Overview

This unit familiarises students with the UI (User Interface) design process. Students will learn how to design user interfaces using design principles linked to areas such as information design and typography. Students will be introduced to the concepts, language, requirements and procedures that support the liaison between designers and technical specialists by using software-based techniques to design and build a website or application interface.

Requisites

Prerequisites

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Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-March-2026
31-May-2026
Last self-enrolment date
15-March-2026
Census date
31-March-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
21-April-2026
Results released date
07-July-2026
Teaching Period 1
Location
Online
Start and end dates
09-March-2026
07-June-2026
Last self-enrolment date
22-March-2026
Census date
07-April-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
28-April-2026
Results released date
30-June-2026
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-August-2026
01-November-2026
Last self-enrolment date
16-August-2026
Census date
01-September-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
22-September-2026
Results released date
08-December-2026
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
02-November-2026
07-February-2027
Last self-enrolment date
15-November-2026
Census date
01-December-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
22-December-2026
Results released date
02-March-2027

Unit learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  1. Design and implement a simple, functioning user interface
  2. Plan the structure and extent of a user interface viewed across multiple screen formats, including the briefing documents
  3. Manage image and text resources, and aesthetic aspects of typography, for inclusion in a user interface
  4. Establish informational and functional aspects for user interfaces, such as typographic hierarchies, information architecture and navigational links for use across mobile devices
  5. Reflect on the design development process building reflective practice capabilities

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week Venue Type and Activity Detail
On-campus Class 36 12 weeks 3 Lab (Mac Lab) 
Specified Activities Supervisor Meetings 60 12 weeks 5  
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning 54 12 weeks 4.5  
Total Hours: 150 Total Hours (per week): 12.5  

Swinburne Online

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week Venue Type and Activity Detail
Online Learning activities 2 2 weeks 1 Two Collaborative sessions per semester
Unspecified Activities Various 78 12 weeks 6.5 Specified learning activities, Skill building tasks, Instructional videos,  Presentation videos, Readings, Discussion board, Blogs
Unspecified Activities Independent Learning 70 12 weeks 5.83 Independent study, Assignment preparation, Revision
Total Hours: 150 Total Hours (per week): 13.33  

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULOs
Applied Web Project Individual  0%  1,2,3,4 
Applied Web Project Individual  0%  1,2,3,4 
Presentation Individual  0%  2,3 
Project Workbook Individual  0%  1,2,3,4 

Content

  • User Interface design for websites and applications
  • Hosting and domain management for websites
  • Diagrammatic planning for websites and applications
  • Prototyping for websites and applications
  • Managing image, colour and type for websites and applications
  • Creating briefing documents for specialists contributing advanced technical functions to websites and applications
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.