Course Overview
An introduction to UI/UX design through FigJam and Figma. Students learn that apps are designed around real user needs, then turn a school, home, or community problem into a clear app idea, persona, screen flow, and clickable prototype presented to an audience.
UI/UX design is how today's apps and digital services are planned, and the skills involved — understanding users, organising ideas, communicating visually, and improving work through feedback — carry into secondary-school computing, design, and project work.
For schools, the course offers a structured, classroom-ready pathway into design thinking, digital prototyping, and communication. Students progress in clear stages from idea canvas to wireframes, Figma screens, peer testing, and presentation. Finished prototypes and slides can be used in school showcases and competitions. No design or coding experience is needed.
Lesson Outcomes
Identify real-world user needs and translate them into suitable app ideas.
Create simple problem statements, personas, user flows, and low-fidelity wireframes.
Use FigJam to organise ideas, screen sequences, and user actions.
Design app screens in Figma using frames, shapes, text, images, icons, and buttons.
Apply basic UI/UX principles including alignment, spacing, hierarchy, and consistency.
Build and test a clickable prototype, and present design decisions to an audience.
Details
Project
Each student creates and presents a clickable app prototype for a real user need, with slides suitable for school showcases and competitions.
Requirements
Computer: A laptop, desktop, Chromebook, or school PLD running Windows 8.1+, macOS 11+, or a recent ChromeOS or Linux — 64-bit, with WebGL enabled and a stable internet connection. 8 GB RAM recommended. iPads are not suitable for screen design.
Software: Figma Design and FigJam on the free Figma Education plan, in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari. Nothing to install; our trainer sets up student accounts with the school in the first lesson. School IT should allow access to figma.com. No AI tools are used.
Hardware: None required.