UI/UX Design (Figma)

By the end, you can research a user problem, design and prototype a mobile app screen flow in Figma, test it with real people and present a case study.

Job-ready skillAbout 120 hours3 stagesFree

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UX design is about making products easy to use; UI design is how they look. Designers research users, sketch, prototype in Figma and test with real people. Agencies, banks and app companies in South Africa hire junior designers with strong portfolios.

Turn on JavaScript to track your progress. The lessons are:FoundationsLearn design basics: layout, typography, colour, accessibility and user needs.Task: Pick an app you use every day. Screenshot three screens and write what works, what confuses you and how you would fix it.Core skillsDesign in Figma: frames, components, auto layout and clickable prototypes.Task: Design a five-screen mobile app in Figma (for example booking a taxi seat or a clinic queue app), with reusable components and a clickable prototype.Applied practiceTest with users and write a case study.Task: Test your prototype with five people. Note where they got stuck, improve the design, and write a one-page case study: problem, research, design, test, result.

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What competent looks like

Interviews users and turns findings into design decisions
Builds clean, consistent screens with components
Designs for accessibility (contrast, text size)
Prototypes and tests with real users
Presents work as a clear case study

The South African route

No licence needed. A portfolio of two or three case studies matters most. The Google UX Design Certificate (Coursera, financial aid available) is well known.

Free resources

Figma learn and tutorials
Figma
UX design courses (audit free)
Interaction Design Foundation literature

These links go to free courses and sites run by other organisations. We chose them in October 2026 but do not run them, so check costs, dates and entry requirements on their site. Broken link? Tell us.

Jobs it can lead to

Junior UI/UX designer
Product design intern
Web designer
Design assistant