Brand Strategy: Defining User Experience
A course by John Williamson, Designer and Creative Director
Joined April 2010

Learn how to build an engaging brand that satisfies both business needs and user experience
The art of branding consists of knowing how to fit in a sector while standing out from competitors at the same time. Designer and creative director John Williamson believes there are seven steps to building a successful brand. He developed a methodology called the Brand User Experience, and in this course, he guides you through each step to build a strong branding strategy from scratch.
Discover his practical, user-focused theory and put it into practice. Learn how to create an illustrated brand strategy using the seven steps of the Brand User Experience guide to take your brand to the next level.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 21 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin by getting to know John. Hear about his professional experience of over twenty years, and see his most representative work. Explore the people, cultures, and attitudes that have influenced his passion for creativity and professional development.
John explains what branding is and what branding isn’t, then delves into why a new way of branding is needed. Discover what a brand route map is and start defining your brand by answering the essential questions. Then, get started on your first practical exercise with John’s case study.
Begin working on each of the seven steps in the brand user experience. See how to make your brand unique with the brand pyramid method and define your brand’s stakeholders. Discover how benchmarking and positioning complement each other, and then analyze how your brand interacts with its stakeholders. Understand what a brand ecosystem is and create one for your brand. Learn about buyer personas, delve into their customer journey, and explore your brand’s touchpoints.
Learn how to develop your brand route map in order to take your strategy to the next level. See how to implement it by setting key objectives and KPIs, and finish up with John’s final advice on change management.
- 98% positive reviews (126)
- 3,952 students
- 15 lessons (2h 52m)
- 21 additional resources (13 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish
- Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Develop a brand strategy and an illustrated brand route map for a product or service.

Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course for anyone who wants to build an engaging brand, designers, or those who work in marketing, communications, PR, or branding.
Requirements and materials
No prior knowledge of branding strategy is required to take this course.
As for materials, all you need is a computer with the image-editing software of your choice.

Reviews

John Williamson
A course by John Williamson
John Williamson is the founder, owner, and creative director of Agencia YOU, a user-centered branding consultancy in Madrid, Spain. His professional experience spans over 20 years and specializes in digital design. John’s main focus is strategy and design solutions for brands, for which he has received awards such as ID Magazine’s Interactive Design Award.
John has worked with brands such as McDonald’s, IKEA, Carrefour, and Heinz, among others. In 2016, he launched Brand The Gap, a Madrid-based branding community that hosts monthly events focused on exploring new branding trends and ideas. John also teaches advertising communication at Carlos III University of Madrid and has taught at IED Madrid and WholeSocial-IAB.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Strategies and Route Maps
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We Know You Fold up Your Boarding Pass
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What Is a Brand Route Map?
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Key Elements for Defining Your Brand
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U3
The Brand User Experience in 7 Steps
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Brand Sense and Soul
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Audiences: Stakeholders and Research 1
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Audiences: Stakeholders and Research 2
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Benchmarking and Positioning
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Brand Ecosystem
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Personas and Their Customer Journey
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Touchpoints and Customer Experience
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Brand Route Map
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U4
Taking the Brand Route Map to the Next Level
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Brand Route Map
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Things to Bear in Mind
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FP
Final project
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Brand Strategy: Defining User Experience
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
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Get front-row seats
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
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Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate learners with some prior knowledge of branding or user experience, aiming to deepen their understanding of user-centered brand strategy and practical application.
You will learn how to apply user-centered methodologies to brand strategy, create personas, map customer journeys, define brand touchpoints, develop brand route maps, and integrate stakeholder analysis for more effective and engaging branding.
Some foundational knowledge of branding or marketing is recommended, as the course covers intermediate concepts and user experience principles applied to brand strategy.
A brand route map is a visual framework outlining brand goals, touchpoints, and initiatives. It guides the structured implementation and communication of user-centered brand strategies within organizations.
The course teaches step-by-step methods for building detailed brand personas using persona canvases, empathy mapping, and motivation analysis to inform strategic branding decisions.
Yes, the course covers identifying, mapping, and optimizing brand touchpoints across physical and digital domains, improving the overall brand user experience.
Yes, you will learn how to benchmark competitors, analyze industry standards, and position your brand to stand out while meeting user needs and expectations.




Es un gran curso, el enfoque estratégico en cuanto a la experiencia de usuario es impresionante.
this course is very helpful and informative
This course offers a clear and inspiring approach to building brands that truly connect with people, while also showing how to build a brand that balances business goals with user experience. John Williamson presents a practical, easy-to-follow framework that’s both insightful and immediately useful. Great for anyone wanting a more thoughtful, user-centered approach to branding.
Working with him has been an exceptional experience. He brought me unmatched clarity, asked the right questions, and guided me with a level of insight that truly shifted my perspective. His approach is structured, intelligent, and deeply supportive — exactly what you need when you're building something meaningful. Highly recommended.
Muy buen curso de estrategia de marca. Mu útiles los recursos adicionales.