Course Summary
This course teaches the fundamentals of design, including color theory, typography, and layout. It covers both graphic design and user experience design, and provides hands-on projects to apply the concepts learned.Key Learning Points
- Learn the principles of graphic design and user experience design
- Apply design concepts to real-world projects
- Develop a design portfolio to showcase your work
Related Topics for further study
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the principles of design
- Develop design skills through hands-on projects
- Create a design portfolio to showcase your work
Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course
- Basic computer skills
- Access to design software such as Adobe Creative Suite
Course Difficulty Level
BeginnerCourse Format
- Online
- Self-paced
Similar Courses
- Visual Elements of User Interface Design
- Design Thinking
- Graphic Design Basics: Core Principles for Visual Design
Related Education Paths
Notable People in This Field
- Graphic Designer
- User Experience Designer
- Design Thinking Expert
Related Books
Description
This is a course aimed at making you a better designer. The course marries theory and practice, as both are valuable in improving design performance. Lectures and readings will lay out the fundamental concepts that underpin design as a human activity. Weekly design challenges test your ability to apply those ideas to solve real problems. The course is deliberately broad - spanning all domains of design, including architecture, graphics, services, apparel, engineered goods, and products. The emphasis of the course is the basic design process: define, explore, select, and refine. You, the student, bring to the course your particular interests and expertise related to, for instance, engineering, furniture, fashion, architecture, or products. In prior sessions of the course about half of the participants were novices and about half had prior professional design expertise. Both groups seem to benefit substantially from the course. All project work is evaluated by your peers -- and indeed, you will also be a peer reviewer. This format allows you to see an interesting collection of projects while getting useful feedback on your own project.
Outline
- Week #1: Introduction to Design
- 1.1 What is Design?
- 1.2 Design Process
- 1.3 Iteration
- 1.4 Find the Gap
- 1.5 Five Whys
- 1.6 Needs Introduction
- 1.7 Types of Needs
- 1.8 Gathering Needs
- 1.9 Interpreting Needs
- Week #2: Customer Needs and Drawing Solutions
- Drawing for Product Design 1
- Drawing for Product Design 2
- Drawing for Product Design 3
- Week #3: Design Concepts
- 3.1 Exploration Introduction
- 3.2 Exploration with Individuals
- 3.3 Getting Physical
- 3.4 Decomposition
- 3.5 Decomposing by Sequence of User Actions
- 3.6 Decomposing by Function
- 3.7 Competitive Artifacts
- 3.8 Scoop 10 Concepts
- Sketch Guidelines
- Week #4: Concept Selection and Prototyping
- 4.1 Intro to Concept Selection
- 4.2 The Concept Selection Matrix
- 4.3 The Concept Scoring Matrix
- 4.3b Concept Testing
- 4.4 Introduction to Prototyping
- 4.5 Prototype Framework
- 4.6 What are Prototypes Used For?
- 4.7 Building Stuff
- 4.8 Scoop Example - Making Prototypes
- 4.9 Scoop Example - Testing Prototypes
- Week #5: Aesthetics
- 5.1 Scoop Update: User Testing Two Remaining Concepts
- 5.2 Introduction to Aesthetics in Design
- 5.3 Theory of Aesthetics
- 5.4 Notes on Aesthetics in a Commercial Context
- 5.5 How to Create Beautiful Artifacts
- 5.6 Scoop Update: Final Direction
- 5.7 Scoop Update: Final Prototype
- 5.8 Scoop Update: Final Prototype User Test
- Week #6: Final Project Submission
Summary of User Reviews
Discover how to create effective, visually appealing designs with Coursera's Design course. Students have praised the course for its comprehensive content and engaging instructors.Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course
The course's comprehensive content has been praised by many users.Pros from User Reviews
- Engaging instructors
- Practical assignments
- Real-world design examples
Cons from User Reviews
- Some assignments can be time-consuming
- Limited interaction with instructors
- Some users found the course too basic
Karl T. Ulrich
4.7 Raiting
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