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Advanced Usability & Accessibility

GET ADVANCED USABILITY & ACCESSIBILITY SYLLABUS AND LEARN MORE:
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Design for Everyone

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Strengthen your usability and accessibility skills, integrate universal design principles into your work, and become a better advocate for inclusivity in design.

Course Summary

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NEXT COHORT
May 31, 2024
COURSE PACING
4-6 Hours/Week
COURSE DURATION
4 Weeks
PRICE
$699
$599

About this Course

Are you passionate about creating digital experiences that are not only intuitive and beautiful but also accessible and inclusive for everyone?

Do you aim to elevate your design skills to ensure that your work adheres to the highest standards of usability and accessibility?

Advanced Usability and Accessibility is a transformative four-week online course designed to deepen your understanding of universal design principles and how they apply to UX and UI design. Through a blend of self-paced learning and live peer group sessions, you'll engage in practical exercises and projects where you'll evaluate and enhance a website for optimal usability and accessibility. Supported by expert mentors and a community of peers, this course is your step towards becoming a leader in creating designs that are truly for everyone.

HYBRID COURSE
FORMAT

Complete lessons on your own time each week and then meet live weekly in sessions led by our expert mentors.

HANDS-ON PROJECTS
AND EXERCISES

Students will evaluate a digital product of their choice through the lens of the advanced techniques taught each week. This work will ultimately culminate in a short presentation case study.

COHORT DISCUSSIONS
AND CRITQUES

Attend live, mentor-led group sessions to discuss lesson concepts and share feedback on project work.

SELF PACED
LEARNING

Async video and written lessons will teach core concepts, with project work allowing students to apply these concepts in a practical way.

MENTOR
FEEDBACK

Receive personalized written feedback on your project work from your expert mentor.

THE DESIGNLAB HAPPINESS PROMISE

If you’re not a fan of the course and you’ve fully participated, get your money back within 7 days of finishing.
Read more here.

Who It’s For

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FOR experienced builders of digital products

Advanced Usability and Accessibility is designed for mid-career product/UX/UI designers, front-end developers, and product managers. This course is perfect for those looking to deepen their understanding and application of universal design principles, enhancing both usability and accessibility in their work.

Participants should bring a working knowledge of Figma, an understanding of design thinking, usability testing principles, and software development processes, and a desire to advocate for inclusive, user-friendly software solutions. Experience with front-end technologies, while not strictly necessary, will enrich your learning experience.

If you're looking to make a tangible impact on your team and products by incorporating advanced usability and accessibility practices, this course will equip you with the insights, best practices, and frameworks to advocate for your users effectively. Still wondering if this course is a fit? Our admissions team is eager to assist.

Design More Usable and Accessible Digital Products

YOU WILL
LEARN

1
The Fundamentals of Universal Design: How to integrate universal and human-centered design principles to create accessible and inclusive digital experiences.
2
Advanced Usability Practices: Techniques for evaluating and enhancing user interfaces with usability heuristics and best practices for a seamless user experience.
3
Accessibility Assessment and Implementation: Strategies for applying accessibility tools and standards, including WCAG AAA guidelines, to improve content and interface accessibility.
4
Usability and Accessibility Advocacy: How to articulate the value of inclusive design and advocate for usability and accessibility improvements within your organization or team.

Mentor-Led Peer Group Sessions

Your cohort will be matched with an experienced professional designer with a demonstrated expertise usability and accessibility principles. They’ll guide your group’s progress and provide 1:1 feedback on your project work to help make sure your learning experience is an incredible one.

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Course Curriculum

WEEK 1

HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Delve into the essence of human-centered and universal design principles. Through the WHO's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, develop proto-personas that reflect a deep understanding of empathy, usability, and accessibility factors.

WEEK 2

ADVANCED USABILITY HEURISTICS AND BEST PRACTICES

Explore advanced usability methods and UI best practices. Utilize the Heurio Chrome extension for hands-on evaluation of digital products through usability heuristics.

WEEK 3

ADVANCED ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS AND TOOLS

Gain in-depth knowledge of WCAG AAA ratings and best practices for accessibility. Practice with tools like Chrome Lighthouse extensions to achieve data-driven accessibility scores, focusing on improving accessible colors, typography, and web content.

WEEK 4

ADVOCATING FOR USABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY

Learn to strategize and articulate your usability and accessibility findings into actionable recommendations. Create a compelling case study presentation, showcasing a set of recommendations that highlight your advanced skills and provide a ready-to-implement action plan.

In Partnership With

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Chris R. Becker

Advanced Usability and Accessibility was created in conjunction with Chris R. Becker, an accomplished Product Designer (UX), Educator, and Mentor. He is an Associate Professor at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA and the author of Learn Human-Computer Interaction, a testament to his expertise in crafting intuitive digital experiences. A veteran Designlab mentor, Chris has worked one-on-one with dozens of students across various courses, combining theoretical depth with practical application.

Showcase Your Work

Earn a certificate of completion when you complete Advanced Usability and Accessibility with Designlab, and display it proudly on Linkedin, your portfolio website, or any other place you choose.

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Have questions about the course?

Our Students, Alumni, and Mentors Work at Top Companies Around the World

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to know in order to take this course?

This course is for mid-career designers who are looking to improve their skills and influence as they design inclusive and accessible software. Students should be generally aware of universal design and accessibility principles, but may not have had the opportunity to apply them yet.  

To succeed in this course, students should be familiar with the following processes and tools. 

  • Knowledgeable about the UX process, the design thinking process, and software development processes. 
  • Conceptually familiar with the concept of designing for everyone (Universal Design), but doesn’t necessarily get to apply this knowledge in their work.
  • Familiar with usability testing principles.
  • Familiarity working with front-end software engineers and user testing methodologies (HTML/CSS/JS).
  • Experienced with Figma and knowledgeable about how Figma plugins work.

If you’re just starting out in UX/UI design, we suggest taking UX Academy Foundations, a 4-8-week course that teaches the fundamentals of visual and user interface design.

Do I need a paid figma license to take this course?

You’re able to use your own Figma account in the Advanced Usability and Accessibility course. If you don’t already have a Figma account, you’re able to get a free student account when taking the course.

WILL I EARN A CERTIFICATE IN THIS COURSE?

Yes. Students who successfully complete the Advanced Usability and Accessibility course will receive a Certificate of Completion.

WHAT ARE PEER GROUP SESSIONS?

Unique to the advanced courses Designlab offers, Peer Group Sessions are weekly 60-minute meetings where you connect with other students in the course to discuss the course work. These are facilitated by a professional product designer who has expert-level experience in the topic of the course. 

HOW ARE PEER GROUP SESSIONS SCHEDULED?

After you enroll in the course, you’ll be emailed a link to confirm the course details and select your peer group time. You’ll be able to choose from the following peer group times: 

  • Wednesdays at 12pm ET (9am PT)  
  • Wednesdays at 6pm ET (3pm PT)

You’ll meet with your peer group on the same day and at the same time each week of the course.

DO YOU OFFER ANY DISCOUNTS?

We’re offering a special discount of $100 off of $699 for any students who enroll in the first cohort of this course. To receive this discount you need do nothing. It will automatically be applied at checkout.  We also offer a payment plan that allows you to pay half up front and half at the end of the course. To learn more, contact our admissions team.

If you're interested in bundling this course with other advanced courses, you can save $200 for 2 courses, $375 for 3 courses, or $600 for 4 courses. To get started selecting your course bundle, go here.

WHAT IS THE COURSE PACING?

Students should expect to spend 4 - 6 hours per week on coursework including time for self-paced lessons, practice projects, and peer group sessions. The following milestones will exist each week:

  • Monday: New content is released.
  • Wednesday: Participants will meet with their mentor and peer group 
  • 48 hours after meeting with your peer group, you should submit your project work on the platform
  • 48 hours after submitting your project work, you’ll receive feedback on your work from your mentor. 

You can also unlock the next unit early by completing all lessons and project work ahead of the end-of-week deadline.

WHAT IF I CAN'T START THE COURSE ON LAUNCH DAY?

You’ll have some flexibility on when you complete coursework, but you should plan to complete all of the lessons, how-to guides, and exercises in that unit before your peer group session each week. 

CAN I USE MY COMPANY'S LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT BUDGET FOR THIS COURSE?

Absolutely! Many of our students’ tuition is sponsored by their employer. If you have any questions about how to do this when you’re enrolling for the course, please reach out via email to advanced.admissions@designlab.com or set up a call with our admissions team.

Also, to help you with requesting reimbursement, feel free to copy / paste / edit the below email text:

Hi {Manager Name},

I’m writing to you about a course called Advanced Usability and Accessibility that I’d love to enroll in using my learning & development budget. The course is on Designlab, a platform that’s trained thousands of UX / UI / Product Designers who work at companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Google. 

The course will cover:

  • The fundamentals of universal design principles.
  • Developing proto-personas that adhere to a globally recognized framework for understanding functioning and disability (WHO-ICF).
  • Evaluating digital products using heuristics and usability best practices .
  • Integrating advanced accessibility tools into the design process to create more inclusive designs.
  • Applying usability standards to UI components in Figma to enhance prototype designs.
  • Crafting a case study of accessibility and usability recommendations that illustrate the importance of designing for all from a user and business perspective.

The course format was specifically set up with working designers in mind and is a mix of asynchronous lessons, hands-on project work, and weekly peer group sessions facilitated by an expert in usability and accessibility. The course costs $699 USD, and you can check out the course details here.

Thanks,

{Your Name}

WHAT IF I’M PART OF A TEAM THAT WANTS TO TAKE THIS COURSE?

We’re happy to work with a team or company. Feel free to enroll everyone here or book a call with our team for more information.

WHAT IF I DON'T LIKE THE COURSE?

Advanced Usability and Accessibility is backed by The Designlab Happiness Promise. After you've fully participated in the course, if you're not satisfied, you can get your money back. Read more here.