Skillcrush Course Add On
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
UX Design: Making the Web a Better Place
User experience designers are innovative explorers who research, improve, and test websites and apps. They create delightful digital experiences that keep people coming back for more.
If you love figuring out how things work and what makes people tick, look no further than User Experience design—it’s the tech industry’s best-kept secret for career changers.
Course Outline
Prerequisites: None
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UX Research
If you have ever heard the term ‘design thinking’ and wondered what it meant, you are in luck! In this class you will learn how to think like a design professional and immerse yourself in user experience research, trying to answer that age-old question: what do users want? You’ll learn the exact tools and best practices that designers use to discover and then describe what their customers want, and how those wants and needs align with your client’s business goals.
You’ll Learn:
- UX Design Best Practices
- User Personas & User Journey Mapping
- Data Analysis
- Design Ideation
Projects for your portfolio:
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Information Architecture & Prototyping
Once you have a sense of who your users really are and understand their burning desires, it’s time to take your first swing at making them happy. First you’ll learn the tried-and-true building blocks of website organization and design best practices. Then you’ll combine your research and skills with industry tools to create a professional website prototype: a wireframe!
You’ll Learn:
- Information Architecture
- Navigation & Layout
- Wireframing
- Prototyping
Projects for your portfolio:
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User Testing & Iteration
It’s time to put your prototype to the ultimate test: human users! But first, you’ll learn about user testing and best practices for getting clear and actionable results. Once you set up and run your test, you’ll analyze the data you collect to make decisions and create better versions based on feedback.
You’ll Learn:
- Usability Testing
- A/B Testing
- Data Analysis
- Iteration
- UX Strategy
Projects for your portfolio:
Tools you will learn:
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FIGMA
An industry-standard design tool for creating simple website prototypes called wireframes
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INVISION
A powerful tool that helps UX professionals create interactive website prototypes to test with real users
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ZOOM
A video conferencing tool that allows you to have live conversations and record your sessions—perfect for connecting with users
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SLACK
You’ll connect with your classmates and instructors in Slack, a messaging and collaboration tool used by thousands of digital teams worldwide.
Your UX Design Portfolio
By the end of this course, you’ll have completed a start-to-finish user experience design project for a fictitious bicycle rental company, for which you’ll use the following skills:
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USER RESEARCH
USER RESEARCH
Collecting and analyzing different types of feedback in order to understand user behaviors, needs, and motivations.
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User Journey Mapping
User Journey Mapping
A holistic, visual representation of your users’ interactions with your organization, from new prospect to satisfied customer and beyond.
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INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Organizing and labeling content so that key information is easy to find.
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WIREFRAMES
WIREFRAMES
A rough sketch for the layout of a website or app, done either with pen and paper or with wireframing software.
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USABILITY TESTING
USABILITY TESTING
Quantitative and qualitative testing of a website or app with real users to make sure it works exactly as it should.
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PROTOTYPES
PROTOTYPES
A clickable, interactive “blueprint” for the layout of a website or app.
After completing the program, you will earn:
The Skillcrush Course
Official User Experience Design Certificate
How Do I Know if This Course is For Me?
This Course Is For You If:
- You’re ready for an awesome, creative job that pays well and offers you a HUGE number of career opportunities (like working in a job you love as a UX Designer or UX Researcher).
- You have a natural curiosity about people and want to understand them better.
- You have a deep appreciation for solving problems and you LOVE when something works exactly like it should.
- You’re a total beginner to tech OR a total beginner to UX.
This Course Is Not For You If:
- You’ve already worked in the UX field.
- You want to learn how to code right now (check out the Front End Developer Course instead!).
- You want to learn how to use Adobe design tools right now (check out the Visual Designer Course instead!).
- Working and interacting with others stresses you out and you prefer to work alone.
Your instructors are ALWAYS here to help.
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Erin Denton
DESIGN & UX INSTRUCTOR
Erin works as a freelance visual and UX designer and owns her own online retail business, Purrito Press. When she’s not designing or teaching, Erin serves as co-captain of her local Code for America brigade in Orlando, Florida.
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Caroline Tucker
Design Instructor
Caroline brings a diverse background in design, UX, and front-end development to her work as a Skillcrush teaching assistant. Outside of Skillcrush, she might be found juggling freelance client projects, dabbling in writing or illustration, or catching up on the latest cool CSS tricks.
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Karalyn Thayer
TEACHING ASSISTANT
Karalyn works as a teaching assistant for Visual Design and UX at Skillcrush. She owns her own freelance design business in Portland, Maine, and has a background in marketing and graphic design.
Have a question? Our team of expert instructors is here for you around the clock:
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GET HELPFUL FEEDBACK ON YOUR WORK
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VIDEO CHAT IN GROUP Q&A SESSIONS
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SLACK COMMUNITY
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SHOOT US A QUICK EMAIL
With 1-on-1 support from your instructors & Skillcrush community, you’ll accomplish more than you ever thought possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What kinds of work will I be able to do after the User Experience Course?
There are currently TONS of job opportunities in UX. Businesses large and small, from Amazon to your local design firm, are on the lookout for UX pros who can help improve their products. Look for job titles like UX Designer, Information Architect, or UX Researcher, just to name a few. Want to be your own boss? Strike out on your own as a Freelance UX Consultant!
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Do I need to be good at design or know how to code to succeed in this Course?
Nope! This course is perfect for beginners with zero design or coding experience. Seriously, if you love to talk to people to better understand what makes them tick, you’ll love this course!
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What software will I need for the User Experience Course, and what does it cost?
During this Course, we’ll introduce you to a cutting-edge tool of the trade: Figma. This tool allows you to quickly and easily create interactive wireframes and prototypes, even if you have no prior design experience. Figma is intuitive and easy to learn, and it’s used by UX pros worldwide. Best of all, it’s free! We’ll also introduce you to Zoom, a free video conferencing tool that allows you to virtually connect with others and record your sessions.
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Do I need a Mac to do UX?
Not at all! For all Skillcrush classes, either a Mac or PC will work just fine.
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What’s the difference between UX and visual design?
UX professionals are focused on understanding user behavior, collecting and analyzing data to uncover the source of user problems, and creating and testing solutions to these problems. Visual designers create the look and feel of websites, apps, logos, and more using a deep knowledge of design theory and robust industry tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
UX and visual design are very different fields, although they do overlap in a few areas. UXers use visual design principles to create prototypes that are realistic and visually pleasing for their users. Visual designers use UX principles to create web and page layouts that are user-friendly as well as beautiful.
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If I want to take both the User Experience Course AND the Visual Designer Course, which should I take first?
The Visual Designer Course and the User Experience Course complement each other perfectly and can be taken in any order. Some people prefer to take the User Experience Course first to get UX fundamentals down before they learn more robust design software, but it’s entirely up to you—and you’ll do just fine either way.
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What’s the difference between UX and UI? Will I learn UI in this class?
Whereas the UX of a website comes through in its layout and navigation, the UI, or user interface design, is its look and feel—the colors, typography, and imagery that create the site’s overall style and mood.
This course is primarily about the principles of good UX, but you’ll also learn a bit about UI to help you create professional-looking prototypes. Don’t worry—you won’t have to design anything from scratch! We’ll show you the basics of creating a solid look, and provide UI kits that let you drag and drop premade styles into place. If you’re interested in learning more about UI, our Visual Designer Course walks you through how to create visually appealing and emotionally evocative designs from the ground up!
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How long will I have access to my Course?
Once you’ve completed payment for the course, you’ll have access to it for LIFE.
Skillcrush Reviews
You don’t have to go back to school. You don’t need to be under 30, 40, or even 60. You don’t have to leave your job or take time off. You don’t even have to know a single thing about code—if you can download a file, you’re tech-savvy enough.
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My dream has literally come true and is really working. Now that I have tech skills, I work from home, earn a decent wage, spend time with my children, code (which I love), and continue to learn.
ANTONIA CRONIN
WEB DEVELOPER
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I was actually able to change careers pretty quickly, successfully, and inexpensively. My quality of life has vastly improved.
JESSICA ROWSHANDEL
WEB DESIGNER
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I was just doing the math this month, and the surplus I’m in is beyond what I know what to do with the money. (Just kidding; I’m paying down those student loans!) Skillcrush is a game changer.
Nathalia Bailey
FREELANCE DEVELOPER
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4.8/5 RATING | 416 REVIEWS
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4.74/5 RATING | 145 REVIEWS
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Choose the plan that’s right for you
Sign up for your personalized learning program right now! If you’re not completely satisfied within the first 14 days of your program, we’ll give you a full refund.
More Questions? We’re Here For You.
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EMAIL US ANYTIME
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