This course is about pushing your design skills to the next level so you’re ready for the demands of real industry work. You’ll take on projects that simulate professional design challenges — from responsive websites to native mobile apps — and learn how to deliver work that’s not just beautiful, but usable, buildable, and ready for development.
Confidence in designing both responsive web and native mobile experiences
Hands-on experience with grids, spacing systems, color, typography, reusable components, and file organization that developers can actually use
Practice refining states, edge cases, and microinteractions that make products feel polished
Tools and workflows that mirror professional design teams
Feedback and critique that will make your design decisions stronger and more defensible
Experience using our UX Design Thinking Toolkit to identify your strengths and spot opportunities to grow
Students who want to graduate with portfolio pieces that are industry-ready
Anyone looking to strengthen Figma skills and design process for both solo and team projects
Designers who want to feel confident working with developers and product teams
Lecture: Learn advanced design concepts and see how they apply to real-world problems
Lab: Guided practice in Figma to apply techniques directly to your projects
Projects: Instead of exams, you’ll deliver two substantial projects — one individual and one team-based
Midterm (individual): Responsive website with both web and mobile views, plus a polished design file ready for handoff
Final (team): Native mobile app (iOS or Android) taken from initial concept to final prototype, presented as a professional case study
Figma (education account + desktop app recommended)
Canvas for materials and submissions
Google Drive for shared assets
UserTesting.com for quicky user research and feedback
Our UX Design Thinking Toolkit will help you identify UX methodologies you are already strong at and spot opportunities where you would benefit from more experience
Focuses on both execution and readiness for professional environments
Gives you the skills to design for multiple devices and contexts
Emphasizes the kinds of polish and detail that separate student work from professional portfolios
Taught by an instructor with deep industry and teaching experience, committed to helping you succeed
Format: Weekly lecture + lab (4 credits)
Location: Central Campus (specific classroom changes each semester; check the current term’s schedule)
Prerequisites: Prior design experience recommended (e.g., SI 207/307 and SI 388)
Thinking about enrolling? This course is designed to build your confidence, sharpen your skills, and leave you with portfolio pieces you can be proud of. If you want to walk into interviews ready to talk about UX process, collaboration with agile developers, responsive and mobile design like a pro, SI 407 will help get you there.