User Experience: The Beginner’s Guide
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: 18 hours 12 mins spread over 6 weeks.
Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction
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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 (15 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 in your area (1 min)
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0.7: Gain Timeless Knowledge 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 (8 mins)
Lesson 1: Introduction to User Experience
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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
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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 (25 mins)
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2.4: Discussion Forum (6 mins)
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2.5: Congratulations and Recap (6 mins)
Lesson 3: Understanding User Experience
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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
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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
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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
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6.1: Welcome and Introduction (6 mins)
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6.2: 5 Stages in the Design Thinking Process (43 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 (22 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 (21 mins)
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6.8: Discussion Forum (7 mins)
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6.9: Congratulations and Recap (6 mins)
Lesson 7: Course Certificate, Final Networking, and Course Wrap-up
Learning Paths
This course is part of 10 learning paths:
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UX Designer Learning PathBecome a UX Designer through 10 courses in 4 parts
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Interaction Designer Learning PathBecome a Interaction Designer through 10 courses in 4 parts
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Visual Designer Learning PathBecome a Visual Designer through 9 courses in 4 parts
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Usability Expert Learning PathBecome a Usability Expert through 9 courses in 4 parts
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UI Designer Learning PathBecome a UI Designer through 10 courses in 4 parts
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Front-End Developer Learning PathBecome a Front-End Developer through 8 courses in 4 parts
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Product Manager Learning PathBecome a Product Manager through 8 courses in 4 parts
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Marketer Learning PathBecome a Marketer through 7 courses in 3 parts
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User Researcher Learning PathBecome a User Researcher through 6 courses in 3 parts
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Executive Learning PathBecome a Executive through 6 courses in 3 parts
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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Take lessons by industry experts
Lessons are self-paced so you’ll never be late for class or miss a deadline.
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Get a Course Certificate
Your answers are graded by experts, not machines. Get an industry-recognized Course Certificate to prove your skills.
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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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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When I finish the course, do I have to pay extra to get the 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.
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Can I take more than one course at a time?Yes, you can take as many courses as you would like. For example, if there are 30 active courses, you can enroll in all 30 courses at the same time and move from one to the other as you please.There are no further charges once you have paid for your membership.
Please note: If you have a student membership, you can take a maximum of two courses at the same time. As a student, you can thus still take as many courses as you would like – free of extra charges – just as long as you finish them (or drop them) so that you don’t have more than two ongoing courses at the same time. Please note that if you drop a course, progress is not transferable between cycles. So, you'll have to redo the lessons and answers you already completed in the current cycle. -
I missed the enrollment date and now the course is closed. Will I have any opportunity to take the course in the future?
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 to be able 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.
We’ll re-schedule the course and make it available for sign-up on https://www.interaction-design.org/courses in only about a week (or perhaps a little bit longer). The actual start date of the course will be a few weeks after sign-ups begin too. We’ve found that this is the best way to maximize flexibility and convenience for everyone, especially you as you put your course program together.
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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" or "webinars" since our members are from all timezones around the world. We are a truly global community – with members in every single corner of the world.
Thus, once you are enrolled, you can take all the time you want 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).
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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 that you can easily share your accomplishment. In addition, certificates can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn directly from from our site.
Also, there is no limit to how many Course Certificates you can earn during your membership. We will also make sure you receive a 3-step guide on how to include your Course Certificate on LinkedIn and in your résumé/CV.
You can see an example of a Course Certificate at the bottom of the Course Catalogue.
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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 incredibly low.We are doing it to save you money and as part of our mission to lower the cost of high-quality design education.
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I have updated my name, but my course certificate is not updated — how can I change it?Once you change your name, the certificate will be updated automatically in the next hour.
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I have started the course/lesson later than the specified date, are my answers still going to be marked?
We will be marking answers for as long as there are active members. Therefore, even if you are the only person taking a lesson at that particular time, your answers will still be marked.
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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.
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I started a course after the official start date; for how long will I have access to the course materials?
Regardless of when you have enrolled on a course, 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 for two years, and so on.
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New lessons are starting before I have had the chance to complete all aspects of 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). However, we anticipate that there will be a constant flow of participants working through different lessons and courses, so overall you are unlikely to miss out. We will also be running all courses again — so there really is no rush.
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Are course certificates awarded on a specific date?
No; you can generate your certificate as soon as you attain at least 70% of the total course points.
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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.
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How do I add my Course 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.
- 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 2019)
- 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 on the save button.
Congratulate yourself!
You’ve made a great accomplishment by earning your course certificate, and now the world knows about it! -
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.
- 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 – 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 on 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?
As a member, you can take as many courses as you want with no additional costs. This means you only have to pay our membership fee to take an unlimited number of courses. There will be no further charges on top of the membership fee, no matter how many courses you decide to take.
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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.
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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.