Interface Design I

Intro to User Interface (UI) Design

Teacher: Chris Gargiulo

User Interface Design (UI) can be defined as the design process for creating visual interfaces. Combined with Information Architecture (IA) and User Experience Design (UX), UI is arguably one of the most important aspects of the web design and development process. Informed UI designers try to embrace User-Centered-Design (UCD) principles to help improve the usability of interactive systems.

In the context of web design, UI design can be defined to be as specific as the sole process of designing visual mockups, or more broadly to include the larger process of discovering, defining, and designing a design system from start to finish. This class is more closely aligned with the latter, where students learn the basics of how to structure complex information systems; how to set meaningful usability goals; how to layout content for multiple screen sizes and dimensions; how to define navigational menus that site visitors will immediately understand; and how to synthesize a design to ultimately create an enjoyable experience for users while meeting the needs and requirements for all stakeholders and target audiences. Quality interfaces that meet both client and user needs can be successfully created when designers go through the full creative design process. Integral to this process are the deliverables and documentation used in the industry for client based projects that help to ensure that the final product meets all of the primary project goals and objectives. In this class, students plan and design two web sites over the course of the semester, one during the first half of the semester and one during the second half. For both projects, students will go through the same process of choosing a client, researching the industry, defining the information architecture, drafting necessary conceptual planning documentation (such as site maps and wireframes), then going through multiple rounds of visual design revisions until a mockup is created that best suits the project demands and end user.