Course description

This course examines the principles of usability and how to create website and app designs that users understand and enjoy. You’ll learn about common mistakes that are made and how to avoid them.

You’ll also learn about some elements of psychology and scientific studies into human behaviour to explain why we make decisions that are often irrational, but consistently so. It also explains how these studies have shaped popular usability principles and how to apply them when designing or reviewing interfaces.

It’s not all theory though, the course is full of of practical examples of where these principles have been applied well, and not so well. You’ll also get the chance to put what you’ve learnt into practice by evaluating some designs and identifying how to improve their usability.

Is it for you?

If your involved in any aspect of interface design, whether it’s researching best practices and current experiences, or designing new solutions, this course will help you understand how to make your products usable. If you don’t have a formal background in design or psychology, but you’re interested in human behaviour, this course is for you.

The people we see taking this course are Researchers, Product Owners, Designers, User Experience Managers, Content Providers and other creatives.

“I enjoyed learning more about how the mind works in relation to how people make decisions. I felt positive about what I do at work and got a lot out of the day. I could see designers, marketers and UX-type people benefitting from taking this course.“

Charlotte Green
User Experience Consultant, Nationwide

What you will learn

• How people see information and how to structure layouts so that users  understand relationships and priority, including gestalts principles and visual hierarchy.

• Reading patterns, typography and how to write clear and concise copy so users can understand your content.

• How to remove distractions and reduce cognitive load so users can complete      tasks when they are often overwhelmed with choices.

• How  users navigate and how to help them find what they are looking for.

• How  users can be motivated to achieve a task,  whilst being aware of deceptive design patterns to ensure you always design for good.

• What are some of  the key design principles and how to implement them successfully in your website whilst ensuring they are accessible for everyone

Necessary for remote learning

• Access to Zoom