GUI Design - Online Course

This series introduces users to the primary concepts and tasks involved in graphical user interface (GUI) design. It identifies the characteristics of an effective GUI, describes usability factors, and examines the design principles of consistency, user feedback, information filtering, and the conceptual model. It also discusses in detail the effective use of color and typography, icons and pointers, window layouts, and screen controls. The series concludes with a discussion of effective interface design, including the principles of organization, efficiency, and communication.

This series is for anyone who is interested in learning more about application design and graphical user interfaces. This online course contains 3 lessons and should take approximately 10 hours to complete.

Lesson 1: Planning an Interface (3.0) hours

Planning an Interface teaches you how to describe how graphical user interfaces (GUI) differ from other types of user interfaces, identify characteristics of an effective GUI, describe usability factors, including rules of perception, that affect GUI design, identify the hardware and software development factors that affect GUI design, describe and give examples for the following GUI design principles: design consistency, user feedback, filtering information, forgiveness, and having a clear conceptual model, and describe the role of task analysis in GUI design. This course introduces users to the primary principles and tasks involved in graphical user interface (GUI) design. Topics include Introduction to User Interfaces, Developing within Constraints, Designing for Your Users, and Designing an Effective GUI.

Lesson 2: Developing an Interface (3.0) hours

Developing an Interface teaches you how to design application layouts that incorporate accepted design principles, explain color concepts and describe the components of color, choose and use color effectively, and choose appropriate typography. This course shows users how to design screen layouts, use color effectively, and incorporate typography into a graphical user interface. Topics include Designing the Layout, Introduction to Color, Choosing Color, and Using Typography Effectively.

Lesson 3: Designing Screen Elements (4.0) hours

Designing Screen Elements teaches you how to design effective, recognizable icons, design applicable pointers, build clear window layouts, incorporate basic screen controls into a GUI, and develop an effective, easy-to-use GUI design. This course shows users how to put together the elements of an interface to create an effective design. Topics include Designing Icons, Designing Pointers, Designing Windows, Designing Screen Controls, and Effective Interface Design.