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User Interface Design

Course developer

Prior knowledge

InfT2040, WWW Technologies

InfT3029, WWW Technologies

Course abstract

The aim of the study course is to provide students with knowledge about the user interface, usability and user experience, user interface features, user-centered design basics and problems, recommendations on how to create functional and user-friendly web pages, taking into account best practice principles based on user experience. In the practical part of the study course, students learn user-centered research methods, information architecture design methods, user interface prototyping using various design tools.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

As a result of the study course students are able to:
•know the basics of user-centered design, user interface design and user research methods, as well as good practice principles based on user experience - practical works;
•are able to implement heuristic evaluation, apply user-centered research methods, information architecture design methods, user interface prototyping using various tools - practical works;
•are able to independently find a solution for a specific task, draw conclusions, interpret the results obtained in the research, argue own point of view, publicly defend the results of the work - presentation and defence of the course work.

Course Content(Calendar)

1. User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX) and Usability. Usability heuristics. Standards. Heuristic evaluation of a web page. 4h
2. User-centered design. Human-centered design. 2h
3. User research. User research methods. 8h
4. Interaction design. Usage conventions and habits. Design layout patterns. 2h
5. Information architecture. Principles and components of information architecture. Information organization schemes. Navigation systems. Information architecture design, methods. 6h
6. Basic principles of visual design. 1h
7. Examples of good user interface practices. UI patterns discovered in A/B testing. 1h
8. User interface prototyping. Accuracy of prototypes. Paper prototype. Electronic prototype. Prototyping tools. The prototyping process. 8h

Requirements for awarding credit points

Developed and defended practical works. Assessment with a mark.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

6 practical works must be developed:
•Website/application user experience analysis and heuristic evaluation;
•User persona (primary persona);
•Red routes;
•Card sorting;
•Paper prototype creation;
•Creation of an electronic prototype (electronic wireframes/mockup).

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Practical works are evaluated using 10 points scale.
The grade of study course is an arithmetic average of the grades of the practical works.

Compulsory reading

1.Barnum C.M. Usability. Testing. Essentials. Ready, Set...Test! 2nd ed. Elsevier, 2021. 448 p. Pieejams: LLU, 35.kab.
2.Berlin D. 97 things Every UX Practitioner should know. Oŗeilly media, 2021. 276 pp. Pieejams: LLU, 35.kab.
3.Hartson R., Pyla P. S. The UX Book: process and guidelines for ensuring a quality user experience. Amsterdam; Boston: Elsevier, 2012. 937 p. Pieejams: RTU: Centrālā bibliotēka.

Further reading

1.Designing Web Interfaces [tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: http://designingwebinterfaces.com/
2.Interaction Design [tiešsaiste]. Pieejams: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature
3.Usability.gov improving the user expirience [tiešsaistē]. Pieejams: https://www.usability.gov/what-and-why/user-experience.html
4.Nielsen Norman Group logoNielsen Norman Group. World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience [tiešsaistē]. Pieejams: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-101-introduction-to-usability/
5.UX Planet. One-stop resource for everything related to user experience [tiešsaistē]. Pieejams: https://uxplanet.org/

Periodicals and other sources

Journal of Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences [tiešsaistē]. PIeejams: https://link.springer.com/journal/13673/volumes-and-issues

Notes

Computer management and sciences