User Interfaces (UI) and User Experience (UX) are fundamental aspects of the design process for interactive applications. The User Interface serves as the “point of contact” between humans and digital technology, involving design decisions that depend on the application's nature and the input/output devices. These decisions include considerations of conversational capabilities, 2D/3D graphic content for mobile, wearable, and VR applications, tangible affordances of smart objects and spaces, and body movements and gestures for interaction. UX design, on the other hand, focuses on the overall experience: how effectively a user interacts with a system and how satisfied and rewarded they feel while doing so. Understanding both UI and UX design is essential for creating interactive applications that are engaging, user-friendly, and goal-oriented.

Key topics covered in this course include: Basics of UX design; Multidimensional UX evaluation of mobile applications, wearables, smart objects, and smart spaces; Tools for interface design, including prototyping and mockups; Principles of design systems (e.g., Material Design vs. Apple Design System). The course introduces theoretical and heuristic principles for effective UX design, emphasizing major User-Centered Design methodologies and related usability and UX evaluation practices. To enhance understanding, discussions of case studies will complement the presentation of these topics. Participants will gain hands-on experience by designing a small project using Figma and other mock-up tools, applying and testing their learning in practice.