Perception and Memory in HCI and UX

Suited For: All Levels
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Closes in
23
27
42
93 % booked

In This Course, You'll

  • Get excited when you discover the science behind intuitive design and apply perception and memory to create enjoyable experiences and products people love. Why does Apple's interface feel familiar even on new devices? Because it builds on how our body and brain work. In this course, design legend and author of the bestselling book "Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)," Professor Alan Dix, gives you a scientific foundation grounded in how vision, hearing, touch, and cross-sensory feedback shape every interaction, from perception to action. Memory is limited, especially short-term memory. Too much information at once leads to frustration and errors. When you learn how people perceive and process information across sensory, short-term, and long-term memory, you'll design interfaces that work with human cognition. As AI accelerates how fast we build and iterate, this course gives you timeless human-centered skills grounded in cognitive science that ensure your work remains meaningful, ethical, and genuinely resonates with people.

  • Make yourself invaluable when you know how to build design systems that replace confusion with clarity, frustration with flow, and guide people toward the desired action. People should remember the joy and ease of your product, not their frustration with it. Consistently overwhelming people with complex interfaces leads to higher dropout rates, lower engagement, and reduced retention. You'll learn to minimize cognitive overload and prevent people from feeling lost or confused, so your users can navigate confidently, retain key information between steps, and complete tasks easily. People experience technology differently based on factors like age, health, fatigue, and stress, so you'll learn to design for the full range of human ability instead of an imaginary perfect user. Whether you're creating a presentation, a mobile banking app, an online learning platform, or a wearable fitness tracker, this course shows you how to create products and services people easily understand and love to use.

  • Gain confidence and credibility as you use memory and perception principles to simplify complex interfaces. Identify where an interface demands recall from users when recognition would serve them better. Evaluate designs the way your users experience them. With ready-to-use templates including the Goal-Mapping Worksheet and Walkthrough Form, you'll test interfaces against what a real user can see, hear, and understand without prior knowledge of the system. You'll apply George Miller's Magical Number Seven to assess how much your design asks users to hold in short-term memory and use the interaction model to identify where a design fails to give users the evidence they need to act.

  • Craft your personal portfolio with two optional projects based on real interfaces and industry standards. When you complete the optional exercises, you'll get the practical experience to confidently move ahead in your career. You'll conduct an accessibility audit or create an accessibility checklist for an online platform and evaluate it against WCAG perceivable guidelines. You'll also compare a high-learnability interface against a low-learnability one. According to the World Economic Forum, UX and UI design is one of the fastest-growing roles in the global workforce, and this course gives you the skills, frameworks, and proof to land your next role, whether you're switching into design from another field or stepping into a senior or leadership position.

Learn From Industry Leaders

Master complex skills with proven best practices and toolkits directly from industry leaders. Meet your expert for this course:

  • Alan Dix: Author of the bestselling book “Human-Computer Interaction” and Director of the Computational Foundry at Swansea University.

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Earn Industry-Recognized Certificates

Industry giants trust our courses to train their teams, and prestigious universities integrate our content into their curricula. Add your certificates to your LinkedIn profile, résumé, and job applications.

Our clients: IBM, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, NASA, Adobe, Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, LinkedIn
Course Certificate Example

Is This Course Right for You?

  • You want an evidence-based curriculum taught by industry leaders.
  • You want real-world design skills that translate directly into professional practice.
  • You want to earn industry-recognized credentials.
  • Your time is too valuable for scattered free content with no structure.
  • You want learning that leads to better roles and stronger earning potential over time.
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Loved by People Around the World

View full testimonial from Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith
Lead Software Architect

I have really enjoyed all of the courses that involve contributions by Alan Dix. His explanations are crystal clear and he often systemizes...

IxDF Course Certificate awarded to Jonathan Smith for completing the "Perception and Memory in HCI and UX" course
View full testimonial from Chris Zwicker
Chris Zwicker
Chris Zwicker
Software Engineer

I found the choice of materials very good, and I learned something new about the reception of sound (the missing fundamental), which I found...

IxDF Course Certificate awarded to Chris Zwicker for completing the "Perception and Memory in HCI and UX" course
View full testimonial from Bora Ozden
Bora Ozden
Bora Ozden
Designer

The instructor, Alan Dix, is brilliant. He has a wonderful energy, uses relatable examples to further explain the subjects throughout the co...

IxDF Course Certificate awarded to Bora Ozden for completing the "Perception and Memory in HCI and UX" course

How It Works

  1. Build High-Impact AI and Design Skills

    Industry leaders from companies like Adobe, Google, and NASA teach you real-world skills grounded in industry practice and research.

  2. Combine AI and Timeless Design Skills

    Learn both AI and the human-centered design skills that AI can't replace.

  3. Earn Industry-Recognized Certificates

    Add IxDF Course Certificates to your LinkedIn profile and résumé to show you've completed an evidence-based curriculum taught by industry leaders.

  4. Turn Your Skills Into Career Opportunities

    Use your new skills to take on higher-value work, qualify for promotions or find a role that fits you better.

  5. Build a Network That Supports Your Career

    Connect with designers in 496 cities across 107 countries. Learn together, get mentored, and build relationships that open doors.

Course Overview

  • Each week, one lesson becomes available.
  • Study flexibly. Take as much time as you want.
  • 8.75 hours / 37 lesson items in 5 lessons.

Preview the Course

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What's Inside IxDF Membership?

  • High-impact design and AI skills

  • Learn from 209 industry leaders

  • 42 evidence-based courses

  • 161 one-hour Master Classes

  • Industry-recognized certificates

  • $2,189 worth of toolkits

  • 11,197 active design jobs

  • 10 structured career programs

  • Global community in 496 cities

  • $6,649 worth of premium tools

  • 276 ready-made templates

  • and much more

Start Today

Risk-free: 14-day money-back guarantee

Suited For: All Levels
G2 Logo 5 Stars Google Logo 5 Stars
Closes in
23
27
42
93 % booked

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Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith
Lead Software Architect

I have really enjoyed all of the courses that involve contributions by Alan Dix. His explanations are crystal clear and he often systemizes concepts in a way that help me better understand and retain what I learn.

Giovanna Bittencourt
Giovanna Bittencourt
UX Designer/Customer Service Manager

The instructor uses great examples, and the course is built on nice foundations, using relevant exercises and questions.

Azize Pratt Melgen
Azize Pratt Melgen
UX Designer

Alan is incredibly knowledgeable and capable of explaining complex concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. He effectively communicates beyond the theory; it is clear that his vast experience provides nuance and richness to the concepts he explains.

Jarmo Parkkinen
Jarmo Parkkinen

I think Alan Dix is very good instructor, and I have enjoyed all his courses here. His subject areas are interesting, he tears them down and reconstructs them the way I like, and he has a dry sense of humor which works very well for me.

Chris Zwicker
Chris Zwicker
Software Engineer

I found the choice of materials very good, and I learned something new about the reception of sound (the missing fundamental), which I found very interesting. I had never come across this concept, even though I've been a musician for a large portion of my life.

Bora Ozden
Bora Ozden
Designer

The instructor, Alan Dix, is brilliant. He has a wonderful energy, uses relatable examples to further explain the subjects throughout the course.

Aleksandar Kehayov
Aleksandar Kehayov
UX Designer

Knowledgeable and interesting. I like that he always gives examples, so it's easier to remember. Top instructor