I have recently finished the 8-week UX/UI Design Course at UX Academy. The course has helped me understand the process of UX design in-depth. I’ve been a graphic designer for 10 years, so I had worked on several digital projects in the past. However, this course was great to gain more skills and knowledge in end-to-end UX/UI design process.
UX/UI Design Classes
The classes were taught on Wednesday evenings for 2.5 hours from 6pm, and it lasted for 8 weeks. Week 1-3, and the final classes were taught by Stratis, a lead UX designer at Condé Nast. Week 4-7 were taught by Kellie, a lead product and service designer at Ministry of Justice. Both teachers possessed a lot of knowledge and experience in UX, and were also passionate about teaching.
UX Funwork
During the week, we were given homework (“funwork”) to do. The teachers provided us with enough support, and they were reachable through Slack. Also, we were in regular contacts with other classmates on Slack.
The 1st Week
In the 1st week, we introduced ourselves to each other (12 students in total). Next, we learned about the basics and the theory of UX design. We learned about how to evaluate the websites and apps according to Jakob Nielsen’s Heuristics, and also the double diamond method.
The 2nd Week
In the 2nd week, we learned about the different methods of research, and then we were divided into teams (four members each team) to work on a brief together for the next 7 weeks. My team was given a brief to design a digital product or service for British Red Cross to help people prepare for, or recover from floods in the UK. For homework, we were tasked to conduct user interviews. UX Academy arranged us to speak to a person who had experienced floods, which was a big help.
The 3rd Week
In the 3rd week, we created an affinity map and an empathy map based on our research findings. It was a collaborative work, and was a fun workshop. We then identified the problems and pain points of the users, and then sketched up our solutions.
In the final week, Stratis gave us advice on our presentations. This helped us to prepare for our presentation to stakeholders at British Red Cross in the following week.
The 6th and 7th Week
In the 6th and 7th week, we analysed our findings from the user testing. Next, we discussed what we could improve and then iterated our prototypes. Then Kellie taught us how to prepare for the job interviews and advised us on our portfolios.
UX/UI Design Course Conclusion
Overall, I learned a lot about the end-to-end process throughout this course. I particularly valued the researching process that they taught us. I recommend this course to anyone that wants to gain knowledge and practical skills in UX/UI design.
Tempted to make the jump into UX yourself? You can sign-up or just gain some more information about the UX/UI Design Course.