UX Research & Design

User Research & Synthesis

Required. User research synthesis is the genuine prerequisite for all design work on this path — a prototype without documented research findings cannot be defended at postgraduate depth. Proof requires: a research plan specifying methods and participant criteria, primary research data (interviews, surveys, or observations) from a minimum of 5 participants, and an affinity diagram or equivalent synthesis artefact identifying actionable insights. Qualified UX researcher (minimum 3 years industry experience) review required. Genuine prerequisite for prototyping (seq 20).

3 milestones

1. 1Plan and execute user research for defined product problem
2. 2Analyse data and produce synthesis artefact with insight statements
3. 3Present research synthesis for methodology challenge

Interaction Design Prototype

Required. Interaction design prototype — a medium-to-high-fidelity interactive prototype in Figma (free), Adobe XD, or equivalent, with a documented interaction model (user flows, state transitions, error states). Every major design decision must trace to a research insight from seq 10. Qualified UX designer (minimum 3 years industry experience) review required. Genuine dependency on design-user-research-synthesis (seq 10).

3 milestones

1. 1Define interaction problem and produce design brief
2. 2Produce interactive prototype through minimum two documented iterations
3. 3Test prototype with real users and produce design recommendations

Usability Evaluation

Elective. Moderated usability evaluation of the prototype with a minimum of 5 participants — think-aloud protocol, task completion measurement, and SUS (System Usability Scale) scoring. A findings report documenting observed issues, severity ratings, and prioritised redesign recommendations is the proof artifact. Qualified UX researcher or usability evaluator review required.

3 milestones

1. 1Conduct heuristic evaluation and document minimum fifteen issues
2. 2Run user testing sessions and compare to heuristic findings
3. 3Present evaluation findings for methodology critique

UX Design Case Study

Elective. Published UX case study documenting the complete design process — research findings, design decisions, prototype iterations, and evaluation results — written for a professional audience. The case study must explain why each major decision was made, not just what was done. Qualified UX professional review required. The primary portfolio proof in UX hiring.

3 milestones

1. 1Complete end-to-end UX project across all five phases
2. 2Write UX case study documenting process and design decisions
3. 3Present case study for critique and revise with documented changes

Ship a Design System in Production

Elective. Ship a component library and design system — extending the prototype into a documented, reusable design system with component specifications, usage guidelines, and a handoff artefact ready for engineering. This richMilestones outcome is the advanced capstone for the path, bridging UX design and front-end engineering. Figma Community has free design system templates as starting references.

3 milestones

1. 1Audit Existing UI and Produce Design System Architecture Document
2. 2Build Token Layer and Three Accessible Production-Ready Components
3. 3Ship to Consumers, Complete Documentation, and Defend Architecture