Designing, Auditing and Testing of User Interfaces

This course assists participants in understanding a complex yet very important area of designing the user experience (UX), which should not be equated to user interface (UI) design only.
The course not only gives one an idea of tasks, processes and tools (of the subject domain) but also describes how UX can be effectively integrated into project teamwork. Therefore, it will be of interest not only for analysts and designers but many other project roles engaged in projects - from small user applications to ambitious projects of digital transformation (for large enterprises).

 Upon completion of the course, students will have learned to:

• Collect and identify user requirements (properly prepare and conduct surveys, questionnaires, interviews, and presentations);
• Formalize the obtained data into corresponding UX artefacts (create characters reflecting features and characteristics of real users; fill in empathy maps; create informational architecture and logical structure of a project; draw transition diagrams and user journey maps);
• Understand the principles of designing not only requirements but relevant interfaces oriented to users (user patterns, “first mobile” & atomic design principles, and best UI practices will be reviewed);
• Prototype interfaces (fast creation of warframes and clickable prototypes);
• Create design (select styles, fonts, icons, grid and indents; review of typical mistakes);
• Conduct user testing sessions to verify hypotheses (UX audit, analysis, heuristic evaluation, user tests, etc.).

Practical tasks will be performed by students - both individually and in groups - under control of the instructor; results will be checked by the instructor and (if requested by students) discussed with the group.

The training course will help students acquire basic knowledge and skills in the area of UX that are needed to:

1. Study and identify user requirements;
2. Quickly prototype for verifying one’s own ideas at the initial stages of project;
3. Evaluate easiness and consistency of graphical interface;
4. Effectively collaborate with UX designers on the project.

• Module 1. Introduction to UX

• User-centered design of interface (UCD)
• The UX/UI designer role on the project
• Teamwork

• Module 2. User Study (2 h)

• User study methods
• Characters
• Routine, mandatory and exotic use cases
• Empathy maps, transition diagrams, user journey maps

• Module 3. Designing and Prototyping of Interfaces (4 h)

• UI design principles
• Affordances (explicit, patters, hidden, metaphors)
• “Mobile First” principle, atomic design
• Jacob Nielsen’s heuristics
• Interface design (fast creation of warframes and clickable prototypes)
• Differences in design for web, desktop and mobile applications
• Review of modern programs for prototyping
• Practical Task “Interactive Prototype”

• Module 4. Testing of User Interfaces (3 h)

• Principles of testing
• Quantitative and qualitative testing
• Expert evaluation and audit of user interface
• Practical Task “Hypothesis Verification

• Module 5. Principle of UI Design (2 h)

• Handling colors, fonts, icons, grid, and indents
• Checking accessibility of interfaces for disabled people
• Review of Apple, Android and Microsoft Guidelines
• Rules for a good text

• Module 6. Rule for Good UI Design (3 h)

• UI components and form elements
• Good and bad interface patterns
• Overview of popular mistakes in interface design
• Practical Task “Discovering UI errors”