Roadmap to becoming a UI/UX Designer

This repository contains a curated list of resources to help you learn about User Interface and User Experience design. The learning guide is divided into three levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert, and includes a wide range of resources such as articles, tutorials, videos, and courses. Whether you're just starting or looking to expand your knowledge, this guide has something for everyone. So, come explore and enhance your skills in UI/UX design! 🎨

• Beginner Level
  • Introduction to User Experience Design
    • What is UX Design?
    • The Importance of UX Design
    • User-Centered Design
  • Fundamentals of User Interface Design
    • What is UI Design?
    • UI Design Best Practices
    • Designing for Mobile
  • Introduction to Design Tools
    • Introduction to Design Tools
    • Getting Started with Figma, Sketch or XD
  • Visual Design Fundamentals
    • Typography
    • Color Theory
    • Layout and Composition
• Intermediate Level
  • User Research
    • Introduction to User Research
    • Creating User Personas
    • User Journey Mapping
    • User Testing and Heuristics Evaluation
  • Information Architecture and Interaction Design
    • Information Architecture
    • Interaction Design
    • Microinteractions
  • Prototyping
    • Introduction to Prototyping
    • Wireframing and Low-Fidelity Prototyping
    • High-Fidelity Prototyping
  • Design Thinking
    • Design Thinking Process
    • Design Critique
• Expert Level
  • Advanced Design Techniques
    • Designing for Accessibility
    • Designing for Internationalization
    • Design Systems
  • Emerging Technologies
    • Voice User Interface Design
    • Virtual and Augmented Reality Design
    • Designing for AI and Machine Learning
  • UX Strategy
    • User Research and Analysis
    • Information Architecture and Content Strategy
    • Design Sprints
  • Portfolio Development
    • Building Projects for your UX/UI Design Portfolio
    • Case Studies and Presentations
  • Career Development
    • Job Search and Interviewing
    • Freelancing and Entrepreneurship
    • Professional Development and Networking

The Beginner Level is designed for those who are just starting out in the field of User Experience and User Interface design. The resources in this section will help you get a basic understanding of the field and provide you with the necessary skills to get started.

graph LR

A[Beginner Level] --> B((Introduction to User Experience Design))
A --> C((Fundamentals of User Interface Design))
A --> D((Introduction to Design Tools))
A --> E((Visual Design Fundamentals))

B --> F([What is UX Design?])
B --> G([The Importance of UX Design])
B --> H([User-Centered Design])

C --> I([What is UI Design?])
C --> J([UI Design Best Practices])
C --> K([Designing for Mobile])

D --> L([Introduction to Design Tools])
D --> M([Getting Started with Figma, Sketch or XD])

E --> N([Typography])
E --> O([Color Theory])
E --> P([Layout and Composition])

User Experience Design is the process of creating products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. This section will help you learn about the fundamentals of UX design and the importance of user-centered design.

“A person's perceptions and responses that result from the use or anticipated use of a product, system or service.” — ISO 9241-210, Ergonomics of human-system interaction—Part 210: Human-centered design for interactive systems

To put it simply, UX is important because it tries to fulfill the user's needs. It aims to provide positive experiences that keep users loyal to the product or brand. Additionally, a meaningful user experience allows you to define customer journeys on your website that are most conducive to business success.

User-centered design (UCD) is a design approach that focuses on the needs, wants, and limitations of the people who use a product. It is a process that involves the user at every step of the design process.

User interface design (UI) is the process of designing interfaces in software or computerized devices with the focus on looks or style. The goal of this design is to maximize the ease of use for the people using the product.

User interface (UI) design is the process designers use to build interfaces in software or computerized devices, focusing on looks or style.

UI Design Best Practices are the guidelines that help you create a user interface that is easy to use, intuitive, and visually appealing. These best practices are based on the principles of user-centered design and usability. Use design thinking to understand the user's needs and goals, and then use these best practices to create a user interface that meets those needs.

Design for Mobile is the process of designing a user interface for mobile devices. Mobile devices are handheld devices that are small and portable. They include smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches. Mobile devices are used for communication, entertainment, and productivity.

Design Tools are software applications that help you create a design. These tools help you create wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and other design deliverables. They also help you collaborate with your team and clients.

Design Tools are software applications that help you create a user interface. These tools help you create wireframes, mockups, prototypes, and other UI design deliverables. They also help you collaborate with your team and clients.

The elements, or principles, of visual design include Contrast, Balance, Emphasis, Movement, White Space, Proportion, Hierarchy, Repetition, Rhythm, Pattern, Unity, and Variety. These principles of design work together to create something that is aesthetically pleasing and optimizes the user experience.

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing (leading), and letter-spacing (tracking), and adjusting the space between pairs of letters (kerning).

Color theory is the practice of mixing colors to create new colors. It is also the study of how colors interact with each other and with light. Color theory is a useful tool for designers, as it helps them to create a color scheme that is visually appealing and effective.

Layout and composition in UI design is the arrangement of visual elements on a page. It is the art of organizing the elements of a design to create a pleasing and effective visual. The arrangement of theses elements is called composition and is the most important part of any design.

• Project: Redesign the following dribbble shots using the concepts you learned in this section Beginner Level
  • #Exploration - Fashion Website
  • #Exploration - E-commerce Website
• Create an auto layout, style guide, typography, and color palette for a design you created above.

Intermediate level is for those who have a basic understanding of the concepts in this section and want to take their skills to the next level. We will look into user research, information architecture, and prototyping.

graph LR

A[Intermediate Level] --> B((User Research))
A --> C((Information Architecture and Interaction Design))
A --> D((Prototyping))
A --> E((Design Thinking))

B --> F[User Research]
B --> G[User Personas]
B --> H[User Journey Mapping]
B --> I[User Testing and Heuristics Evaluation]

C --> J[Information Architecture]
C --> K[Interaction Design]
C --> L[Microinteractions]

D --> M[Prototyping]
D --> N[Wireframing and Low-Fidelity Prototyping]
D --> O[High-Fidelity Prototyping]

E --> P[Design Thinking Process]
E --> R[Design Critique]

User research is the process of gathering information about your users. It is a critical step in the design process. It helps you understand your users, their needs, and how to solve their problems.

We will look into the importance of user research, the different types of user research, and how to conduct user research.

User personas are fictional characters that represent your target users. They are based on real data and are used to help you design better products and services.

User journey mapping is a process of mapping out the steps a user takes to complete a task or achieve a goal. It is a visual representation of the user’s experience with a product or service. It

User testing is a method of evaluating a product by testing it on users. It is a common practice designed to find usability problems early in the development cycle. Heuristic evaluation is a usability inspection method for finding problems in a design.

Information architecture (IA) is the practice of planning and structuring information in a way that makes it easy to find, use, and manage. Interaction design is the practice of designing interactive digital products, environments, systems, and services. Interaction design focuses on creating meaningful and relevant experiences between users and their products.

An information architecture is a document that provides an operational map to how a product acts and functions work for users. It's akin to a blueprint for digital products, and it displays pages, content, interactions, and behaviors for the entire product.

Interaction Design (IxD) is the design of interactive products and services in which a designer's focus goes beyond the item in development to include the way users will interact with it. Thus, close scrutiny of users' needs, limitations and contexts, etc. empowers designers to customize output to suit precise demands.

Microinteractions are the building blocks of a user’s experience. They are the small, discrete interactions that occur within a larger system.

It is used to test or validate design assumptions that were made to construct the prototype quickly and in a less expensive way than developing a full-fledged product or service.

Prototyping is a process of creating a model or a sample of a product or a service. It is a crucial part of the design process, during the this phase, we start to make our potential solutions real so that we can get feedback from our stakeholders.

Wireframing is a process of creating a skeleton of a product or a service. A wireframe is low-fidelity that takes less time to create, and it is used to test or validate design assumptions that were made to construct the prototype quickly and in a less expensive way than developing a full-fledged product or service.

High-fidelity prototypes are computer-based, and usually allow realistic (mouse-keyboard) user interactions. High-fidelity prototypes take you as close as possible to a true representation of the user interface.

Design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test. Involving five phases—Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test—it is most useful to tackle problems that are ill-defined or unknown. Although we have talked about some of these phases in the previous sections, we will now go into more detail on how it all fits together.

The design thinking process is a five-step process that helps you to solve problems and create innovative solutions. It is a human-centered approach to problem solving that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.

Design critique is a process of giving and receiving feedback on a design. It is a way to improve the design by identifying problems and opportunities. It is a way to learn from others and to teach others. It is a way to build a community of designers.

• Project One: Building a Recipe App Use this as Inspiration
  • Task One: Conduct a user research session with a friend or family member
  • Task Two: Using the information you gathered from your user research session, create a user persona and apply Design Thinking to solve a problem for your user
  • Task Three: Create an information architecture diagram, journey map, and user flow diagram
  • Task Four: Create a low-fidelity prototype using Figma/Adobe XD
  • Task Five: Conduct a design critique session with a friend or family member
  • Task Six: Make changes to your prototype based on the feedback you received during your design critique session
  • Task Seven: Create a high-fidelity prototype using Figma/Adobe XD

• Project Two: Redesign Fitness Mobile App
  • Task One: Identify the user experience problems with the current design
  • Task Two: Analyze these problems and identify the root causes
  • Task Three: Perform a competitive analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current design
  • Task Four: Create a user journey map to identify the user's pain points and opportunities for improvement
  • Task Five: Develop an information architecture that organizes the app's content in a logical and user-friendly way, and apply the principles of interaction design to create intuitive and engaging user interactions, such as animations and feedback
  • Task Six: Create a low-fidelity prototype using Figma/Adobe XD
  • Task Seven: Identify opportunities for micro-interactions that enhance the user experience, such as providing feedback on completed workouts or congratulating the user on reaching their goals
  • Task Eight: Conduct a design critique session with a friend or family member
  • Task Nine: Iterate on the design based on user feedback and refine the create the high-fidelity prototype using Figma/Adobe XD
  • Task Ten: Create a presentation that explains the design process and the design decisions you made

In this section, we will be covering advanced design topics such as design systems, design thinking, virtual reality/augmented reality, and more. At the end of this section, you will be confident in your design skills and ready to apply for your dream design job 🎉💲. Note: This section is for those who are looking to take their design skills to the next level. If you are just starting out, I recommend you start with the Beginner and Intermediate sections.

graph LR
A[Expert Level] --> B((Advanced Design Techniques))
A --> C((Emerging Technologies))
A --> D((UX Strategy))
A --> E((Portfolio Development))
A --> F((Career Development))

B --> G([Designing for Accessibility])
B --> H([Designing for Internationalization])
B --> I([Design Systems])

C --> J([Voice User Interface Design])
C --> K([Virtual and Augmented Reality Design])
C --> L([Designing for AI and Machine Learning])

D --> M([User Research and Analysis])
D --> N([Information Architecture and Content Strategy])
D --> O([Design Sprints and Innovation])

E --> P([Building a UX/UI Design Portfolio])
E --> Q([Case Studies and Presentations])

F --> R([Job Search and Interviewing])
F --> S([Freelancing and Entrepreneurship])
F --> T([Professional Development and Networking])

In this section, we will be covering advanced design techniques such as designing for accessibility, designing for internationalization, and designing for design systems.

In this section, we will be covering the basics of designing for accessibility. This means to be inclusive to the needs of your users. This includes your target users, users outside of your target demographic, users with disabilities, etc.

Internationalization (i18n) is the process of designing a product, application or document content that enables easy localization for target audiences that vary in culture, region, or language. Internationalization is a key aspect of globalization and enables products and services to be available and relevant to a worldwide audience. Internationalization is also known as globalization, localization, or adaptation.

A design system is a collection of reusable components, guided by clear standards, that can be assembled together to build any number of applications. It’s a visual language that synthesizes UI patterns, interactions, motion, and scale into a unified experience.

In this section, you will find the latest emerging technologies that are making an impact in the design world. We will look into Voice User Interface, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and more.

Voice User Interface Design is the design of the interaction between a user and a voice-controlled device. It is a new way of interacting with technology, and it is becoming more and more popular.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are computer-generated simulations of real-world environments and objects. VR is a fully immersive experience that replaces the real world with a simulated one. AR is a more limited experience that overlays digital objects on top of the real world. Both VR and AR are used in a variety of industries, including gaming, education, and healthcare. In this section, we will cover the basics of VR and AR design, as well as some of the best resources for learning more.

Designing for AI means designing for a human-machine relationship that is in flux. This is in contrast to non-AI design where the relationship is static. This is a collection of articles, videos, and tools that will help you get started with designing for AI and Machine Learning.

A UX strategy is a plan of actions designed to reach an improved future state of the organization's user experience over an established period of time.

User research analysis is a vital part of any research process because it is the very act of making sense of what was learned so that informed recommendations can be made on behalf of customers or users. Although the process of user research analysis is often overlooked, it is a critical step in the research process that can make or break the success of a project.

Information architecture (IA) is the practice of organizing information in a way that makes it easy to find and use. Content strategy is the practice of planning and managing the creation, delivery, and governance of content. Together, they help you create a great user experience.

A design sprint is a five-day process for answering critical business questions through design, prototyping, and testing ideas with customers. It’s a lot like an agile sprint, but with a design focus. The sprint is a process, not a deliverable. It’s a way of working, not a checklist of deliverables.

A portfolio is a collection of work that demonstrates your abilities. It is a tool that can help you find a job or build your client base. In this section, you will learn how to create a portfolio that will help you showcase your skills and talents to potential employers, clients, or collaborators.

In this section, you will learn how to build projects for your UX/UI Design Portfolio. Building projects for your portfolio is a great way to showcase your skills and talents to potential employers, clients, or collaborators.

Case Studies*are a great way to showcase your work and skills. They are also a great way to learn from other designers. In this section, we will take a deep dive into what case studies are, how to write them, and how to present them.

• Task One: Using the list of the case study above](#case-study-inspiration) as a source of inspiration, create a case study for a project you have worked on in Project Tasks #1. You can use this template as a guide.
• Task Two: Create a case study for a project you have worked on in Project Tasks #2. You can use this template as a guide.
• Task Three: Create a case study for a project you have worked on in Project Tasks #3. You can use this template one or template two as a guide.

In this final project, you will be given two problems to solve. You will be required to pick one of the problems to solve. Each of the problems revolves around the curriculum we have covered in this learning path. You will be required to create a case study for the project you have worked on.

• Problem One: You are a UI/UX designer at a company that is looking to create a new product that will help people learn new languages. You have been tasked with creating this product and following the design thinking process to create a solution for this problem. The solution you create should be a product that is user-centered and uses voice interface design. Incorporating virtual or augmented reality features to enhance the user experience is optional. The application should be designed for mobile devices with a personalized approach to learning, allowing users to set their learning goals and track their progress. Incorporating accessibility features, such as subtitles for videos, and internationalization features, such as translation for multiple languages, is a must.
  • Design Thinking Process:
    • Empathize
    • Define
    • Ideate
    • Prototype
    • Test
  • Deliverables:
    • Design system
      • Typography
      • Color Palette
      • Layouts
      • Components
      • Avatar
      • Others (if any) - Follow the Design System Checklist
    • A case study that includes the following sections:
      • Problem Statement
      • User Research
      • User Personas
      • User Journey Map
      • User Flows
      • Wireframes
      • Visual Design
      • Usability Testing
      • Reflection
    • Prototype

• Problem Two: You are a UI/UX designer at a company that is looking to create a new product that will offer personalized health and wellness recommendations based on user preference, including diet and exercise plans, mindfulness and meditation practices, and sleep tracking. You have been tasked with creating this product and following the design thinking process to create a solution for this problem. The solution you create should be a product that is user-centered and incorporates accessibility features for users with disabilities, such as voice recognition and alternative text for images. Additionally, internationalization features could be implemented to offer the app in multiple languages. Optionally, you can incorporate virtual or augmented reality features to provide immersive experiences for users, such as guided meditation. 
  • Design Thinking Process:
    • Empathize
    • Define
    • Ideate
    • Prototype
    • Test
  • Deliverables:
    • Design system
      • Typography
      • Color Palette
      • Layouts
      • Components
      • Avatar
      • Others (if any) - Follow the Design System Checklist
    • A case study that includes the following sections:
      • Problem Statement
      • User Research
      • User Personas
      • User Journey Map
      • User Flows
      • Wireframes
      • Visual Design
      • Usability Testing
      • Reflection
    • Prototype