Companies of all types and sizes rely on user experience designers to help make their technology easier and more enjoyable to use. The demand for user experience designers is so high that a lot of companies can't fill their job openings. Luckily, there are lots of people like you who are excited to enter the field of user experience design, also known as UX design. Here's the good news. UX designers come from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences. Lots of UX jobs don't require a specific work history or a college degree. In fact, some UX professionals have taught themselves the skills needed to land their first job. That's where this program comes in. Through these courses, you'll gain the foundational skills, hands-on experience, and confidence you'll need to become a UX designer. This program is for anyone who wants to find a job in UX design. When you complete this program, you'll have the opportunity to share your information with top employers like Google that are interested in hiring entry-level UX designers. So, welcome to Google's certificate in user experience design. We're so excited you're here. This program is split into seven courses, with each course concentrating on a different part of UX design, from explaining the basics of UX design to designing your first prototype. Be sure to take the courses in order, so you can build on your knowledge and skills as you go with every new assignment. Each of the seven courses is broken down into weeks, and each week includes: videos, readings, hands-on activities, discussion prompts, and quizzes. Whether or not you complete the material in a week is up to you. You have the flexibility to go at your own pace. Throughout this program, you'll learn how to conduct research, draw a wireframe, and create your own designs using tools like Figma... and Adobe XD. You'll also complete three unique projects to demonstrate what you've learned and to earn your completion certificate. When you're finished, you'll have a portfolio of work, a polished resume, and interview skills to support you as you apply for jobs as a UX designer. Whether you've been experimenting in UX design for years, or you're completely new to the field, you can complete this program. Everything is entirely self-paced, which means you decide how much you want to do each week. Along the way, you'll learn from other Google employees, or Googlers, each with their own unique perspectives and backgrounds. We'll share how we became UX designers, give professional tips, and provide you with a glimpse into our day-to-day work. Keep in mind, depending on where you work, your UX role might be general or specialized. Your responsibilities could vary widely from role to role, and so could the members of your team. We'll cover all that in more depth as we go. Because Googlers created this program, you'll learn the most practical information needed to launch your own UX design career. So let's meet your instructors. My name is Michael, and I'm an interaction designer in the privacy and data protection office at Google. I'll be your instructor for this course, where we'll cover the most fundamental principles of user experience design. I'm super excited to guide you through the first part of the program. Now, I'll let the rest of the instructors introduce themselves. Hi, I'm Emily. I'm a senior UX researcher for Google Assistant. I'll be your instructor for User Research: Empathize, Define, and Ideate, which is about understanding your user and the design problem you're trying to solve. My name is Karen, and I'm thrilled to lead you in this next part of your UX design journey. I'm an interaction designer on the Material Design Team at Google. We'll soon be creating storyboards, wireframes, and low-fidelity prototypes. I'm Jason, the head of Equity Engineering at Google. I'm your instructor for Course 4, where we'll use your newly acquired research knowledge to conduct studies and test those early ideas. Hi, I'm Kunal, a UX designer for the Material Design team. I'll be the instructor for Course 5, where we'll cover how to create mockups and high-fidelity prototypes in Figma, a digital design program. I'm Dave, and I'm a UX manager on Google Maps. I'll introduce you to Adobe XD, which is a design tool you'll use to create the second project for your portfolio. I'll be there to guide you through each step as you design a responsive website. Hey, I'm Paolo, and I'm the director of UX for YouTube Ads. I'll be your instructor for Course 7, where you'll create a third portfolio project and build a portfolio that's ready for the job market. And I'm Shabi, an interaction designer for the central accessibility organization. I'll be stopping by throughout the program to show you how accessible and inclusive design should be included in every step of the design process. So you've met your instructors and heard a bit more about what you'll learn in this program. Coming up, we'll explore the field of user experience in more depth, so you can decide if you want to pursue a career as a UX designer. Are you excited? Let's get started.
