Designing User Interfaces and Experiences (UI/UX) Course

Lesson 1 • Core Design Principles

Introduces Gestalt, hierarchy, contrast, and alignment as foundational visual rules. Applies these principles to interface critique exercises.

Lesson 2 • The Design Thinking Process

Presents the five-stage design thinking model as a problem-solving framework. Connects each stage to practical UI/UX deliverables.

Lesson 3 • History and Evolution of Design

Traces design from print and industrial roots to digital interfaces. Contextualizes modern practices within historical shifts.

Lesson 4 • Understanding UI vs. UX

Defines UI as visual interface layer and UX as the holistic user journey. Establishes vocabulary used throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Surveys and Quantitative Research

Introduces survey design, sampling, and basic statistical interpretation. Complements qualitative findings with measurable user data.

Lesson 2 • Synthesizing Research Insights

Covers affinity mapping, thematic analysis, and insight prioritization. Transforms raw data into actionable design direction.

Lesson 3 • Conducting User Interviews

Teaches structured and semi-structured interview techniques for uncovering user motivations. Builds skills in active listening and neutral questioning.

Lesson 4 • Creating User Personas and Journey Maps

Guides students in building evidence-based personas and mapping end-to-end user journeys. These artifacts communicate user context to stakeholders.

Lesson 1 • Search and Wayfinding Systems

Addresses search UX, filters, breadcrumbs, and progress indicators. Ensures users always know where they are and how to proceed.

Lesson 2 • Designing Sitemaps and Taxonomies

Covers hierarchical, flat, and hub-and-spoke site structures. Students create sitemaps that reflect user mental models.

Lesson 3 • Card Sorting and Tree Testing

Teaches participatory methods for validating content groupings and navigation labels. Produces data-driven IA decisions.

Lesson 4 • Navigation Patterns and Menus

Surveys common navigation patterns including top nav, side nav, tabs, and hamburger menus. Matches patterns to device and context.

Lesson 1 • Digital Wireframing Techniques

Covers creating mid-fidelity wireframes using industry-standard tools. Focuses on layout grids, spacing, and component placement.

Lesson 2 • Interaction Design Fundamentals

Defines interaction design goals including feedback, affordance, and state changes. Bridges static wireframes and dynamic prototypes.

Lesson 3 • Sketching and Low-Fidelity Wireframes

Introduces rapid sketching and paper wireframing as fast ideation tools. Encourages divergent thinking before committing to digital tools.

Lesson 4 • Building Clickable Prototypes

Teaches linking screens and adding transitions to simulate real product behavior. Produces testable prototypes for user research sessions.

Lesson 1 • Visual Consistency and Style Guides

Guides students in documenting visual decisions into a reusable style guide. Ensures design consistency across a product's screens.

Lesson 2 • Layout, Grids, and Spacing

Introduces column grids, baseline grids, and spacing systems for consistent layouts. Applies layout rules to multi-screen design systems.

Lesson 3 • Color Theory and UI Application

Covers color models, palettes, contrast ratios, and emotional associations. Applies color decisions to interface components systematically.

Lesson 4 • Iconography and Imagery

Teaches icon design principles, style consistency, and image usage in interfaces. Ensures visual elements reinforce rather than distract from content.

Lesson 1 • Planning a Usability Study

Covers writing test plans, defining tasks, and recruiting representative participants. Ensures tests yield valid and reliable insights.

Lesson 2 • Analyzing Usability Data

Covers task success rates, error analysis, time-on-task, and qualitative coding. Converts session observations into prioritized design issues.

Lesson 3 • Reporting and Acting on Findings

Guides students in writing findings reports and presenting recommendations to stakeholders. Closes the loop between testing and design iteration.

Lesson 4 • Usability Testing Fundamentals

Defines usability dimensions including effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. Positions testing as a core design activity, not a final step.

Lesson 1 • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Covers the four WCAG principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Maps guidelines to specific UI design decisions.

Lesson 2 • Accessible Color and Typography

Applies contrast ratio requirements and type size minimums to visual design. Ensures content is readable across vision abilities.

Lesson 3 • Accessibility Auditing and Remediation

Teaches automated and manual audit methods to identify accessibility failures. Students produce prioritized remediation plans for real interfaces.

Lesson 4 • Principles of Inclusive Design

Introduces the spectrum of human ability and the social model of disability. Reframes accessibility as a design quality, not a compliance checkbox.

Lesson 1 • Documenting and Governing a Design System

Teaches writing usage guidelines, contribution processes, and versioning strategies. Ensures the system remains accurate and adopted by teams.

Lesson 2 • Atomic Design Methodology

Applies Brad Frost's atomic design model to break UI into atoms, molecules, organisms, and templates. Structures component hierarchy logically.

Lesson 3 • Introduction to Design Systems

Defines design systems as single sources of truth combining components, patterns, and guidelines. Explains business value and team efficiency gains.

Lesson 4 • Design Tokens and Theming

Introduces design tokens as named variables for color, spacing, and typography. Enables consistent theming and dark mode support.