UI Design Patterns for Successful Software
How this course will help your career
What you will 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.
Gain an industry-trusted UX Course Certificate
You earn a verifiable and industry-trusted Course Certificate once you complete the course. You can highlight them on your resume, CV, LinkedIn profile or your website.

Our courses and Course Certificates are trusted by these industry leaders, who have taken up company memberships with the IDF:
Who should take this course
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
When you take part in this course, you will join a global multidisciplinary team working on the course and the exercises at the same time as you. You will work together to improve your skills and understanding. Your course group will be made up of an incredibly diverse group of professionals, all of whom have the same objective—to become successful designers. It’s your chance to learn, grow, and network with your peers across the planet.
Lessons in this course
- Lessons become available at a schedule of one lesson per week.
- Lessons remain open for you forever and have no deadlines.
- There is no time limit to finish a course.
- You have permanent access to your course material, answers, and classmates for the entire duration of your membership.
- Estimated time to complete: 11 hours 42 mins spread over 8 weeks.
Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction
Available once you start the course. Estimated time to complete: 57 mins.
Lesson 1: Implementing Page Structure
Available once you start the course. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 24 mins.
Lesson 2: Organizing Content for the Best Results
Available anytime after Dec 22, 2019. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 51 mins.
Lesson 3: Affording Fluid Navigation
Available anytime after Dec 29, 2019. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 37 mins.
Lesson 4: Simplifying Data Entry
Available anytime after Jan 05, 2020. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 36 mins.
Lesson 5: Social Aspects of UI Design
Available anytime after Jan 12, 2020. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 40 mins.
Lesson 6: Dark Patterns
Available anytime after Jan 19, 2020. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 48 mins.
Lesson 7: The Complete User Interface
Available anytime after Jan 26, 2020. Estimated time to complete: 51 mins.
Lesson 8: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up
Available anytime after Feb 02, 2020.
Learning paths
This course is part of 4 learning paths:
How others have benefited

Nicolas Leclair, Canada
“It's nice to put words and explanation on pattern that we use daily, and that are habits. Using them and having to decide which one to offer to a user are two different things, like driving a car, and building a car. I feel that I am learning to build the car.”

Fausto Albamonte, United States
“The knowledge acquired from the course is something that I'm currently implementing daily in my job, and is going to be the base to build on, as I'm preparing to take more courses with the Interaction Design Foundation. I'm happy to say that I truly enjoyed the course and learnt a lot from it. Interacting with other classmates, sharing ideas and receiving constructive feedback was another positive aspect of this course.”

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.”
How to advance your career with IDF courses
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Attend lessons at your own pace
Each week throughout the course, you get access to a new lesson, but you can move through the lessons at your own pace. This means you can learn before you leave for work, or in between breaks — in as little as 15 minutes per day.
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Network online and offline
Network with your fellow course-takers online, through discussion forums inside lessons. You can also connect with your peers offline via IDF’s Local Groups. Local Groups connect you with other designers around your city who share the same passion in UX design as you.
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Advance your career
Get a verifiable and industry-trusted Course Certificate once you’ve scored at least 70% on a course. Highlight your Course Certificates on your résumé, your LinkedIn profile, or your website to showcase your newly mastered skills.
Start advancing your career now
Become a member to take “UI Design Patterns for Successful Software”. Take any other IDF UX courses at no additional cost. Take a concrete step forward in your career path today.