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UX Design Principles

  • Level(s) of Study: Professional / Short course
  • Course Fee:

    £875

  • Start Date(s): 19 June 2024
  • Duration: Wednesdays 9:30 am – 4 pm, four weeks
  • Study Mode(s): Short course
  • Campus: City Campus
  • Entry Requirements:
    More information

Introduction:

Have you ever used a touch screen product, an app or a web-based service that impressed you with how easy (and even enjoyable) it was to use?  If not, you probably remember a using a product that was frustrating and difficult to use.

In either scenario you were exposed to a product that was developed by a UX Designer.

This practical short course will teach you how UX works and how to integrate it into your work today.

  • You’ll be part of a design community; one that promotes collaboration and experimentation.
  • With a limited class size you'll have the one-to-one attention you need to ensure you gain all the right skills to apply your new knowledge to your profession.
  • Benefit from learning with tutors who bring established links to the profession and current design research to the course.
  • Study in-person (rather than online) and explore creative ideas in our studios.

What you’ll study

UX Design (or User Experience Design) is a research-based design discipline that places the user at the centre of the process.

It uses many tools to gather user insights which then help the designer create products, apps or websites that are intuitive and a joy to use, allowing the user to get to their desired end goal with minimal friction.

During this course, you will:

  • be introduced to the UX Design process
  • explore the complete process of the design of an app or web page
  • learn how to gain essential user insights through research and testing
  • extract patterns and trends from your research
  • learn how to collaborate with others to maximise your creative design ideas
  • create exciting new tools and features that will your help users
  • learn how to prototype and test your ideas
  • explore how to communicate your design with software developers to ensure your new product comes to life in the way you intend.
  • Defining UX Design and its importance in the success of a product
  • Understanding who and what you are designing for
  • UX Design principles that make a product effective and easy to use.
  • Competitor analysis – learning about the existing market landscape for your product
  • User testing – learning what works and what doesn’t in the existing marketplace using live interviews
  • Making sense of your research to generate the best design ideas.
  • Learn new design techniques to generate ideas that meet the needs of your user
  • Formulate how the user will use or ‘flow’ through your product
  • Using your insights, sketch out the different screen states and processes that users will go through when using your product to begin bringing your app to life.
  • Create digital wireframes for each screen state of your app
  • Add controls and buttons to turn your wireframes into a clickable prototype
  • Learn how to test your prototype and the next steps in developing it into a live product.

Further information on what you'll study

By the end of the course, you will be equipped with the knowledge needed to carry out the vital design research needed to develop a digital product.

This will focus your design activity on developing a product designed around the user, that meets their needs and is intuitive to use, all of which are vital elements of a successful product.

You’ll have a good understanding of the tools that allow you to extract valuable insights from your design research.

You’ll be able to use tried and tested design tools to convert insights into exciting new features in your digital product.

Finally, you’ll have prototyped a clickable app in Figma, allowing users to interact with your design, giving you a platform to further develop your digital product.

How you’re taught

The course will be taught via lectures, group discussions, practical exercises and project work. We will use Figma software to develop your ideas. No prior experience of Figma is required.

You will receive four days of intensive, quality tuition with your experienced tutors.

Manageable homework assignments will be set.

Tutor profiles:

James is a Senior Research Fellow in Design and Manager of the Design Matter group, a product design and research consultancy at NTU who help businesses of all sizes develop new products.

In addition to the day-to-day management of the design group, his primary role is to engage with businesses on their new product development projects, working as a hands-on product design engineer, design project manager or adviser, depending on the nature of the project.

David is a Senior Research Fellow in Design, also from the Design Matter research group.

David works closely with commercial businesses, delivering new product development projects across a wide range of industries spanning consumer electronics, medical technologies, industrial equipment and scientific equipment.

Careers and employability

The course is designed to prepare you to succeed in the design industry, adding valuable new skills to your portfolio.

Campus and facilities

You’ll be based in the Nottingham School of Art and Design on the City Campus, working in our design studios and IT suites equipped with industry-standard software.

You’ll receive an email one week before the course starts with joining instructions on where to go for the first day.

You’ll have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you’re welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.

Please note that lunch isn’t provided. However, there are plenty of places on campus to eat.

Entry requirements

Level: Professional

Entry requirement: You should be an experienced graphic or product designer who is new to UX and Figma.

You must be over the age of 18 to attend this course.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form

Level: Professional

Entry requirement: You should be an experienced graphic or product designer who is new to UX and Figma.

You must be over the age of 18 to attend this course.

Fees and funding

The fee for this course is £875 (including VAT).

Payment is due at the time of booking - ask us if you'd prefer an invoice sent to your company.

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.

Please bring with you:

  • Sketchpad or notepad and pens
  • Whilst you will be using NTU computers, if you prefer to work with your own laptop then please bring this along with the free download of Figma installed.

You can read the terms and conditions of booking here.

The fee for this course is £875 (including VAT).

Payment is due at the time of booking - ask us if you'd prefer an invoice sent to your company.

Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.

Please bring with you:

  • Sketchpad or notepad and pens
  • Whilst you will be using NTU computers, if you prefer to work with your own laptop then please bring this along with the free download of Figma installed.

You can read the terms and conditions of booking here.

How to apply

You can book your place via the NTU online store:

19 June - 10 July 2024

You can book your place via the NTU online store:

19 June - 10 July 2024