UXD101 · Foundations of User Experience

Categories: Digital Innovation
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About Course

Understand what user experience design is, the core principles and heuristics behind usable interfaces, and how accessibility and ethics shape every design decision.

Explore · 4 hours · 4 lessons, a lab, an assessed assignment and a portfolio piece

Who it is for

Beginners, career changers and business owners who want a solid, practical introduction to UX before learning design tools.

Prerequisites

None; this is the first course of the UX/UI & AI-Assisted Product Design program.

What you will be able to do

  • Explain the difference between UX, UI and usability using real product examples
  • Apply Nielsen's ten usability heuristics to evaluate an existing website or app
  • Identify at least five accessibility issues using WCAG 2.2 principles
  • Rate usability problems by severity and recommend specific improvements

Lessons

  • Lesson 1 · What user experience really means
  • Lesson 2 · Principles and heuristics of usable design
  • Lesson 3 · Accessibility, inclusion and ethics
  • Lesson 4 · Lab and assignment

Lab: Heuristic evaluation of a real small-business site

You choose a small-business website or app, such as a local restaurant's online ordering page, and complete three core tasks while capturing screenshots. You log every problem in a spreadsheet against Nielsen's heuristics and basic WCAG checks, rate its severity and map the findings on a FigJam board.

Free tools: FigJam free plan, Google Sheets and a free browser contrast checker such as WebAIM's

Assessed assignment

Write a heuristic evaluation report for the site you chose. Describe the three tasks you tested, then list at least ten usability or accessibility problems, each with a screenshot reference, the heuristic or WCAG principle it violates, a severity rating from 0 to 4 and a specific recommendation. Finish with the top three fixes you would prioritize and why. Keep the tone constructive: the goal is to improve the experience, not to criticize the business.

Criterion Weight What excellent work looks like
Task definition 15% Tasks are realistic for the site's main users and clearly described with a start and end point.
Problem identification 35% At least ten distinct, real problems are documented with evidence and correctly matched to heuristics or WCAG principles.
Severity and prioritization 25% Severity ratings are consistent and justified, and the top three fixes balance user impact with effort.
Recommendations 25% Each recommendation is specific, feasible and explains how it improves the user's experience.

Portfolio piece

A professional heuristic evaluation report that demonstrates your ability to analyze an interface critically.

Self-paced, 12-month access. Questions are answered in writing through the student panel. A completion record is issued when you finish the course.

Next step

Continue with UXD102 · User Research and Personas · 4 hours · $28.00

Continue to the next course

Prefer the whole program? Program in UX/UI & AI-Assisted Product Design · $277.00 (10% less than buying the courses separately)

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What Will You Learn?

  • Explain the difference between UX, UI and usability using real product examples
  • Apply Nielsen's ten usability heuristics to evaluate an existing website or app
  • Identify at least five accessibility issues using WCAG 2.2 principles
  • Rate usability problems by severity and recommend specific improvements

Course Content

UXD101 · Foundations of User Experience (4 h)
Understand what user experience design is, the core principles and heuristics behind usable interfaces, and how accessibility and ethics shape every design decision.

  • Lesson 1 · What user experience really means
  • Lesson 2 · Principles and heuristics of usable design
  • Lesson 3 · Accessibility, inclusion and ethics
  • Lesson 4 · Lab and assignment
  • UXD101 Assessment · Foundations of User Experience
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