UX: Visual Design Process from Coursera

This course equips you with essential skills to create visually compelling and user-friendly designs. You’ll learn core design principles, wireframing techniques, typography best practices, and prototyping using tools like Adobe XD and Figma. By the end, you’ll be able to build structured layouts, apply effective color schemes, create responsive typography, and present your designs confidently.

You’ll start with visual design foundations, exploring balance, contrast, emphasis, and rhythm. Next, you’ll dive into wireframing using Balsamiq, Adobe XD, and Figma, followed by hands-on typography and layout design exercises.

The course also covers feedback handling, sketching, prototyping, and collaboration with developers to bring your ideas to life. Through real-world exercises, you’ll refine your skills in presenting and iterating based on user needs.

Ideal for aspiring UX/UI designers, product designers, and developers, this course requires no prior experience, though basic design familiarity is helpful.

What's inside

Syllabus

In this module, we will explore prototyping with Figma, from project setup to creating interactive designs. You’ll learn how to arrange elements, draw shapes and curved lines, and build reusable components. By the end, you’ll be equipped to design complete interfaces and share interactive prototypes seamlessly.

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Teaches core design principles like balance, contrast, emphasis, and rhythm, which are essential for creating visually appealing and functional user interfaces

Explores wireframing techniques using industry-standard tools like Balsamiq, Adobe XD, and Figma, which are crucial for prototyping and iterating on design ideas

Covers typography best practices, layout design, and color schemes, which are vital for creating visually harmonious and accessible designs that enhance user experience

Includes modules on handling feedback, sketching, and collaborating with developers, which are essential skills for working effectively in a design team and iterating on designs based on user needs

Requires learners to use Adobe XD and Figma, which may require a subscription or license to access all features, potentially posing a barrier for some learners

Uses Balsamiq, Adobe XD, and Figma, which are updated frequently; learners should ensure they are using the latest versions to follow along with the course

Reviews summary

Ux visual design fundamentals & tools

According to learners, this course provides a solid foundation in visual design principles and offers practical, hands-on experience with key tools like Figma and Adobe XD. Students particularly appreciate the structured approach to topics like typography and layout, finding the exercises engaging and helpful for building practical skills. Many highlight the sections on handling feedback and collaborating with developers as highly relevant for real-world UX work. While largely positive, some reviewers mention the pace can feel fast if you are completely new, and that additional practice outside the course might be needed for mastery, especially for advanced tool usage.

Pace may vary, some topics need more depth.

"For someone completely new to design software, the pace in the tool modules felt a bit rushed at times."

"While it covers a lot, I felt some topics could go into more depth, especially the advanced prototyping features."

"It's a great overview, but I'll need to seek out additional resources to really master some of these techniques."

Engaging activities reinforce learning.

"The assignments were well-designed and challenging enough to make sure I understood the material."

"Practicing sketching and wireframing with specific problems was very effective for skill development."

"I enjoyed the 'Before and After' exercises; they really highlighted the impact of design choices."

Covers essential visual design basics.

"The course laid a great foundation in visual design principles. I learned about balance, contrast, and hierarchy..."

"I really appreciated the module on visual design foundations. It helped me understand the 'why' behind design choices."

"Starting with the basics like line, shape, and color was crucial. It built a strong base for the rest of the course."

Applicable skills for professional practice.

"The sections on collaborating with developers and handling feedback were excellent. These are critical skills for a working designer."

"Learning how to effectively present design ideas changed how I approach client meetings."

"The content felt directly applicable to scenarios I encounter in my job as a product designer."

Strong focus on using industry tools.

"Working through the exercises in Figma and Adobe XD was incredibly useful. This is where the concepts became real."

"I found the prototyping modules with Figma particularly helpful. I can now create interactive designs confidently."

"The hands-on demos with Balsamiq, XD, and Figma gave me practical skills I could immediately apply."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in UX: Visual Design Process with these activities:

Review Design Principles

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Reinforce your understanding of fundamental design principles before diving into the course material. A solid grasp of these principles will make learning new tools and techniques easier.

Browse courses on Balance

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Read articles or watch videos explaining each principle.
Find examples of good and bad design that illustrate each principle.
Practice applying these principles in simple design exercises.

Review 'The Design of Everyday Things'

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Gain a deeper understanding of user-centered design principles. This book provides a strong foundation for creating intuitive and effective visual designs.

View The Design Of Everyday Things on Amazon

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Read the book, focusing on the chapters related to usability and affordances.
Take notes on key concepts and examples.
Reflect on how these concepts apply to your own design work.

Design Inspiration Board

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Collect and curate design inspiration to fuel your creativity. This will help you strategically source ideas and create an organized repository for your design projects.

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Explore design inspiration websites like Dribbble, Behance, and Awwwards.
Save examples of designs that you find visually appealing or innovative.
Organize your inspiration into categories based on style, color, or functionality.

Four other activities

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Typography Exercises

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Improve your typography skills through focused exercises. This will help you master typographic hierarchy, responsive design, and variable fonts.

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Choose a few different fonts and experiment with different sizes, weights, and styles.
Create a typographic hierarchy for a sample website or app.
Practice adjusting typography for different screen sizes.

Review 'Refactoring UI'

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Learn practical techniques for improving the visual design of user interfaces. This book provides actionable advice on typography, color, layout, and spacing.

View Melania on Amazon

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Read the book, focusing on the chapters that are most relevant to your design challenges.
Experiment with the techniques described in the book on your own design projects.
Share your results with others and get feedback.

Redesign a Website

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Apply your visual design skills to a real-world project. This will help you solidify your understanding of layout design, typography, and color theory.

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Choose a website that you think could be improved.
Analyze the existing design and identify areas for improvement.
Create wireframes and mockups for your redesigned website.
Present your redesigned website to others for feedback.

Portfolio Presentation

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Showcase your design skills and projects in a professional portfolio. This will help you present your design ideas effectively and gain stakeholder buy-in.

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Select your best design projects to include in your portfolio.
Write a brief description of each project, highlighting your role and contributions.
Design a visually appealing layout for your portfolio.
Practice presenting your portfolio to others.

Career center

Learners who complete UX: Visual Design Process will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Graphic designer

Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers, and this course equips you with essential skills to create compelling, functional designs. Graphic designers benefit from a strong understanding of design elements and principles, which this course provides. The course's exploration of typography, color, and layout design helps graphic designers create visually appealing and effective designs. This course's emphasis on prototyping with Figma and Adobe XD helps aspiring graphic designers translate their ideas into tangible prototypes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Graphic designer

User Experience Designer

A user experience designer ensures products are enjoyable and easy to use, and this course is tailored to building skills in this area. User experience designers benefit from a strong understanding of visual design principles, and this course helps build this foundation. The course uses prototyping with Figma and Adobe XD. Furthermore, the course emphasizes the importance of user feedback. This will help user experience designers iterate on designs and create user-centered products.

See salaries and explore the career path for User Experience Designer

User Interface Designer

A user interface designer focuses on the visual elements users interact with, and this course equips you with the essentials to excel in this role. User interface designers create visually compelling interfaces, and the course builds a foundation through its exploration of visual design elements like balance, contrast, and color. This course helps user interface designers craft designs using prototyping with Figma and Adobe XD. Learning to build structured layouts, apply effective color schemes, and create responsive typography helps UI designers create intuitive and engaging user experiences.

See salaries and explore the career path for User Interface Designer

Mobile App Designer

Mobile app designers specialize in creating user interfaces for mobile applications, and this course's emphasis on visual design principles is highly relevant. Mobile app designers need to understand typography and layout, especially for smaller screens. The course covers typography, layout design, and prototyping, skills essential for designing effective mobile experiences. This course's coverage of prototyping with Figma and Adobe XD is invaluable for visualizing and testing app interfaces.

See salaries and explore the career path for Mobile App Designer

Product Designer

A product designer works on the user experience of a product, and visual design is a key component of this. Product designers use wireframing and prototyping, which are both covered in this course. Learning to create visually compelling designs, handle feedback, and collaborate with developers are all essential aspects of product design, and are all covered in the course. This course's exploration of design principles and prototyping tools provides a solid foundation for aspiring product designers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Designer

Web Designer

Web designers plan and create websites, and this course helps build the visual design skills necessary for this role. Web designers require a keen eye for layout and typography, and this course provides instruction on these fundamentals. The course covers designing layouts, typography, and color, all essential for creating effective and visually appealing websites. Furthermore, the course covers prototyping with Figma and Adobe XD. This will help Web designers translate designs into interactive prototypes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Designer

Interaction Designer

Interaction designers focus on how users interact with a product, and visual design plays a crucial role in guiding those interactions. This course provides hands-on experience with prototyping tools like Figma and Adobe XD, enabling interaction designers to visualize and test different interaction models. The course also focuses on designing layouts and creating mockups. This helps interaction designers to create intuitive and engaging user experiences.

See salaries and explore the career path for Interaction Designer

Visual Designer

Visual designers are responsible for the aesthetic aspects of a product, and this course directly addresses the skills needed for this role. Visual designers require a strong understanding of design elements and principles, which this course provides. The course's exploration of typography, color, and layout design helps visual designers create visually appealing and effective designs. This course's emphasis on prototyping helps aspiring visual designers translate their ideas into tangible prototypes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Visual Designer

Design Consultant

A design consultant advises clients on design strategies, and this course equips you with the foundational knowledge to offer informed recommendations. Design consultants need a solid understanding of visual design principles, wireframing, and prototyping, all covered in this course. This course's emphasis on visual design foundations will help design consultants create effective strategies. The course's instruction on presenting design ideas is invaluable for communicating design recommendations to clients.

See salaries and explore the career path for Design Consultant

Art Director

Art directors are responsible for the overall visual style and image of a project, and this course helps build the foundation for this role. Art directors need a strong understanding of design principles, typography, and layout, all covered in this course. The course also covers feedback handling and prototyping with Figma and Adobe XD. This prepares art directors to guide the visual direction of projects effectively.

See salaries and explore the career path for Art Director

Creative Director

Creative directors lead creative teams and oversee the visual direction of projects, and this course may be helpful to those aspiring to this role. Creative directors need a broad understanding of design principles, including typography, layout, and color. This course's coverage of visual design foundations, wireframing, and prototyping may help creative directors make informed decisions. Furthermore, the course covers collaborative strategies, which a creative director may find useful.

See salaries and explore the career path for Creative Director

Marketing Designer

Marketing designers create visual assets for marketing campaigns, and this course may be useful in developing essential visual design skills. Marketing designers need to understand how to create compelling layouts and effectively use typography and color. The course's exploration of visual design foundations, typography, and layout design may help marketing designers create impactful marketing materials. The course also covers presenting design ideas, which is relevant for showcasing marketing concepts.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Designer

Animator

Animators create moving images, using computer software or by hand, and this course may be helpful in developing skills to create visually compelling designs. Animators benefit from a strong understanding of design elements and principles, which this course provides. The course's exploration of typography, color, and layout design may help animators create visually appealing and effective designs. This course's emphasis on prototyping with Figma and Adobe XD may help animators translate their ideas into tangible prototypes.

See salaries and explore the career path for Animator

Front-End Developer

Front end developers implement visual designs into functional websites or applications, and this course may be useful in improving their understanding of design principles. While primarily focused on code, front end developers benefit from understanding visual design principles and wireframing. This course's coverage of design layouts and prototyping with Figma and Adobe XD may help front end developers better translate designs into code. Furthermore, the course covers collaboration with developers.

See salaries and explore the career path for Front-End Developer

Web Content Manager

A web content manager is responsible for the content that is published on a website, and this course may be useful for understanding how to present content effectively. Web content managers benefit from understanding visual design principles and typography. The course's coverage of design layouts and typography, along with instruction on presenting design ideas, may help content managers create more engaging web experiences. A web content manager typically needs to collaborate with designers and developers on a regular basis.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Content Manager

UX

Visual Design Process

What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Ux visual design fundamentals & tools

Activities

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