10 Best Free Interaction Design Courses to Take Now
Graphic designers are very much in demand nowadays, that’s why free interaction design courses have proliferated.
Interaction design (IxD) is sometimes used interchangeably with the term user experience (UX).
It is only a significant component of it rather than its synonym.
UX design focuses on the experience of using a product or service.
The interaction between the user and the product is a significant part of it.
In simple terms, interaction design is the design of the interaction between an end-user and a product or a service.
While it can apply to any interaction, interaction design most commonly refers to the interaction between a user and a software product, like an application or a website.
Interaction design encompasses five distinct dimensions, including words, visual representations, physical objects or space, time, and behavior.
If you’re curious about interaction design, this article will help you find the right courses to get you started with your design career.
Although some of these courses are more centered around UX design, they all touch upon interaction design.
So, we’re bringing you the top free interaction design courses you can take for free from the comfort of your own home.
Table of Contents
1. Human-Computer Interaction I: Fundamentals & Design Principles
The first course on our list is the Human-Computer Interaction I: Fundamentals & Design Principles course.
This introductory-level course takes you through eight lessons of the Human-Computer Interaction at the Georgia Tech Online Master of Science in Computer Science program.
The course lasts for six weeks.
Although it’s a self-paced course, you should put in about five to six hours per week.
The course is also in English, and there’s an English video transcript available for your convenience.
Most importantly, this course is free.
However, if you want a verified certificate, you have to pay $99.
EdX centers around the fundamentals of human-computer interaction and its relation to other fields.
This includes user experience design, user interface design, human factors engineering, and psychology.
The principles you’ll learn are crucial for a successful career in technology design, whether you work as a designer, an evaluator, or a front-end engineer.
As there are no prerequisites, you can start this course right away!
Pros & Benefits:
- Self-paced learning
- No prerequisites
- Teaches fundamentals of human-computer interaction and its relation to other fields
2. Free Hackdesign Courses
The second course on our list is an excellent resource for all things related to design.
hackdesign.org/lessonsWhether you want to learn more about user experience design, user experience research, or interaction design, there’s a lesson just for you.
Some of the lessons you can find are:
- Power to the People
- Mastering Human
- Centered Design
- Content Strategy for Interfaces
- Creative problem solving and every-day design
- Effective Behavior Design
- Cultivating Compassion
You can find many lessons with different skill levels that range from introductory to advanced.
All lessons are in English.
You can receive them in your inbox weekly, so you can adjust the learning pace to your liking.
One thing great about this course is that some of the best professional designers handcrafted all of the lessons.
With the help of top-notch instructors, there’s no doubt that you’ll elevate your design skills and knowledge quickly.
Note that there are no prerequisites to taking this course, so waste no time and start right away!
Pros & Benefits:
- Lessons in user experience design, user experience research, interaction design, and much more
- Caters to varying skill levels ranging from beginner to advanced
- Professional designers as instructors
3. Digital Skills: User Experience
If you’re looking for a design course, look no further than the Digital Skills: User Experience course on futurelearn.com.
This course will teach you the importance of user experience (UX), research and design basics of UX, and UX tools and testing techniques.
The duration of this course is three weeks.
You’ll have to commit two hours a week to complete this course.
As this course is entirely online, you can take it from the comfort of your own home without having to commute for a long time.
Another great thing is that the course is free of charge.
Moreover, the website offers digital upgrades for FREE.
If you decide to take this course, you’ll cover the fundamentals of:
- UX design and good usability
- user research and user journey
- user testing and interaction design, and much more
If you want to start your career in user experience design or bring new skills to your workplace, this course is the way to go.
Just like the previous courses, this course, too, has no prerequisites.
Pros & Benefits:
- Requires only two hours per week
- Teaches the importance of UX design, UX research, and design basics, UX tools, user testing techniques
- Geared toward beginners
4. Introduction to User Experience Design
The fourth course on our list is available at Coursera.
It will introduce you to user experience design’s basic principles, such as understanding the user, usability, prototyping, and evaluation.
Like the other courses so far, you can complete this course online, with approximately six hours finishing it.
As everyone has a hectic schedule, it’s important that the courses you take are flexible like this one.
You don’t have to worry about the learning pace and the deadlines.
While the language of instruction is English, there are many subtitle options available, including Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Italian, Vietnamese, German, Russian, Spanish.
Like any great design, this course, too, is user-centered.
This means that you’ll get familiar with the user’s needs, the design to meet those needs, and how to evaluate your design.
Lastly, another great advantage upon completing the course is that you can pay to get a shareable certificate that is a remarkable addition to your CV.
This course will surely benefit you, whether you want to start your career as a designer or expand your existing skillset.
Other than your desire to learn more, this course has no requirements.
Pros & Benefits:
- Teaches understanding the user, usability, prototyping, and evaluation
- Subtitle options available
- A shareable certificate
5. UI Design Tools: Video Courses
UX designers are some of the most sought-after people in the industry.
That’s why you should consider taking this course to expand your knowledge and skill set.
While beginners can surely benefit from it, this course is equally helpful for more experienced designers who wish to learn even more and perfect their craft.
Don’t be discouraged by the fact that there’s a subscription plan.
You can still access plenty of free content that will help you to develop your skills even more.
When it comes to the content, this course covers a wide range of topics.
So, choose the ones that would be most suitable for you.
Whether you want to get acquainted with the basics of UX design and usability or design tools, these courses will have you covered.
If you want to expand your skillset more, you can also learn the basics of HTML, CSS, and Webflow.
As there’s plenty to choose from, be sure to take full advantage of the courses available on this website.
Regardless of your professional and educational background, you can take these courses.
Pros & Benefits:
- Topics related to the basics of UX design, usability, design tools, etc.
- Courses on the basics of HTML and CSS
- Helpful to both beginners and more experienced designers
6. Interaction Design Courses Lynda.com
While we know that these courses aren’t necessarily free but, as there’s a free one-month trial, you should consider taking full advantage of it.
What we love about this course is that there’s a filter.
This filter allows you to easily filter through thousands of videos on user experience design, including videos on foundational processes and techniques required for interaction design.
You can filter the website based on the type.
This means that you can choose from courses, learning paths, videos, or even playlists.
Another filter you can use is the skill level.
It allows you to filter between beginner, intermediate, or advanced-level content so that you can track your progress easily.
With a busy schedule, you might not have a lot of time to spare on an online course, so you can use the filter to find the most suitable courses for you by their duration.
Lastly, the subject filter covers many different subjects you want to focus on.
With this, you can easily find courses on interaction design with this filter.
Given the amount of content on this website, you should give it a chance and take advantage of the free one-month trial to expand your knowledge further.
With no requirements necessary, you can start these courses right away!
Pros & Benefits:
- Easy to filter
- Wide variety of topics, including foundational processes and techniques required for interaction design
- Helpful to both beginners and more experienced designers
7. Skillshare: Online UX Design Classes
You’ve probably heard of Skillshare countless times, and that’s because it’s an excellent way to learn new skills.
Although you have to pay a premium subscription fee, you can always take advantage of a free one-month trial to learn something new.
Regardless of what your field of interest is, Skillshare offers you many courses.
You can easily find those that touch upon different user experience design segments, including user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and more.
Depending on your skill level, you can start by learning about user experience design fundamentals or the very best design tools you can use.
You’ll benefit from using Skillshare even if you’re already a designer.
These courses are usually of varying skill levels and length.
You don’t have to worry about having difficulties finding something suitable for you.
The best thing about the courses on Skillshare is that world-class professionals have made them.
This means that you’ll be learning from renowned designers working for MailChimp, InVision, and many more.
Even without getting a premium subscription, you can learn a lot on Skillshare in a month, so make sure to give it a try.
There are no requirements to take these courses!
Pros & Benefits:
- Wide variety of topics, including user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and more
- Varying skill levels
- World-class instructors
8. Product Design By Google: Validation And UX through Design Sprints
The second to last course on our list is a bit more comprehensive than all the others we’ve mentioned so far, which doesn’t mean you should disregard it completely.
This product design course includes:
- the theory and practice of product validation
- UX design
- Google’s design sprints and some key metrics
What we love about this course is that you can learn Google’s design sprints and developed at Google Ventures, exclusively.
With this knowledge, you can apply them to your designs, prototypes, and testing.
This free course lasts for approximately two months.
However, you can adjust it to your learning pace, but keep in mind that it’s more geared toward intermediate-level students.
Udacity’s comprehensive course also includes some great additions such as:
- rich learning content
- interactive quizzes
- self-paced learning
- world-renowned instructors
It’s essential to be versatile in today’s world and have a wide-ranging set of skills if you want to have a successful career, which is even more true for a career in design.
So, if you’re thinking of taking your career to the next level, this course might just be for you.
The only requirement for this course is that you already have some knowledge of user experience design.
Pros & Benefits:
- Google’s design sprints
- Self-paced learning
- Renowned instructors
9. Learn Design
Whether you’re a total novice or have some experience in design, you’ve probably heard of a design tool called Figma.
Figma is a prominent design tool.
Moreover, it offers learning resources that you can find on their website.
These courses are available such as:
- design thinking and ethics
- content
- accessibility and inclusion
- design research, etc
They have a section called “Learn Design”, and it includes lessons that are quite short and straightforward, which allows you to get straight into designing.
Another important thing is that these lessons are free.
You can take them whichever way you want and adjust the learning pace to fit your needs.
What we love about this course is that, although you can take these lessons and exercises by yourself, you can also join a thriving Figma community and learn with other people.
If you’re having trouble staying committed, then joining the Figma community is an excellent way to keep on top of your game and get constructive feedback on your designs.
If you’re searching for a course that will help you get straight into designing, starting with a design tool seems like the right way to begin.
An additional bonus is that there is no requirement for who has taken this course.
So make sure to consider this one, as well.
Pros & Benefits:
- Allows you to get straight into designing
- A thriving Figma community
- Self-paced learning
10. Interaction Design Specialization
One unique skill you will gain from this course is prototyping.
In this way, you’ll be able to get feedback from your client and tweak your design effectively.
Among the many skills you will learn are storyboarding and user research.
These two skills are very much needed to come up with a winning product design.
This course is offered in Coursera for free, if you don’t want to get a certificate.
But if you need it, you have to pay a very minimal fee.
Pros & Benefits:
- Option to get a certificate is available
- Pure online course
- Taught by prestigious professors
Final Thoughts
We hope that this comprehensive list of free interaction design courses will help you find the most suitable one and kick off your design career.
Learning should never feel like a chore.
The best thing about all of these courses is that you can tailor them to your own needs and schedule.
If we have to choose among these free interaction design courses, we will choose the Hackdesign course.
Hackdesign Courses come with varieties of lessons.
Moreover, the lessons have skill levels from introductory to advanced, so just choose which level is suitable for you.
Given the wide range of subjects available and different skill levels, we’re sure that everyone will be able to find something for themselves.
So, use the time you’re spending at home and take your career to the next level by starting one of the courses on this list!
We hope that we helped you with this article.
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