This course is part of the UI / UX Design Specialization

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5,442 ratings

Michael Worthington

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UI / UX Design SpecializationCalifornia Institute of the Arts

About this Course

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This design-centric course examines the broad question of what an interface is and what role a designer plays in creating a user interface. Learning how to design and articulate meaning using color, type, and imagery is essential to making interfaces function clearly and seamlessly. Through a series of lectures and visual exercises, you will focus on the many individual elements and components that make up the skillset of an interface designer. By the end of this course, you will be able to describe the key formal elements of clear, consistent, and intuitive UI design, and apply your learned skills to the design of a static screen-based interface.
This is the first course in the UI/UX Design Specialization, which brings a design-centric approach to user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, and offers practical, skill-based instruction centered around a visual communications perspective, rather than on one focused on marketing or programming alone.

These courses are ideal for anyone with some experience in graphic or visual design and who would like to build their skill set in UI or UX for app and web design. It would also be ideal for anyone with experience in front- or back-end web development or human-computer interaction and want to sharpen their visual design and analysis skills for UI or UX.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Course 1 of 4 in the

UI / UX Design Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

User Interface Design (UI Design)
User Experience (UX)
Graphic Design

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 1 of 4 in the

UI / UX Design Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.72/5 (1,562 Ratings)

Michael Worthington

Faculty, Program in Graphic Design

School of Art

877,413 Learners

7 Courses

Offered by

California Institute of the Arts

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(30,286 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Course and Specialization Overview

1 hour to complete

5 videos (Total 14 min), 9 readings

2 hours to complete

What IS a user interface anyway?

In this first week we will look at some basic broad concepts and contexts for user interfaces, looking at examples both on and off-screen. We will look at basic principles of interaction theory, discuss the relationship between UI and UX, and examine the relationship between coding and designing. We will discuss the roles of functionality and aesthetics in interface design and outline a "form-first" philosophy to user interface design. This week will focus on background information and terminology and will give you the context and vocabulary necessary before you start making great interfaces!

2 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 44 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

9 videos

Introduction to Week 154sWhat is a User Interface?3mThe Relationship Between UI and UX5mRoles in UI/UX5mA Brief Historical Overview of Interface Design4mInterface Conventions: Theory6mInterface Conventions: Application7mTemplate vs Content7mAesthetics & Functionality3m

2 readings

About UI vs UX graded quiz1mInterface Conventions: Review15m

2 practice exercises

UI vs UX20mInterface Conventions20m

Week2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Formal Elements of Interface Design

This week we are going to examine the various formal elements that make up an interface. We’ll start out with the larger questions of content, context and audience that frame any UI/UX project. In other words: What is it? Who is it for? And, where does it live? And we’ll look at the big picture of overall design direction, what is often referred to as “look and feel”. From there we’ll go into detail of how the basic components of how visual design works in the context of interface design: language, shape, color, imagery, typography, and icons. These areas will be the formal building blocks you will use to create the more complex visual structure of a screen-based user interface.

4 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 52 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week3

Week 3

5 hours to complete

Active Elements of Interface Design

This week we are going to take our static interface elements and begin to think about how a user interacts with them. In other words, how to bring these elements a stage closer to having a life on the screen. We’ll be looking at navigational conventions, such as menus, buttons, and icons in different states. Our focus will move from what the graphic interface looks like, to include how it works and how it responds to the user. By adding interactivity to our static designs, the idea is to think more deeply about the role the designer plays in shaping a user’s interactive experience.

5 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 53 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

Week4

Week 4

5 hours to complete

Composing the Elements of Interface Design

This week we are going to take our individual interface components and see what happens when we try to put them together into a more complex structure. We’ll be looking at how to get our components to work harmoniously as a family, figuring out how hierarchy works in the interface, and discussing conventions and expectations of contemporary interface design. We’ll also be examining how to navigate to different screens and how to build visual relationships between different kinds of content within a single site. Finally, we’ll be discussing different platforms, how to create variable content for different screen sizes, and looking at how to organize complex bodies of content into user-friendly structures.

5 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 41 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Reviews

4.7

1364 reviews

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TOP REVIEWS FROM VISUAL ELEMENTS OF USER INTERFACE DESIGN

by SSNov 23, 2022

A truly comprehensive course that taught me a lot. This is going to be really handy for my future career.

Thank you for all the information and new materials that you have shared with us.

by VSAug 7, 2020

it is a really great class, I learned a lot and realized I didn´t know as much as I thought, the lectures and extra resources are really great and help you learn more if thats what you want

by JMNov 20, 2018

I never thought this is possible. I am very grateful to Coursera and Calarts. This is a starting milestone to changing my career life for better. I am ready to pursue more and more with your support.

by RKDec 26, 2018

I have been a logical person, since my life. Always loved engineering related things. This is the first time, I tried for design related stuff...! Thanks..! for letting me know, I can do it...

View all reviews

About the UI / UX Design Specialization

The UI/UX Design Specialization brings a design-centric approach to user interface and user experience design, and offers practical, skill-based instruction centered around a visual communications perspective, rather than on one focused on marketing or programming alone. In this sequence of four courses, you will summarize and demonstrate all stages of the UI/UX development process, from user research to defining a project’s strategy, scope, and information architecture, to developing sitemaps and wireframes. You’ll learn current best practices and conventions in UX design and apply them to create effective and compelling screen-based experiences for websites or apps.

User interface and user experience design is a high-demand field, but the skills and knowledge you will learn in this Specialization are applicable to a wide variety of careers, from marketing to web design to human-computer interaction. Learners enrolled in the UI/UX Design Specialization are eligible for an extended free trial (1 month) of a full product suite of UX tools from Optimal Workshop. Details are available in Course 3 of the Specialization, Web Design: Strategy and Information Architecture.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
What tools or software will I need to complete this course?
Since this is a graphic design course, to complete the assignments you will need access to a desktop or laptop computer with the appropriate software installed. You can't really do graphic design work properly on a smartphone or tablet. In addition you will need a beginner level knowledge of graphic layout software. Adobe CC software is recommended for these courses, but alternatives are out there. Software will be reviewed in greater detail in the first week of the course, but is not taught in this course.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Visual Elements of User Interface Design

About this Course

Skills you will gain