You can use AWT,SWT or Swing to build desktop applications. AWT and SWT are basic implementations and bit hard because of the limited GUI components. Swing is a kind of extended version of AWT but with more GUI components. Swing use almost all the AWT components in it. So It will be easy for you to begin with Swing. Is it good if you can write UI class by your own in order to get good understanding of how things are working but it will be easy if you use NetBeans desktop application tool or eclipse with WindowBuilder tool.
solved Can a desktop application be created using AWT class? [closed]