My experience with Google UX Design Certificate — Course 1/7
I started my journey to learn the Foundations of User Experience a couple of weeks ago and recently completed the first certification course. It has been a very immersive experience for me and I have learned a lot from Michael Dedrick and other facilitators on user experience design and why it is important.
In this article, you will learn a summary of the foundations of user experience design, the definition of terms used in user experience design, the tools and different processes involved in designing a product or an experience, and building an online presence. I hope you have fun and stay educated reading through as much as I enjoyed writing it.
In Week 1, I was introduced to user experience design, learned from experienced design specialists and junior designers what it entails to become a user experience design. UX design focuses majorly on the experience that users have while using a product, your mobile apps, and websites or even getting on an elevator. UX designers make those experiences enjoyable, accessible, and useful.
“The role of an entry-level designer might include coming up with ideas to address user problem, conducting researches, wireframing, mockups and prototyping”
I also learned the job description of a user experience designer including the roles and responsibilities of a junior UX designer in small, medium, and large companies. In summary, week 1 touched topics like:
- Different careers to explore as a user interface designer
- Practical examples of designing a good user experience
- The influence of company size and different industries as a UX designer
- The roles and responsibilities of a user experience designer
- Product development cycle
Week 2 was a very extensive week of design terms, tools, and frameworks used as a UX designer. I quickly got acquainted with the vocabularies used as a designer and their meanings. At this point, I actively started thinking and speaking like a designer.
I learned the main tools used by UX designers which were Figma and Adobe XD for designing frameworks and other prototyping tools. I delved further into the design framework, user-centered design, the five elements of UX design, and the design thinking processes.
“User experience designers put the users front, end and centre in the whole design process’’
They are steps taken from the thinking and ideating phase to the final prototyping and launching phase. Also, designing for accessibility, offline design, and equity design as well. I heard the Next Billion User concept for the first time and why empathizing with the under-recognized is necessary for a good user experience design. In summary, week 3 explained:
- Designing tools, terms, and frameworks
- Users and end-users
- Designing for inclusion and a11y
- The Next Billion Users
I had no idea before Week 3 that I had participated in a Design Sprint before, or maybe I did but I didn’t know it was termed so. Design sprints are the different stages of direction that define the direction of a product.
They take about a week and there are 5 phases of the design sprint including:
“Understand, Sketch, Decide, Prototype and Validate”
I once participated in a design sprint for a corporate contracting company. It was a great one-week experience although it has its shortcomings like lack of funding, undefined hierarchy in the company, and the fact that we were all junior designers running the sprint.
In summary, Week 3 touched on
- The 5 stages of a design sprint
- Benefits of running a sprint
- An entry-level UX designer’s role in a design sprint
- After a design sprint, what next?
Week 4 is about building an online presence, branding, and portfolio. The professional way of getting noticed and displaying your skills and work is primarily by having a professional account like Linkedin and also Twitter which is less professional.
It is also essential to have a personal website where you display your work to potential employers. I learned how to stay connected with peers and mentorship as well.
“Your uniqueness is your greatest strength, your perspective is different from other peoples‘’
The highlight of the study is managing imposter syndrome. You know, that feeling where you think you are a fraud. I learned that it is okay to feel that way, even the greatest designers feel the same. We can feel less of it by giving less attention to our triggers, constant practice, and reassurance that we are good designers. In summary, week 4 touched on
- Personal branding and building a portfolio
- Social media profile creation and update
- Networking and mentorship
- Overcoming imposter syndrome
