Google UX Design: Review
7 Course Certificates Completed after 7 months and spent $0!
Before taking the course, I was determined to invest extra time and enroll in online courses with the goal of improving my current skills in UI/UX Design. I believe that in this field, one should always be learning, as design trends change yearly or even faster than one might expect.
Course Certificates Completed Overview
✓ Design a User Experience for Social Good & Prepare for Jobs
✓ Build Wireframes and Low-Fidelity Prototypes
✓ Start the UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate
✓ Build Dynamic User Interfaces (UI) for Websites
✓ Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts
✓ Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design
✓ Create High-Fidelity Designs and Prototypes in Figma
The Google UX Design Professional Certificate comprises 7 courses.
At the End of the Program
When you finish the program, you’ll have created three case studies and a portfolio website. I had never made a case study before, but in this program, you’ll make not just one, but three!
Support and Resources
This program provides templates for case studies, user personas, and more. You don’t have to create them from scratch. They also offer many examples to guide you.
Case Studies and What They Include
Before you create a case study, you’ll have tasks like making sitemaps, going from paper wireframes to digital, and creating low and high-fidelity mockups using tools like Figma or Adobe XD. There will also be moments when you analyze insights from your user personas. All your tasks end up in your case study document.
My Favorite Part of Case Studies
I love finalizing case studies. It’s satisfying to compile all the tasks and share the finished work.
My Favorite Part of the Program
My favorite part of the whole program is the hands-on experience, like creating paper wireframes, digital wireframes, and mockups. When you add these to your case study, you can see how much progress you’ve made.
Flexible and Independent Learning
I appreciate being able to learn independently. I’m more productive this way, but group learning also has its benefits. You not only learn from the material but also gain different perspectives and ideas from others.
Time Commitment
This program is flexible, and you can finish tasks at any time, except for the Sunday 11:59 PM deadlines. I used to procrastinate, but I always managed to meet my assignment deadlines.
Assignments and Assessments
Some weekly assignments don’t have set deadlines. They involve peer assessments, where you and your fellow learners grade each other.
Feedback and Grading
Most assignments are quizzes, and they follow the covered topics. Don’t worry, you’ll learn along the way. The quizzes are mostly multiple-choice, and discussion prompts ask for your thoughts, with no right or wrong answers.
Interaction and Engagement
You can interact with other learners by reading and responding to their discussion prompt answers. They can also comment on your peer-to-peer assignments. One of my favorite comments was:
“One of the best I’ve seen,” referring to my portfolio website.
Difficulty and Level
This program is great for beginners looking to build a solid foundation in UX design. Even with my previous experience in UI and UX design, I found it valuable for solidifying my knowledge.
Personal Experience
The course reinforced my knowledge of the basics, such as the design process, creating user personas, conducting competitive audits, and usability studies. I also learned how to bring ideas to life and work with a development team. This program filled the gaps in my knowledge and made me a better designer.
Recommendations
I encourage fellow designers to take this certificate course for career growth. For beginners entering the UX industry, the materials provided are sufficient for understanding UX and gaining hands-on experience, which is the best way to learn and start your career in UX.
Here’s one of the highlights of this program,
How I Completed the Course for Free
I got financial aid from Coursera. So far, I’ve taken all seven courses in the Google UX Design Professional Certificate without spending a dime, and here’s how:
When enrolling in a course, you’ll notice a ‘Financial Aid’ link next to the Enroll button. Fill in the necessary information and be honest. Wait for the Financial Aid application result; the result date they provide is when they’ll email you about your application, and it usually takes about 10 days. Explain why you require financial aid and how the course will contribute to your personal and career growth. Repeat this process for each course. Thanks to this financial assistance, I’ve gained valuable knowledge.
