Psychology of Interaction Design: The Ultimate Guide

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What You’ll Learn

  • A deep, cognitive understanding of the human behind the term “user,” including the user’s memory and decision-making and problem-solving skills
  • How to understand what the user sees when confronted by your product
  • How to identify potential pitfalls in your design before any of them become a problem for your users
  • How to elevate your design above those of your competitors by creating user-centered products, virtually free from frustrating elements
  • How to design products that provide satisfying user experience and, in turn, increase sales

A deep understanding of human psychology is essential for all designers when creating a user-centered product with great user experience. While many individual differences will never cease to exist between users, we are united by our shared psychology; the constraints and abilities of the human mind are much the same for all of us. Developing an understanding of these cognitive limitations and capabilities is the key to interaction design and a great user experience. Without an awareness of how we interact with things in the real and virtual worlds, you’ll find that your designs will fall short of their potential.

This course will equip you with the knowledge to relate to your users psychologically, thus allowing you to create stand-out products. Through learning about different aspects of human cognition—and how they relate to interaction design—you will find yourself much better equipped to put yourself in your users’ shoes, shifting their thoughts to the forefront and keeping a firm hold of them there when designing your next creation.

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  • You want to land a job in design – or get a promotion.
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Course Overview:

  • Each week, one lesson becomes available.
  • Study flexibly. Take as much time as you want.
  • 28h, 52m over 11 weeks (est.).

Lesson 0: Welcome and Introduction

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 44 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 (20 mins)
  • Community-based learning and networking. 0.4 Grow Your Global Network and Build Your Brand (12 mins)

Lesson 1: Interaction Design: An Introduction

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 6 hours, 31 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 1.1 Welcome to Psychology of Interaction Design: The Ultimate Guide (12 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 1.2 An Introduction to Interaction Design (40 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 1.3 Human Cognition (31 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 1.4 Human-Computer Interaction (7 mins)

Lesson 2: The Psychology of Interaction Design: Cognitive Frameworks

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 7 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 2.1 Conceptual Models (49 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 2.2 'Folk Theories' (9 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 2.3 The Gulfs of Execution and Evaluation (14 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 2.4 Humans as Information Processors (11 mins)

Lesson 3: The Gestalt Laws and Interface Design

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 39 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 3.1 A Valuable List of Gestalt Principles (11 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 3.2 'Law of Pragnanz' (9 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 3.3 Applying the Laws (37 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 3.4 'Law of Similarity' (7 mins)

Lesson 4: Visual Perception and Colour Vision

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 4 hours, 7 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 4.1 Understanding Human Vision (12 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 4.2 Anatomy and Function of the Eye (9 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 4.3 The Fovea and Design (8 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 4.4 Colour Vision (10 mins)

Lesson 5: Human Cognition and the Interactive Experience

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 46 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 5.1 Models of Perception: Complex User Interfaces (10 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 5.2 User Specificity: Complex User Interfaces (39 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 5.3 Cognitive Overload: Complex User Interfaces (16 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 5.4 Designing for Recognition: Complex User Interfaces (8 mins)

Lesson 6: User Error: Who is to blame?

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

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 6.1 British Midlands Flight 92 (14 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 6.2 Who is to blame?: User Error (40 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 6.3 The USS Vincennes (13 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 6.4 The Air Inter Flight 148 Crash (8 mins)

Lesson 7: Tangible User Interface Design and the Psychology of Touch

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 25 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.1 Designing Controls (38 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.2 Specificity Vs. Generality (11 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.3 Design Considerations (14 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 7.4 One-to-One Couplings (8 mins)

Lesson 8: Comparing User Interfaces

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 14 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 8.1 Game Console Controllers: Applying the Information (2 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 8.2 Car Control Panels: Applying the Information (3 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 8.3 Heating Controls: Applying the Information (3 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 8.4 Communication Devices: Applying the Information (2 mins)

Lesson 9: Interaction Design Approaches

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 33 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 9.1 An Overview: Interaction Design Approaches (11 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 9.2 User-Centred Design: Interaction Design Approaches (44 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 9.3 Activity-Centred Design: Interaction Design Approaches (15 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 9.4 Systems Design: Interaction Design Approaches (10 mins)

Lesson 10: Interaction Design Methods

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 2 hours, 47 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 10.1 An Overview: Interaction Design (18 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 10.2 Usability Testing: Interaction Design (8 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 10.3 User Testing Methods: Interaction Design (11 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 10.4 Testing Designs: Usability Inspection Methods (18 mins)

Lesson 11: Interaction Design: The Process

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 1 hour, 52 mins.

  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 11.1 Practical Issues: User-Centred Design (44 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 11.2 What are the user's needs? (11 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 11.3 What are the alternative designs? (12 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 11.4 How do I choose an alternative design? (13 mins)

Lesson 12: IxDF Course Certificate and Course Wrap-up

To be scheduled. Estimated time to complete: 13 mins.

  • In-depth video lesson with experts, animations and templates. 12.1 How to Add Your IxDF Certificate to LinkedIn (7 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 12.2 Help Us Help You: Course Evaluation (4 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 12.3 Six Steps to Your Career Success (3 mins)
  • Multimedia lesson: E.g. templates, animations, illustrations, graphs, and text. 12.4 Get Your IxDF Course Certificate (2 mins)

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Vasanth Kumar Talla
Vasanth Kumar Talla
Student

Lot of information which is valid and good to use in real time environment and projects.

Theo Braden
Theo Braden
Student

I appreciated how the theory drives considerations for interaction design. It made the information much more digestible and intentional.