UX/UI Design Specialization: From Research to Accessibility

In this lesson, I will share with you the origins of UX. We will talk about Feng Shui in 4000 BC, Walt Disney, and his desire to create perfect magical experiences, and Don Norman, the man who coined the term “user experience.” I will also share with you where I feel the industry is headed.

A Brief History of UX

Principles of Accessibility and Heuristics

In this lesson, you will receive an introduction to the world of inclusive design and learn about how you can make your products and services more accessible. I will also teach you about other best practices, also known as heuristics when it comes to designing user interfaces.

Introduction to UX Process

In this lesson, you will be introduced to the UX design process. I will introduce you to the two most common representations: the double diamond model and design thinking. The UX Design process consists of 5 main steps: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.

Intro to UX Research

In this lesson, I will teach you about the value of UX research and what can go wrong if you don’t do it at all. You will also learn about the difference between methods that are “Attitudinal vs. Behavioral” and “Qualitative vs. Quantitative”.

Desk Research, Benchmark, Interviews

In this lesson, we will focus on the primary three methods that any UX Designer, researcher or not, should know: desk research, benchmark, and interviews. You will learn about when to use these methods and best practices for each one.

Detecting and Defining the Problem

One of the key skills of a UX Designer is the ability to be a problem spotter. In this lesson, you will learn how to take your findings and use techniques such as affinity mapping to help you further define the problem that you are trying to solve.

Persona Creation

Personas are a commonly used tool in UX. In this lesson, you will learn about why they are important, the characteristics of a good persona, how to create one, and when in the UX design process they are used.

12m

Journey Mapping

Once you have a persona (or personas), it is recommended to create a journey map. In this lesson, you will learn the key components of one, the different types that exist, and why you should use them.

In this lesson, you will learn different ideation techniques – brainstorming, bodystorming, and mind mapping to name a few – to help you come up with possible solutions to the problems that you detected from your user research.

Ideation Techniques

Information Architecture

When it comes to creating an app or website, it is important that it has a clean, well-designed user interface. In this lesson, you will learn about information architecture and how to organize your content in an effective way.

Value of Prototyping

After you have come up with several ideas, it is time to make them tangible. In this lesson, you will learn about the what, the why, and the when of prototyping.

Types of Prototypes and Prototyping Tools

In this lesson, you will learn about the different types of prototypes that exist. I will also share with a few tools that can be used to create said prototypes.

User Testing

After your prototype has been created, it is time for other people to try it out. In this lesson, you will learn how to prepare for and conduct effective user tests. I will also share some best practices when it comes to documenting and prioritizing your findings.

Working with Developers

Even if you do not want to become a developer, you will have to work closely with them. In this lesson, you will learn how to ensure a smooth design-development handoff.

Presenting to Stakeholders/Clients

In this lesson, you will learn about how to measure UX and how to present your findings in creative ways to stakeholders/clients. I will also share some tips as to how to evangelize UX Design within the company.

10m

Case Studies

In this lesson, you will learn how to create a case study, thus being able to document your UX design process from start to finish.

Showcasing Your Work

In this lesson, you will learn about different platforms where you can showcase your work and how to create a portfolio. When discussing how to create a portfolio, we will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of specific formats.

In this lesson, I will share some tips when it comes to interviewing for UX positions and the kinds of design exercises that you will come across.

UX Job Interviews

Module 3

Explore how to craft meaningful digital experiences with Patricia Reiners, who brings her expertise from working with Google and Adobe. Here, she unpacks the essential role of UX research and shows you how to build a personalized research plan. You’ll gain tools to better understand user needs and design solutions that truly make an impact.

13 lessons (1h 47m)

What Is UX Research?

In this lesson, we will learn what UX Research is and when to integrate it.

What Are the Most Common Methodologies

Choosing the right method for your questions helps you to come up with the right insights so in this lesson we will see the difference between evaluative and generative research and when to use each.

Quantitative User Research

Quantitative user research is about the quantity. You need a high amount of data to be able to get real insights. Those insights answer the “what”. It shows what devices users are using but not why they are using a specific device. In this lesson, we will go through different quantitative methods

Qualitative User Research

Qualitative user research is about quality. With these methods, you will be able to figure out your "why". In this lesson, we will go through different qualitative methods.

Planning Your Research

Creating a research plan structures your thinking around the research activity.

Writing the Research Plan

In this lesson, we are going to write a research plan for a research project. We will go through everything step by step.

How to Choose the Participants

Choosing participants is important, whatever methods you chose. In this lesson, we will see how to do it.

How to Write a Discussion Guide

When conducting field studies, contextual inquiries, one-to-one interviews, or any kind of interview, you need a discussion guide. In this lesson, we will come up with the questions to frame them properly.

How to Prepare the Session

Your goal in the interview is to learn as much as possible about how your users think and behave. In this lesson, we will learn how to frame questions and the materials we will need for our interview.

How Does a Qualitative Session Look Like

In this lesson, we will talk about the structure of an interview: the intro, the main part (the questions), and the outro.

Visualize Your Qualitative User Research

In this lesson, we will synthesize the insights and lay it out visually to present it to your stakeholders and team members.

User Journey Map & Personas 1

In this lesson, we will learn how to create artifacts to be shared with all your team members and stakeholders: personas and user journey maps.

User Journey Map & Personas 2

We finish off this lesson on user journey maps and personas.

13m

Module 4

Discover how visual design can become a storytelling tool with Pablo Stanley as your guide. In this module, he shares the key principles behind strong compositions and how to use Figma to bring your ideas to life. Whether you're new to design or want to sharpen your skills, you'll find practical insights to elevate your creative work. Ready to dive in?

18 lessons (2h 35m)

Composition and Visual Design Principles

Now we will analyze the elements that make a good composition.

Gestalt Principles Used in Design

We will see how the Gestalt principles inform the way we interpret visual information.

Visual Hierarchy

Determining what parts of a composition are more relevant than others is key to focus the attention of the observer. Here we will see how to establish a hierarchy within our design.

Affordances in UI

In this lesson I'll talk about the term 'affordances' and how to implement them in our interfaces.

Intro to Visual Elements and Understanding the Brief

A creative brief is a unifying document that identifies the critical benefits of a campaign or product. It tells the story and explains why it's crucial to the audience, serving as a guide for creating something.

Basic Composition in Figma

In this lesson we'll do some exercises in Figma, understanding how to use some features to apply what we've learned. Knowing how to use these tools and applying these skills will help unlock your next level of design skills within Figma.

Typography is one of the most powerful elements in a design. It elevates the content, and reflects the tone and needs of a project. Their purpose is not only aesthetic but also functional and technical.

Typography

Creating a Color Palette

Colors have meaning. They communicate a tone and emotion, and that makes them a powerful design tool. But, you've got practically infinite possibilities to work with—when you start combining colors to form a palette, your options are endless. So, where do you even start? In This lesson we'll learn a bit about how to combine colors.

Graphics and Icons

Imagery allows you to do more with less. They say that a picture's worth a thousand words. That's why imagery and graphics are powerful visual tools that can help deliver a message and establish a product's visual identity. You could use photos, illustrations, and icons. Let's learn when to use which.

In this lesson we'll just open Figma and test different visual styles and see how to try them and why they work. One by one.

Visual Styles

19m

Sketching a Wireframe

Sketching a wireframe allows us to quickly identify usability issues early on our design process. It also invites different stakeholders to give their input and ideas. And it gives us a glimpse at how the final project might look like.

Defining Your Visual Style Guide 1

Before putting our sketches in high fidelity, let's define the style of some essential elements. Having this basic system will allow us to move faster when putting together our layout and compositions in the high fidelity mockup.

Defining Your Visual Style Guide 2

In this second part of the lesson we will focus on the style of the illustrations that will come up in your project.

Building a High-Fidelity Mock-up 1

Now let's use our style guide and the sketch wireframe to put together a high-fidelity version of our page on Figma.

15m

Building a High-Fidelity Mock-up 2

Here I will continue to shape and finalize my high-fidelity mock-up, always keeping the vibrant and dynamic look of it.

Buttons Interactions

We'll learn how to add simple component interactions to make our buttons or any other component animate with different triggers.

Linking to Pages and Modals

It's essential to create links between different pages and other states of our prototype to feel more natural. In this lesson, we'll learn how to link to a new page and open a modal.

Sharing Your Prototype

Now that we have it all together let's share it with the world!

Module 5

With Chiara Aliotta as your guide, dive into the power of storytelling as a tool for creating emotional, user-centered designs. Explore how narrative elements—like audience, purpose, and character—can shape immersive digital experiences. You'll learn how to turn UX briefs into compelling stories that connect, engage, and leave a lasting impression.

11 lessons (2h 22m)

Storytelling for UX and UI Design

As for every journey, I think it is essential to understand where you are heading. In this lesson, I introduce you to the course, how it is structured and what we will learn together. I will also talk about the difference between user experience design (UX) and user interface design (UI).

Elements of Storytelling: Audience, Purpose, Characters, and Context

Even before writing it, the first elements to define a story are your audience, motivation/purpose, context and understanding that a story needs to have a rhythm.

17m

Elements of Storytelling: The Structure

From Aristotle to our days, the structure of a story hasn’t changed much. Let’s discover how storytelling is created and how you can apply the same principles to UX design.

The Power of Storytelling: Emotions

Emotions play a big role in our behaviour. Great stories evoke emotions and can relate to their audience. In this lesson, you will explore how you can master the power of storytelling by using emotions to achieve your purposes.

Finding the Elements of the Story 1

Given a fictional brand, I will use acts, sequences and scenes to map the experience and dig deeper into how UX design benefits traditional storytelling.

13m

Finding the Elements of the Story 2

During this second part of the lesson, I will continue sowing you how to map out the elements of the story.

13m

Visual Inspiration to Trigger the Imagination

In this lesson, you will see how to find visual inspiration from different sources before jumping into the last step of the assignment, the wireframe of the landing page.

Building the Narrative and Wireframe 1

Until now, I have used acts, sequences and scenes to map the user's journey. The grid I created using post will be the blueprint, and it will help me ensure that the digital product I'm designing will provide the right user experience.

Building the Narrative and Wireframe 2

To finish this unit, you will learn how to go deep into the narrative by examining the shots and designing the wireframe.

15m

Supporting the Narrative: Wireframe vs. High-Fidelity Mock-up

In this lesson, I will present the high-fidelity mock-up inspired by the wireframe designed in the previous unit. The deconstruction phase is essential because it helps us understand if we are consistent with our story (also known as consistent with the wireframe and the choices taken when analyzing the brief).

Engaging the Audience with the Narrative

Storytelling is a powerful tool that needs to be used wisely. That's why you will learn to discover how you can use it to motivate, persuade and inspire your audience.

Module 6

Step into the world of inclusive design with Margot Gabel and learn how accessibility can transform digital experiences for everyone. Margot shares practical ways to make your website more user-friendly—from color contrast to alternative text. You’ll discover how inclusive design not only promotes equity but also improves SEO and overall usability.

14 lessons (1h 53m)

Introduction to Digital Accessibility

To start with, you’ll learn about accessibility standards and their benefits.

The Benefits of Digital Accessibility

Now, I will talk about why it is crucial to make digital accessibility a necessity when designing.

Accessibility in Real Life

Time to explore how to replicate some browsing situations where digital accessibility is crucial. It will help you relate to it and understand why it matters.

Colours and Contrast

First, you'll learn about the ‘famous’ contrast ratio on how to apply it to text and visuals. Then I'll teach you how to choose a color pairing.

Typefaces and Hierarchy

Now you'll look at typography choices and how they can be accessible. You'll also see how to choose a pairing.

Alternative Text and Microcopy

In this lesson, I'll teach you a very important element of digital accessibility and how it can influence your design thinking.

States

Let me help you understand how users can use keyboard/voice/touch inputs differently and how you have to adapt/think about it regarding design and UX choices.

Animations and Multimedia Controls

Let’s have a look at different ways to give back control and make responsible animation choices.

Wireframing for Accessibility

In this lesson, you will see how to make a low-fidelity design of your project and already include what you learned so far in this vital step.

10m

A Basic and Accessible Design System

I’ll show you how to set up the foundational elements: a color palette, a basic type scale, crafting some buttons and text fields, and thinking about their various states.

17m

Designing

Lastly, I'll show you how to build up your designs with all the elements I talked about previously. Then, you'll learn to use the design system.