Associate Professor, School of Information
Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes
What You'll Learn
- Understand the fields of UX design and UX research.
- Understand design principles and best practices and their basis in human capabilities and behavior
- Incorporate a user-centered focus into the design process
6 Modules
12 Hours
2 hrs per module (approx.)
Rating
About Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes
This UX course provides an introduction to the fields of UX research and design. Learners will gain an understanding of what is involved in UX research, including conducting interviews, evaluating systems, and analyzing systems using principles of good design. Learners will also learn about the work involved in UX Design, including the generation of promising design solutions and the creation of prototypes at multiple levels of fidelity. By interleaving successive phases of UX Research and Design, learners will see how to learn from inevitable mistakes and improve towards a product with a great UX.
What you'll learn:
- The skills needed for UX research and design
- How UX researchers discover and assess user needs and assess possible designs
- How to conduct a micro-usability test
- How UX designers use sketching and prototyping to develop design concepts
- How to incorporate a user-centered focus into the design process
- Key features of human behavior and describe their impact on the design of interactive systems
- Techniques for critiquing and designing interactive systems based on human capabilities and behavior
Skills You'll Gain
- Human-Centered Design
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Human Interface Guidelines
- Product Design
- UI/UX Research
- Usability
- User Analysis
- User Experience (UX)
- User Research
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Welcome to Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes, the first course in the User Experience Research and Design Specialization. Learners explore user-centered design, usability testing, prototyping, and human behavior to evaluate and improve interactive systems through iterative design practices.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: What is UX? What are UX Research and Design?
- Reading: Welcome to Introduction to User Experience
- Reading: Syllabus
- Reading: Help Us Learn More About You!
- Video: Welcome
- Video: What is User Experience?
- Video: The UX Process
- Video: Components of UX
- Discussion Prompt: Self-Reflection: Good and Bad UX
Module 2: UX Design Overview
- Video: UX Design Overview
- Video: Prototypes
- Video: Sketching
- Discussion Prompt: Self-Reflection: 10 Sketches
- Video: A Brief Incomplete History of UX
- Discussion Prompt: Self-Reflection: Favorite Designs
Module 3: How Do People Perceive Information?
- Video: Visual Perception, Part 1
- Video: Visual Perception, Part 2
- Video: Memory, Part 1
- Video: Memory, Part 2
- Discussion Prompt: Good/Bad Design Examples
Module 4: How Do People Act in the World?
- Video: Seven Stages of Action
- Video: Gulfs of Execution and Evaluation
- Video: Design Principles
- Discussion Prompt: More Good/Bad Design Examples
Module 5: Design Heuristics
- Video: Heuristics for Design
- Video: #1 - Visibility of System Status
- Video: #2 - Match Between System and Real World
- Video: #3 - User Control and Freedom
- Video: #4 - Consistency and Standards
- Video: #5 - Error Prevention
- Video: #6 - Recognition Over Recall
- Video: #7 - Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
- Video: #8 - Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
- Video: #9 - Error Recovery
- Video: #10 - Help and Documentation
- Discussion Prompt: Webpages That Suck
- Module 5 Quiz: Graded Assignment
Module 6: Heuristic Evaluation and Course Wrap-Up
- Video: Heuristic Evaluation
- Reading: Overview of the Heuristic Evaluation Assignments
- Discussion Prompt: Heuristic Evaluation Sandbox
- Video: Course Wrap-up, Next Steps
- Reading: Post-Course Survey
- Reading: Attributions
- Video: Basic Methods of UX Research
- Video: Interview - UX Designer Matt Martin
- Video: Interview With UX Researcher Lija Hogan
- Reading: Keep Learning with Michigan Online
Grading Policy
Learners must earn an overall grade of 70% to pass. Quizzes are worth 40% of your final grade, a sketch assignment is worth 20% and the Heuristic Evaluation is worth 40%.
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required
