UX Design

UX Design Certificate ? Overview
The UX Design Certificate Program will enable you to gain all the necessary knowledge to design high-impact user experiences and easy-to-navigate websites. During this program, students will learn how to start with user research and move towards an efficient project strategy and develop visually-driven sitemaps. The program is packed with a hands-on learning experience to help students gain confidence and start their own careers in UX designing.
The basis of UX design certificate, and what UX design courses aim to teach students, is that UX design is about the feeling of the user?during?their interaction with?the?website or app. The more personalized and intuitive the experience feels, the better the overall experience is for the user. This is achieved?through the use of?thought?ful and skilled user-centred design focusing on functionality and purpose.?In this course,?students will explore user research analysis, storyboard development, prototyping, usability testing, and responsive web design?principles?to help them understand what it takes to create the best user journey.?Students will also gain practical knowledge and experience of?website?design concepts?by practicing with?industry-standard tools and applications like Sketch, Photoshop, Illustrator and Figma.?Our UX Design Certificate program is full of many learning opportunities,?including instructor coaching sessions, group projects, individual design exercises, student?presentations, and instructor demonstrations.?All students will graduate from this program career-ready with a professional online portfolio full of previous assignments and projects that have been revised and polished based on instructor feedback.??
Topics Covered/Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this certificate program, successful students will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
Describe and demonstrate a working knowledge of all stages of the UX development process
Create a convincing digital prototype based on set goals and user research
Understanding the data collected during the research and make decisions that will reflect user interests
Express structure and flow through information architecture
Apply strategies essential in the UX development process
Effectively use the tools available for UX designers
Develop exciting UX design portfolio
Instructional Methods
Instructional methods will include the following:
Design Exercises
Group projects
Instructor demonstrations
Instructor coaching sessions
Student presentations
Feedback
UX Design Career Options
UX Designer
UX Researcher
UX Specialist
UX Consultant
Visual Designer

Course Descriptions

UX 01: Foundation (40 Hours)
Brief Course Description
This foundation course will introduce students to the concept of planning and the process of designing a user interface and creating an effective user experience. Through this course, students will learn how to research the users? needs and pain points to create a persona for the target user. Moreover, students will learn about industry design trends and standards and the tools used by the tech industry professionals to transform a design idea into a presentable design
Prerequisites
Applicants need a minimum of a high school diploma and must be 19 years or older at the time of starting the course. No course prerequisites.
Learning Objectives*
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
Identify users? needs in web and mobile applications
Research about user problems, target user and create solutions
Understand users? goals, problems, needs and demands
Create a persona for the target user
Develop intuitive user experience while considering navigable layouts
Discuss Human-Centred Design vs User-Centred Design
Apply sketching techniques such as thickness, shading, sizing, depth and buttons
Evaluate and compare effective and non-effective designs
Transform an interface idea into a sketch that presents the user interface for web and mobile application
Use industry standard sketching tools like Sketch and InVision
Present design iterations, receive feedback and make revisions
Method(s) of Evaluation/Assessments*
Students are evaluated through attendance, design exercises, a presentation, class discussions, and a final project.
Completion Requirements*
Students must receive a minimum of 70% overall in order to complete the course successfully. Students are expected to abide by the policies of the college. Students are expected to regularly attend LIVE Online classes, and to have read all assigned chapters in the textbook plus any additional readings prior to live sessions. Individual and group assignments should be completed satisfactorily and on time. There will be no makeup exams or assignments without prior permission.
UX 02: Research and Data Analysis (40 hours)
Brief Course Description
In this course, students will learn how to plan and execute research and data collection required for an industry-standard UI/UX design process. Students will identify user problems and the pain points, identify the potential user of a product, and explain how a product could solve a user?s problem. Moreover, students practice planning product design, conducting user research, preparing questions for user interviews, and developing interview scripts and workflow. Finally, students will collect and analyze the data for the design process.
Prerequisites
Completion of UX 01.
Learning Objectives*
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
Understand users? pain points and challenges
Identify user?s behaviour, motivation and user journey concerning the product
Create a user persona
Plan the stages of user-centric research
Develop data collection instruments such as interview scripts, interview questions and surveys
Prepare proper user invitation for survey and interview
Develop script, storyboard and user flow
Execute user interview and questionnaire according to the plan
Collect and clean up research data after survey and interview
Analyze research data to contribute to the design process
Method(s) of Evaluation/Assessments*
Students are evaluated through attendance, design exercises, a presentation, class discussions, and a final project.
Completion Requirements*
Students must receive a minimum of 70% overall in order to complete the course successfully. Students are expected to abide by the policies of the college.? Students are expected to attend LIVE Online classes, regularly, and to have read all assigned chapters in the textbook plus any additional readings prior to live sessions.? Individual and group assignments should be completed satisfactorily and on time.? There will be no makeup exams or assignments without prior permission.
UX 03: Project Strategy and Information Architecture (30 hours)
Brief Course Description
In this course, students will go through a series of learning practices to best understand the design process and set goals for the user interface and user experience. This course will provide students with the techniques, tools, and practices that align with tech industry standards for creating and developing wireframes for user interfaces and task flows for user experience.
In addition, students will practice with a variety of tools and methods to create low-fidelity and high-fidelity mock-ups and interactive prototypes. Through several class discussions and presentations, students will receive constructive feedback from their peers and instructor to improve their design and produce improved design iterations.
Prerequisites
Completion of UX 02.
Learning Objectives*
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
Understand the design direction of an interactive application
Develop a design strategy for an interactive digital application that fulfills the requirements of a user interface and user experience
Understand the importance of low and high fidelity in mock-ups and wireframes
Design wireframes that represent the skeletal framework of a digital interactive application
Define the design information architecture and hierarchy
Utilize tools and applications such as Sketch, Figma, Balsamique and InVision and design prototypes
Create several design iterations based on user discussion and supervisor feedback
Method(s) of Evaluation/Assessments*
Students are evaluated through attendance, design exercises, a presentation, class discussions, and a final project.
Completion Requirements*
Students must receive a minimum of 70% overall in order to complete the course successfully. Students are expected to abide by the policies of the college.? Students are expected to attend LIVE Online classes, regularly, and to have read all assigned chapters in the textbook plus any additional readings prior to live sessions.? Individual and group assignments should be completed satisfactorily and on time.? There will be no makeup exams or assignments without prior permission.
UX 04: Testing (60 hours)
Brief Course Description
This course will provide students with the foundation and understanding needed to test UI and UX design iterations. User-friendly interface and intuitive user experience result from several design iterations, prototyping, and testing. Through this course, students learn how to design and develop prototypes, present them to users, conduct usability testing, receive feedback, and apply the necessary changes to improve the UI/UX design.
Prerequisites
Completion of UX 03.
Learning Objectives*
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
Understand the importance of user-friendly design
Discuss different stages of prototyping for a digital application
Examine variations of prototyping for interactive applications
Explore functions, abilities and features of various prototyping applications and tools
Design and create prototypes while taking a user-centric design approach
Present prototype to the user
Conduct usability testing with the user and collect data from users? input and feedback
Understand the role of coding for web applications
Apply necessary changes to the HTML, CSS to ensure the interface working properly
Apply necessary changes to the previous design version to improve the initial design and user experience
Method(s) of Evaluation/Assessments*
Students are evaluated through attendance, design exercises, a presentation, class discussions, and a final project.
Completion Requirements*
Students must receive a minimum of 70% overall in order to complete the course successfully. Students are expected to abide by the policies of the college.? Students are expected to attend LIVE Online classes, regularly, and to have read all assigned chapters in the textbook plus any additional readings prior to live sessions.? Individual and group assignments should be completed satisfactorily and on time.? There will be no makeup exams or assignments without prior permission.
UX 05: UI Design (50 hours)
Brief Course Description
This course covers several important aspects for students to understand how to design a proper user interface. Through this course, students will learn about the fundamentals of digital design concepts involved in creating a User Interface, including design patterns, typography, colour theory and colour palettes. Moreover, through class projects and assignments, students will practice and examine design elements and styles, giving them the foundational elements to create a style guide for designing a UI effectively. Students also practice using industry standard tools and applications like Sketch, Photoshop, Illustrator and Figma in this course.
Prerequisites
Completion of UX 04.
Learning Objectives*
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
Incorporate Information Architecture principles to user interface design.
Understand and discuss the principles of usability in interface design and user experience.
Discuss the importance of UI design fundamentals such as screen size, colour, typography, and responsiveness
Identify key design messages
Perform design research approaches needed for creating and design a user-friendly interface
Apply various communication theories including rhetoric, nostalgic and semiotics when creating UI assets
Design responsive and interactive interface prototypes for desktop, web, or mobile application
Design layout, visuals, and optimize assets for a collaborative web or mobile project. Apply necessary changes to the previous design version to improve the initial design and user experience
Method(s) of Evaluation/Assessments*
Students are evaluated through attendance, design exercises, a presentation, class discussions, and a final project.
Completion Requirements*
Students must receive a minimum of 70% overall in order to complete the course successfully. Students are expected to abide by the policies of the college.? Students are expected to attend LIVE Online classes, regularly, and to have read all assigned chapters in the textbook plus any additional readings prior to live sessions.? Individual and group assignments should be completed satisfactorily and on time.? There will be no makeup exams or assignments without prior permission.
UX 06: Responsive Web and App Design (60 hours)
Brief Course Description
In the Responsive Web and App design course, students will learn about responsive Web Design principles. Students will learn and demonstrate an understanding of essential concepts by comparing and contrasting responsive design with other cross-platform and multiple-device design approaches. Moreover, this course will introduce students to testing tools on various platforms that could be targeted and used for testing and validation. Students also develop and practice creating wireframes and prototypes for responsive web interfaces throughout this course, implementing best practices such as using flexible grids, flexible images, motion graphics, and CSS3 media queries. Students will apply the responsive design principles to their site to ensure its functionality on desktop, mobile, and tablet browsers.
Prerequisites
Completion of UX 05.
Learning Objectives*
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
Discuss the benefits of responsive design
Describe different responsive design methodologies and techniques such as liquid layout, media query and grids
Identify the advantages and disadvantages of the Responsive Web and App Design approach
Analyze and assess design challenges in designing responsive layout and assets for mobile and desktop
Design motion graphics and animated assets for web
Create and optimize visual assets, animated graphics using Photoshop and Illustrator
Design wireframes and prototypes for a responsive application and website
Incorporate flexible grids, flexible images, and media queries in developing responsive web pages
Design and develop functioning and responsive websites
Method(s) of Evaluation/Assessments*
Students are evaluated through attendance, design exercises, a presentation, class discussions, and a final project.
Completion Requirements*
Students must receive a minimum of 70% overall in order to complete the course successfully. Students are expected to abide by the policies of the college.? Students are expected to attend LIVE Online classes, regularly, and to have read all assigned chapters in the textbook plus any additional readings prior to live sessions.? Individual and group assignments should be completed satisfactorily and on time.? There will be no makeup exams or assignments without prior permission.
UX 07: Career in UX Design (20 hours)
Brief Course Description
In this course, students will collect their previous works and designs from previous courses and create an industry-ready online portfolio. Throughout this course, the students will review all the assignments and projects they had done before this course. With instructor supervision and guidance, students revise and polish their previous works and prepare them for their final portfolio.
This course will provide students with the knowledge needed to plan and produce an online portfolio that meets the technology industry standards and requirements. Students will also learn the principles of how to effectively conduct a pitch presentation, solve design challenges, and present a digital interactive product to an audience.
Prerequisites
Completion of UX 06.
Learning Objectives*
Upon completion of this course, the successful student will have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
Gather appropriate workpieces for an online portfolio
Plan an online portfolio production
Optimize portfolio assets
Incorporate new media technologies into the production of portfolio components
Provide a project-planning document with a timeline, budget, and defined roles.
Add social media plug-ins to the portfolio project
Create specific categories for the presentation of work in an online portfolio
Create optimized dynamic content by integrating various media types, including images, audio and video, vector graphics, and animation.
Present previous work and portfolio effectively
Method(s) of Evaluation/Assessments*
Students are evaluated through attendance, design exercises, a presentation, class discussions, and a final project.
Completion Requirements*
Students must receive a minimum of 70% overall in order to complete the course successfully. Students are expected to abide by the policies of the college.? Students are expected to attend LIVE Online classes, regularly, and to have read all assigned chapters in the textbook plus any additional readings before live sessions.? Individual and group assignments should be completed satisfactorily and on time.? There will be no makeup exams or assignments without prior permission.
Admission Requirements

General Admission Requirements for Domestic Students
Are you a domestic student?
You must prove the following:
You have successfully completed a B.C. Secondary School diploma or the equivalent of one
You are at least 19 years old before the first day of your program
English Language Proficiency Requirements for Domestic Students
Are you a domestic student?
You must show your language proficiency in ONE of the following ways:
You achieved a C+ (67%) or higher in BC English Studies 12, English First Peoples 12 or Literary Studies 12 or an equivalent course in Canada
You have completed two or more years in a row of full-time post-secondary education in English in one of the approved countries listed below OR you have completed three or more years in a row of full-time secondary school education in English in one of the approved countries listed below
You achieved a minimum score on one of the approved tests listed below
Approved Countries
American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malta, Mauritius, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierre Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St Helena, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, US Virgin Islands, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Approved English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores
Cambridge English Advanced (CAE): minimum score of 58 or C
The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): minimum score of 55
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): General 6
Duolingo: minimum score of 110 (temporary due to COVID)
International English Language Testing (IELTS): academic level with a minimum overall score of 6.0
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-based test: academic level with a minimum score of 79-80 and a minimum of 19-20 on each band
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) paper-based test: minimum score of 550 and a minimum of 23 each for reading, writing, and listening
General Admission Requirements for International Students
Are you a domestic student?
You must prove the following:
You have successfully completed a B.C. Secondary School diploma or the equivalent of one
You are at least 19 years old before the first day of your program
English Language Proficiency Requirements for Domestic Students
Are you an international student?
You must show your language proficiency in ONE of the following ways:
You achieved a C+ (67%) or higher in BC English Studies 12, English First Peoples 12 or Literary Studies 12 or an equivalent course in Canada
You have completed two or more years in a row of full-time post-secondary education in English in one of the approved countries listed below OR you have completed three or more years in a row of full-time secondary school education in English in one of the approved countries listed below
You achieved a minimum score on one of the approved tests listed below
Approved Countries
American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malta, Mauritius, Montserrat, New Zealand, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierre Leone, Singapore, South Africa, St Helena, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States of America, US Virgin Islands, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Approved English Language Proficiency Tests and Scores
Cambridge English Advanced (CAE): minimum score of 58 or C
The Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): minimum score of 55
Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP): General 6
Duolingo: minimum score of 110 (temporary due to COVID)
International English Language Testing (IELTS): academic level with a minimum overall score of 6.0
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) internet-based test: academic level with a minimum score of 79-80 and a minimum of 19-20 on each band
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) paper-based test: minimum score of 550 and a minimum of 23 each for reading, writing, and listening
General Admission Requirements for Mature Students
Do you identify as a mature student?
To qualify, you must meet the following requirements:
You are at least 19 years of age
You have not completed a B.C. Secondary School diploma or the equivalent of one
Application Requirements
Mature Students are accepted at the discretion of the Registrar, who may require you to submit the following:
At least one letter of reference from a person who is not related to you
A statement of intent clearly outlining your career goals and your reasons for believing you will succeed in the program
A personal profile of 250 words or less
Additional Requirements
You must meet all of the program-specific and non-academic requirements where listed. In some cases, you may need to complete a placement exam to determine academic readiness.
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Dates
Live Online
Full Time:
November 07, 2022 ? March 03, 2023
Webinars are held Monday to Friday from 5:00 to 9:00 pm PST
Students must devote at least 20 hours per week to attending webinars, seminars, and laboratories online
Seminars and laboratory times are decided at the start of the cohort
In-Class
Full Time:
Coming in Fall 2022
Classes are held Monday to Friday from 5:00 to 9:00 pm PST
Students must devote at least 20 hours per week to attending classes, seminars, and laboratories in-person
Seminars and laboratory times are decided at the start of the cohort
Fees
Tuition fees for this program are due and payable 2 weeks prior to the cohort start date. Students with guaranteed funding arrangements will be exempt from this requirement provided they produce proof of funding before the cohort start date.
Application and tuition fees for this program are as follows:
Application fee: $40 (Domestic Students) or $140 (International Students)
Tuition fee (Domestic): $5,400
Tuition fee (International): $6,750
Note: Tuition fees do not include the cost of the required textbooks. The approximate textbook fee is $350.
Technical Requirements
Live Online Students
Ashton College uses web conferencing tools for conducting online classes and online learning management systems for managing resources, assignments, and grades. These tools help instructors and students connect live online as well as asynchronously. The basic requirements for online learning include a computer, webcam, speakers, and a microphone or a headset and headphones, along with a reliable internet connection. Though online learning can be pursued using smartphones and tablets, the use of laptops or desktop computers is encouraged for an enhanced learning experience.
During this program, students will be using Figma and Creative Cloud Apps Package?(which includes Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop).?Students are responsible for purchasing these online materials.
The minimum desktop or laptop specifications required for this program are 2GB-RAM and a 1.6 GHz 64-bit processor. Both Windows and Mac operating systems can support the software used throughout this program.
This program was reviewed and approved by the Registrar of the Private Training Institutions Branch of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training.