69b85d6e3.jpg?tr=w-560,h-560)
Vasanth Kumar Talla, India
“Lot of information which is valid and good to use in real time environment and projects.”
![Theo Braden](https://public-images.interaction-design.org/user-uploads/14101/profile-pictures/original.c7234690ee50d4f4ae94e2209f7db206.jpg?tr=w-560,h-560)
Theo Braden, United States
“I appreciated how the theory drives considerations for interaction design. It made the information much more digestible and intentional.”
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