Want to be an Expert in UX Design? Try this Coursera Program

Nistha Mishra

06 April 2023

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Course Overview

This Google UX Design Professional Certificate course is very good for those looking for a transition in their career. It covers the basics very clearly thus helps learners build a strong foundation in the User Experience (UX) field. Resources like videos, reading materials, external links, are also provided to study the topic deeper.

Google Career Certificates are a component of Grow with Google, an initiative that leverages Google's two decades of experience in creating products, platforms, and services that foster growth for people and businesses. This program is designed to support individuals who currently comprise the workforce, as well as students who will lead the workforce of the future. By providing access to Google's training and tools, Grow with Google aims to help people develop their skills, advance their careers, and grow their businesses.

"This is a well-balanced course that deals with both the theory and the practical aspects of the UX industry. The bonus is that learners will have a professional UX portfolio with 3 complete projects, by the end of the course."

- Nistha Mishra

Course Structure

The course is divided into 7 topics and includes weekly topics and tests. First, the role of UX and a UX designer in the industry is discussed elaborately. Then, parts of the design process is taught. The course finishes off with projects.

The topics dealt with in the curriculum are:

Construction of wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes
User Experience (UX) Design Fundamentals
Conduction of UX research and put early concepts to the test
Adobe XD Responsive Web Design
Create a User Experience for Social Good and Get Ready for Jobs
User Experience Design Process: Empathize, define, and brainstorm
Create high-fidelity designs and prototypes in Figma

Insider Tips

To get the best out of this course, I have included some important tips that you might find useful.

Make Notes

Maintain your own notes and delve deeper into the topics through the external links provided. Do your own research for the topic and try to make use of it in your projects. The provided instructor videos are simple and accessible but become monotonous after a point. Thus, it is very important to work at your pace with self-made notes.

Assessment

One can attempt a test maximum of 3 times then wait for 24 hours. The best part about the assessments is that they have examples with description, which makes it very easy to process the steps in the design processes. The provision for peer checking even helped me compare myself with others.

Learning Cohort

Being a part of a cohort, can help you connect with others in your industry. Meeting others in person may lead to new opportunities and assist you in expanding your network.

Placement Assistance

Work on your X factor. Do not focus on everything but, on your strengths. Practice every day and keep working on doing projects, it will definitely help in the placements.

Final Take

I chose this course to learn about the workings of the UI/UX industry. And it has proved helpful in gaining both theoretical and practical knowledge of the field because of the tasks and test sheets. This also helped me while giving interviews. This course is good as it deals with design basics which is very important to understand the whole process of UX.

Key Takeaways

Understand the fundamentals of UX research, such as how to plan research studies, conduct interviews and usability studies, and synthesize research findings

Learn to empathize with users, define pain points, brainstorm solutions, create wireframes and prototypes, test and iterate on designs

Create a professional UX portfolio with three complete projects: a mobile app, a responsive website, and a cross-platform experience

Study how to use fundamental UX principles such as user-centered design, accessibility, and equity-focused design