Formal Design Methods: Formalism and Design

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What You’ll Learn

  • An introduction to formal methods, and how formalism can help in design problems
  • A brief history of the development of formalisms (in logic, mathematics, and science)
  • What states are, and what the various kinds of states that can exist in an interactive product are
  • How to model and specify the states of a design in a detailed manner
  • How to use dialogue notation, such as state transition networks, to present the different states in your designs as well as annotate any danger states that might be present

You've just fixed a usability problem and are about to release the updated app or website... but have you really got it right this time? Is there an unusual use case you haven't thought of? Can you ever be sure? Thankfully, applying formal methods to your design can help you.

Formal methods are usually employed in mathematical and scientific fields, as the preferred way of presenting information. Many mathematical and scientific theories we know today are in fact written in a formal manner. The scientific theory of gravity, for instance, is presented with all variables, parameters, and factors clearly named and defined, and all assumptions explicitly stated. The power of formalism is that it allows a concept, theory, or model to be completely and clearly defined, so anyone who reads it can easily spot any gaps in logic or exceptions to the rule.

When applied to design, formal methods allow designers to flesh out the entire product (e.g., all the states of an app) explicitly and completely. This allows designers to spot potential flaws in the design (e.g., incomplete user flows, links, or buttons that are not defined in the design, etc.) in less time.

In this course, you will learn how various forms of formal notation and methods can help you catch potentially disastrous problems early in a design process. Formal design methods will also give you confidence that the delivered systems are both what you intended and as free from major usability flaws as possible. You will also learn how to use formal methods to increase the probability that the developers will deliver precisely the design you intended.

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  • You want to land a job in design – or get a promotion.
  • You want to learn real-world design skills that are valuable in any job and any industry.
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Loved by People Around the World

View full testimonial from Jim Brown
Jim Brown
Jim Brown
Senior Designer

I was completely unfamiliar with formalism prior to this course and am looking forward to see how I can apply this methodology in my day to...

IxDF Course Certificate awarded to Jim Brown for completing the "Formal Design Methods: Formalism and Design" course
View full testimonial from Neha Hall
Neha Hall
Neha Hall
Senior Experience Designer

This is an interesting course; not being very advanced in mathematics I was initially quite taken aback by the formulaic nature of the slide...

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Course Overview:

  • Each week, one lesson becomes available.
  • Study flexibly. Take as much time as you want.
  • 12h, 14m over 7 weeks (est.).

Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 43 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 0.1 An Introduction to Courses from IxDF (33 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 0.2 Get Help, Career Advice, and Job Opportunities (6 mins)
  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 0.3 How to Get Your Course Certificate (19 mins)
  • Community-based learning and networking. 0.4 Grow Your Global Network and Build Your Brand (12 mins)

Lesson 1: Formalism In Action

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 30 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 1.1 Formal methods - introduction (45 mins)
  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 1.2 Early examples - formalism in action (1 hour, 40 mins)
  • Community-based learning and networking. 1.3 Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)

Lesson 2: What Is Formal?

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 50 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 2.1 What is formal? (41 mins)
  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 2.2 A brief history of formalism (1 hour, 5 mins)
  • Community-based learning and networking. 2.3 Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)

Lesson 3: Dialogue

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 21 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 3.1 Dialogue notations (16 mins)
  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 3.2 State transition networks (12 mins)
  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 3.3 Properties of dialogue (51 mins)
  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 3.4 Checking properties: Reversability and completeness (15 mins)

Lesson 4: A Success Story

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 5 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 4.1 A success story (1 hour, 6 mins)
  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 4.2 Lessons about state (55 mins)
  • Community-based learning and networking. 4.3 Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)

Lesson 5: Modelling State

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 45 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 5.1 Modelling state (1 hour, 41 mins)
  • Community-based learning and networking. 5.2 Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)

Lesson 6: Generic interaction models

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 43 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 6.1 Interaction Models (1 hour, 38 mins)
  • Community-based learning and networking. 6.2 Community-based learning and networking (6 mins)

Lesson 7: IxDF Course Certificate and Course Wrap-up

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 12 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 7.1 How to Add Your IxDF Certificate to LinkedIn (6 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.2 Help Us Help You: Course Evaluation (4 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.3 Six Steps to Your Career Success (3 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.4 Get Your IxDF Course Certificate (2 mins)

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Jim Brown
Jim Brown
Senior Designer

I was completely unfamiliar with formalism prior to this course and am looking forward to see how I can apply this methodology in my day to day work. Certainly applicable to interaction design and experience design.

Richie McGirr
Richie McGirr
Developer / Designer

Great course. It made me think about things and use parts of my brain that I haven't used for a while. I really needed this.

Neha Hall
Neha Hall
Senior Experience Designer

This is an interesting course; not being very advanced in mathematics I was initially quite taken aback by the formulaic nature of the slides, however as the course instructor goes through them, the takeaways make sense. You wouldn't necessarily need to do the equations to prove your UX/UI recommendations to the client, however you can use that logical basis to validate your design recommendations and ensure that you design products that are logical to use and thus don't create a burden on the user to try and figure out what they need to do.