User Interface Design (UI)

Course

An interface is a touch point or intermediation between two entities, be them systems, things or people, and allows interaction between them.

Designing a user interface (abbr. UI) can be considered a strictly digital concept. A user interface is the point of interaction between the user and a digital device or product such as the touchscreen of a smartphone or the touchpad to select the type of coffee at a vending machine.

In relation to websites and apps, the design of the user interface considers the appearance, feel and interactivity of the artifact. It is necessary to design the user interface of a product to be as intuitive as possible, which means carefully considering every single visual and interactive element that the user may encounter. A UI designer thinks of multiple aspects: icons, buttons, typographic systems, color schemes, spacing, images, diagrams and in general all those aspects that affect the quality of interaction with a digital artifact.

Like user experience design (abbr. UX), user interface design is also a multifaceted and inspiring role. It is responsible for transferring the study, research, content, and layout of a product into an attractive experience, capable of effectively guiding users in a cognitive process. While the UX designer maps the journey, the UI designer focuses on all the details that make this journey possible. This doesn’t mean that UI design is just a matter of appearance; UI designers have a huge impact on whether a product is accessible and inclusive, in summary if it works.

The software used

The software used for the design will be Miro and Figma: each student will have free access to the programs for the duration of the course.

Educational organization

The course includes 11 teaching modules of 8 hours for a total of 11 days.
To allow attendance to workers, the chosen formula provides lessons and exercises on Fridays and Saturdays. Mixing frontal teaching and exercise modules are, the exercises will be managed on real cases with the involvement of companies and professionals who will guide the participants in a context as close as possible to the working and professional reality.
The presentation of the final works is scheduled for June 21, 2025.

The course aims to train professionals who are autonomously able to design the interface of new digital services starting from the requirements provided by the Client and making use of the specific methodologies and tools of the discipline, working both in teams and individually within a company context or self-employment. Profiles of interest: Graphic Designer, Front-end Developers, Web and Mobile, Art Director, Web designer, Digital Project Manager.

Gallery

Some numbers

Didactics

Attendance

80% of the course attendance is mandatory.

Training objectives

The Advanced Training Course in UI Design aims to:

• provide the theoretical foundations and good practices to make the best choices in the design phase;
• equip students with practical tools, introducing them to the most used software on a professional level;
• transfer a polytechnic methodology with which to deal with the design of the User Interface in its entirety, from problem setting to the execution.

Didactic Plan

The course lasts 88 hours, for a total of 11 days. Closing and final presentation of the works: April 29, 2023.

Lessons will take place on Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The course is in blended mode and includes 6 in-person days (3rd, 4th and 6th weekends) and 5 distance learning days (1st, 2nd and 5th weekends). The course will take place in- presence except for the following days: 9, 10, 16 e 17 may 2025 and 13 june 2025.

Didactic Modules

Module 1
Introduction to the Course
UX vs UI vs Product Design
Introduction to UI Design

Module 2
Brand Design
UI Library: Moodboard and Style & Tile
Figma Basics

Module 3
Accessibility
Design System and Design Tokens
The Technological Context: Formats, Logics, and Frameworks

Project Work

Module 4
How to Use Illustrations and Photographs in Interfaces
Motion Design
Icon Design

Project Work

Module 5
Figma Advanced
Generative AI
Usability Testing
Eye-tracking

Project Work

Final Exam
Presentation of Project Work Results

Title Released

At the end of the course will be awarded and Open Badge in the User Interface Design Course.

Employment Opportunities

The UI Designer is one of the most requested professionals in the digital sector, so far facing the provision of basic skills at university level that didn’t transfer the specialized training required by the market, up to now.

The UI can work for agencies, start-ups, companies or as a freelancer.
The professional may work in multiple areas, the UI being potentially applicable to all product sectors (financial, editorial, sports, fashion …), digital formats (community, e-commerce, configurators, corporate sites …) and sectors in further expansion, thanks to the increase in formats and devices.

Admission

Requirements

The course is intended for:

• recent graduates with a high school diploma or degree in Design, Architecture or Engineering, or in humanities, such as Economics and Communication Sciences, to whom it intends to provide a significant polytechnic integration to previous professional training;
• agency, company, or freelance professionals such as Client, Project Manager, Digital Strategist, Account and Art Director who intend to acquire more vertical skills with respect to the User Interface issues;

It is preferable that candidates are already familiar with the main issues related to the Internet (navigation browser, open-source tools, use of social media) and with word processing, calculation and / or production of vector and raster images.

Admission to the course is subject to a prior selection which includes a cognitive interview with the Course Direction.

Candidates must send the selection documents by connecting to the following LINK:

• application for admission to the Course;
• copy of the Codice fiscale (Tax Identity Code) and identity document;
• curriculum that briefly describes their academic and / or professional profile.

Apply now

More info

Deadlines

Deadline to participate in the 4th edition: April 11, 2025.

Price

The total cost of the course is € 2,500.00 + VAT 22% for each student. This sum will be paid in a lump sum upon signing the agreement.

For those who enroll in both the Executive Course in User Experience Design  and the Executive Course in UI Design the total cost is € 4,000.00 + VAT 22% (instead of €5,000.00 + VAT 22%).

PROMO

EARLY BIRD
The promotion for those who have clear ideas, know which educational path can enrich their future, and can’t wait to get back to the classroom.

Application deadline: March 18, 2025.
Deadline for sending the signed contract and the payment of the participation fee: no later than March 21, 2025.

FAMILY SUPPORT: -50%
A chance to gift your siblings the encouragement they need to invest in their future.

POLI.NETWORK: -50%
A promotion designed to strengthen the bond and identity among members of the Politecnico di Milano community.

BACK TO SCHOOL: -30% on Executive Courses
The discount for those who have already trusted POLI.design and Polimi, and wish to return to study and build their future

MORE THAN ONE: -15%
A discount for those who want to perfect their skills, for those who continually invest in education, not just once but multiple times.

BUSINESS BOOST 
The discount designed for companies that recognize training as a crucial factor for growth.

The “Business Boost” discount provides a variable reduction on the participation fee for two or more employees in catalog courses. Specifically, the discount amounts to: 

• 15% on the participation fee for the second employee’s enrollment
• 20% on the participation fee for the third employee’s enrollment
• 25% on the participation fee from the fourth employee’s enrollment onwards

Furthermore, companies that purchase more than one Course for two or more employees in the same calendar year can access an additional 10% discount on the total.

Faculty

Paolo Basso
Designer
MAIZE

Francesco Cosmai
Designer
MAIZE

Giacomo Flaim
Designer
MAIZE

Mattia Reali
Co-founder & Digital Creative Director
MOST

Riccardo Volpato
Co-founder & Digital Creative Director
MOST

Luciano Baresi
Full Professor
Dip. DEIB Politecnico di Milano

Michele Di Dalmazi
PhD Scholar
Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Gestionale

Francesco Improta
Digital product designer
Designers Italia, Dipartimento per la Trasformazione Digitale

Mirko Santangelo
Partner & Creative Director
Paper Tiger

Marianna Cerato
Senior UX e Team Manager
Tangible

Maria Francesca Di Alessandro
Co-founder e design recruiter
District

Hassan Nasser
Co-founder e design recruiter
District

Alessio Cardelli
Product designer

Faculty Past editions

Marco Livi
Creative Director
UP Studio

Roberto Falcone
Designer
Google

Antonio Matera
UX Engineer
Tangible

Ilenia Baronio
UI Designer
Tangible

Ilaria Vitali
User Researcher & Conversational Designer
Habits

Manuela Sissa
Head of Campaign & UI Designer
Kettydo+

Guido Parlato
Senior Design Director
Frog

Partners

Current edition

Past editions