A short course student working on their laptop

UI Design: Designing Engaging User Interfaces

Elevate apps and digital platforms for your business.

Key details
Location
Online
Course duration
6 weeks
Attendance
Part-time

Course overview

This online short course in user interface (UI) design has been designed specifically for people working in small or medium sized businesses looking to leverage the power of UI design for business growth.  

Whether you are currently leading on UI design within your company or are supporting on day-to-day activities as part of a wider role, this course will give you the confidence to use design tools and visual design principles to create interfaces for apps, software and websites that are engaging, responsive and easy to use.  

Co-developed by experienced subject specialists and embedded in Falmouth University’s renowned creative and industry-focused environment, you will gain the contemporary knowledge and skills required to bring digital innovation to your business.  

You will:

  • Develop an understanding of the fundamentals of UI design  
  • Learn about the different steps and parts of the design process  
  • Understand and apply key principles of visual design, including typography and colour 
  • Discover about design patterns, libraries and trends 
  • Design user interfaces that will help your business to achieve its objectives in the most effective way  
  • Sharpen your critical thinking and analytical skills  
  • Build the confidence to be creative and experimental in your approach 

You can apply online for this short course by clicking the button and filling in the application form:

Apply

    Course details

    This six-week short course will improve your UI design knowledge and skillset, equipping you to lead on or contribute to UI design within the small/medium sized business (SME) in which you are currently employed.  

    In the first session, you will gain a thorough introduction to UI design and why it matters to businesses and audiences. You will then explore what makes up an interface and learn about the design elements that are used to create consistent and effective user interfaces. You will delve deeper into layout, visual design fundamentals and principles, before creating and evaluating prototypes. 

    You will finish the course with a greater confidence in your theoretical knowledge and practical UI design skills, helping you feel empowered to implement creative UI design solutions within your current place of employment.  

    Weekly topics

    In this introduction to UI design, you will discover why good UI design matters to businesses and will be introduced to key design tools and processes. 

    Learn about the different design patterns that make up an interface and discover about design systems and trends.  

    Learn about the fundamentals of layout: grids, alignment and space, how to apply to an interface and how to create responsive designs. 

    The principles of visual design and how these principles work together to create something that is aesthetically pleasing and optimizes the user experience. 

    Understand the fundamentals of good design including colour, typography and imagery, and how to apply these to interface design. Be given suggestions for which tools to use (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD). 

    In your final session you will explore how interaction and animation add to the user experience and evaluate your designs for usability and accessibility. 

    Course structures and specific weekly sessions can change as part of our course enhancement and review processes. If a certain session is important to you, please discuss it with our team: shortcourses@falmouth.ac.uk. 

    How you'll learn

    Studying online is the ideal option for those looking for flexibility while elevating their career prospects. Our online short courses have been designed from the outset to be delivered online, meaning they're crafted specifically for you to study remotely. 

    You'll spend approximately four hours a week completing your studies. This may include: 

    • Reviewing all core lecture content and sharing your reflections on the topics discussed 
    • Reading and responding to discussions and challenge activities 
    • Completing required reading 
    • Attending weekly webinars with your tutor and peers (or watching the recording if you can't attend) 
    • Asking questions and sharing your thoughts with your tutors and peers 
    • Completing quizzes to test your knowledge 

    Through a combination of these teaching methods, you will be encouraged to push yourself, explore professional skills and develop expertise to take back into industry. 

    You will access all materials via our dedicated virtual learning environment. This is also where you will find all key documentation and any course announcements.  

    You'll be supported by your tutor, who will deliver weekly webinars and facilitate the online forums.  

    How you'll be assessed

    This course will culminate in a multiple-choice quiz to test your learning and understanding. The quiz is taken and submitted online at the end of the course and certification will be presented upon successful completion of the quiz (70% pass rate).  

    The quiz can be attempted as many times as required within a 30-day access period following completion of week 6 of the course. You will still be able to access your learning materials during this time to support completion of the quiz. 

    Please note, this course does not offer university credits but successful participants will be awarded a certificate of completion alongside building key skills for the workplace. 

    Staff

    Our subject matter experts, who have developed and will deliver the course, have real-life experience of working within industry as well as experience of teaching. They are supportive and committed to helping you to develop digital competencies, and bring understanding of a range of modes of practice that specifically relate to SMEs. 

    Facilities

    The following resources are available to participants enrolled on our online short courses: 

    • Dedicated easy-to-use virtual learning environment (VLE)  
    • 24/7 support using Learn available through the VLE 
    • An online learning community  
    • Accessible online audio/visual content   
    • Optional weekly webinars 
    • Support via your online tutor for all course-related and academic queries.  
    • You can also contact our shortcourses@falmouth.ac.uk email if you require any support with any other aspects of your studies.  

    How to apply

    Apply online

    You can start this course on any of the following dates:

    • w/c 30 January 2023
    • w/c 17 April 2023
    • w/c 5 June 2023

    Once you have applied for this short course by clicking the button and filling in the application form below, you will be able to select your chosen intake. You are advised to apply in good time, as places are limited on some of these courses

    Apply now

    Eligibility criteria

    Participants must be employed by a registered UK SME (small/medium enterprise) with fewer than 250 employees, and annual turnover that does not exceed €50 million (approx. £40 million).

    Participants must be 18 years’ old or over to apply for this course. 

    This course is taught in English. Participants will need a conversational proficiency in written and verbal English to get the most from this course. 

    The company the participant is employed by must not have exceeded €200,000 in De Minimis aid in the last three fiscal calendar years.* 

    *What is State Aid and De Minimis?
    State Aid refers to forms of assistance from a public body, or publicly-funded body, given to organisations and businesses. Under the ‘De Minimis’ exemption businesses can receive up to €200,000 or equivalent of aid in a rolling 3 year period. If your company is close to exceeding this figure, please contact us to discuss the value of the courses and eligibility. Further information can be found here. 
     

    Fees, costs & funding

    Total course fee

    • £50 +VAT per learner per course for a Cornish SME (confirmed via eligibility check). 
    • £195 +VAT per learner per course for a SME based outside Cornwall. 

    You will be required to pay the course fee in full upon receiving confirmation of your place to study on the course. You will be sent a link to make the payment online. Full instructions will be available on how to make the payment.

    Typical course costs

    You will need access to a laptop/desktop computer. It is an essential piece of equipment that you will need right from the start of the course.  

    Our Virtual Learning Environment, Learn, only requires an operating system that can run the latest compatible web browsers. Your computer operating system should be kept up to date with the latest recommended security updates and upgrades. 

    We recommend one with as fast a processor as you can afford (8GB of RAM minimum) and a reasonably sized screen (13" minimum, 15" is optimum), plus the following minimum computer specifications: 

    Windows: 

    • Windows 10 
    • At least an i7 processor 
    • No less than 8-16 GB Ram  
    • Graphics Card (nVidia 1080 minimum, not Intel Iris integrated graphics) with at least 2GB  
    • 256GB hard drive space minimum  
    • 1920 x 1080 display resolution or higher (most displays offer a higher resolution than this) 

    Apple MacBook: 

    • Mac OS 10.15 or newer 
    • At least an i7 processor 
    • No less than 8-16GB Ram  
    • Graphics Card 
    • 256GB hard drive space minimum  
    • 1920 x 1080 display resolution or higher (most displays offer a higher resolution than this) 
    • A dongle to plug additional resources into the laptop is also required for all modern MacBooks 

    16 -32 GB memory stick so you can back up your work regularly (approx. £10-20) 

    Along with compatibility and web standards, Canvas has been carefully crafted to accommodate low bandwidth environments. It is recommended to have a minimum Internet speed of 512kbps. 

    Have a question about our courses?

    You can get in touch with us easily using our online form. Click the button to fill out the form and we'll come back to answer your queries and help you choose the right short course for you.

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