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User Experience Design Essentials

Certificate of Achievement Program Map
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The pathway below represents an efficient and effective course taking sequence for this program.  Individual circumstances might require some changes to this pathway.  It is always recommended that you meet with an academic counselor to develop a personalized educational plan.

The courses have been intentionally placed and should be prioritized in the order in which they appear.  If you are unable to take all the courses in a semester, you should prioritize enrolling in the courses in the order below.  Some courses have been noted as “Appropriate for Intersession” IN. Should you need (or want) to take classes in the summer and/or winter intersessions, the program recommends these courses as appropriate for the condensed schedule of the intersessions.

Some pathways combine a “Certificate of Achievement” and an “Associate Degree”.  If you are pursuing only the Certificate of Achievement, you are only required to take the courses marked “Program Requirement” ★.

All pathways include at least one “Gateway Course” ! which introduces you to the program and/or field of study and helps you decide if you want to continue with this Academic and Career Path.

Most Associate degrees (though not Associate Degrees for Transfer) require satisfying the SMC Global Citizenship requirement.  If the Program Requirements do not include a “Global Citizenship course”, be sure to select a General Education course that also satisfies Global Citizenship.


User Experience (UX) Design prioritizes the needs and wants of the user. The UX designer's goal is to create useful, meaningful, and ethical/sustainable interactions with a product, service, or design. This certificate of achievement will provide an overview of the design process and tools used within the UX field with a specific focus on mobile or web-based solutions. Students will collaborate to research, critique, and design a real-world project or projects to present to stakeholders. Project outcomes may also be equally diverse with projects ranging from interactive campaigns to speculative prototypes.


Upon completion of the program, students will:
  1. Upon completion of the program, students will demonstrate knowledge of principles, methods and tools of User Experience design and the ability to effectively incorporate them in their design work.

Icon Key

! = Gateway Course ★ = Program Requirement GE = General Education IN = Intersession Option O = Available Online

Semester 1

6 units
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DESIGN 13
Digital Design Tools

3 units
★ O
This course provides an overview of digital applications used in the field of Graphic Design for the purposes of image manipulation, vector graphics, and publication design. Also covered: Operation Systems, file management, and computer navigation basics.
Course Details:
  • Transfers to CSU

    • DESIGN 23
    User Experience Design 1

    3 units
    ★ O
    User Experience (UX) Design prioritizes the needs and wants of the user. The goal: create useful, meaningful, and ethical/sustainable interactions with a product, service or design. This introductory course will provide an overview of the design process and tools used within the UX field with a specific focus on mobile or web-based solutions. Students will collaborate to research, critique, and design a real-world project or projects to present to stakeholders.
    Course Details:
  • Transfers to CSU

    • Semester 2

    6 units
    |

    DESIGN 33
    User Experience Design 2

    3 units
    ★ O
    User Experience (UX) 2 builds on the knowledge acquired in UX 1. If projects in UX 1 focus primarily on mobile and web-based solutions, UX 2 embraces a more holistic view of the user experience. This may include looking at other interfaces (voice activation, wearables, etc.) and design types (service, interventions)—and even those we have not yet considered. Project outcomes may also be equally diverse with projects ranging from interactive campaigns to speculative prototypes. Students will collaborate to research, critique, and design real-world, theme-based project(s) to a group of a stakeholders.
    Course Details:
    1. Advisory: DESIGN 23
  • Transfers to CSU

    • DESIGN 25
    Mobile Design 1

    3 units
    ★ O
    This design course focuses on designing mobile touchscreen interfaces, including smartphones and tablets. Mobile design requires the skill of designing for smaller, hand-held devices and has its own set of characteristics and constraints. Students will conceptualize, design, and implement low-fidelity design prototypes of apps for mobile devices. Projects will cover best practices for mobile device design and the basics of mobile app prototyping, including design process, interface design, and interaction design patterns. NOTE: This course is not a mobile app development or programming course. For such courses, please see the Computer Science course offerings.
    Course Details:
    1. Advisory: DESIGN 13
  • Transfers to CSU