User Experience: The Beginner’s Guide
How this course will help your career
What you will 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 customer intelligence agency Walker predicts that experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator by 2020 [1]. 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.” [2]
— Don Norman, pioneer, and inventor of the term “user experience”
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.
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 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
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.
1 Don Norman: The term “UX”, YouTube
2 Customers 2020, Walker
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: 9 hours 2 mins spread over 7 weeks.
Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction
Available once you start the course. Estimated time to complete: 42 mins.
Lesson 1: Introduction to User Experience
Available once you start the course. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 26 mins.
Lesson 2: Why You Should Care about User Experience
Available anytime after Dec 26, 2019. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 27 mins.
Lesson 3: Understanding User Experience
Available anytime after Jan 02, 2020. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 22 mins.
Lesson 4: Three Aspects of Product Experience
Available anytime after Jan 09, 2020. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 6 mins.
Lesson 5: Emotion and Experience
Available anytime after Jan 16, 2020. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 36 mins.
Lesson 6: Design Thinking
Available anytime after Jan 23, 2020. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour 23 mins.
Lesson 7: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up
Available anytime after Jan 30, 2020.
Learning paths
This course is part of 10 learning paths:
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 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 “User Experience: The Beginner’s Guide”. Take any other IDF UX courses at no additional cost. Take a concrete step forward in your career path today.