Skillnaija All courses →

UI/UX Design: Research, Figma and Apps People Can Actually Use

Design apps for real Nigerian users, step by step: interviews, personas, user flows, wireframes, Figma with components and auto layout, accessible data-light screens, prototypes, usability tests and a portfolio case study.

Start learning free More Design courses

Free account required to open the lessons. No card, no fees.

About this course

A hands-on UI/UX course built around one real-feeling project: designing an ordering app for a Lagos food distributor, from the first user interview to a tested prototype. You will learn how design work actually flows, run interviews that tell you the truth, turn notes into personas and problem statements, map user flows, sketch and wireframe, and then build properly in Figma with frames, auto layout, components, variants and a small design system. You will learn visual design that works (type, colour, spacing, hierarchy), accessibility and designing for Nigerian realities such as low-cost Android phones, costly data and patchy networks, clickable prototypes and a clean handoff to developers, and usability testing that finds real problems. The last lesson turns your work into a portfolio case study and shows you how to find your first clients or role. Lessons include animated explainer videos, short silent clips and side-by-side interface examples of what goes wrong and how to fix it. Videos play only when you tap them, so no data is used until you choose. Figma has a free plan; check its current limits on figma.com. Free, like every Skillnaija course.

Temi Balogun spent two years in a bank's customer-service team in Lagos, listening to the same complaints every day: "I sent the money but the app says failed." "I can't find where to download my statement." One evening in Yaba she meets Ngozi Eze, a product designer, and says, "I want to fix those problems for a living. I'll learn to make beautiful screens." Ngozi smiles. "Beautiful screens are the last ten per cent. Your customers were not complaining about colours. They were complaining that they could not finish what they came to do." The next morning Ngozi forwards her a message from Mrs Okonkwo, owner of Mama Ngozi Foods: "My customers order on WhatsApp and phone, and orders are getting lost. Can you design us a simple app?" Temi's first real project has begun.

What you'll learn

Course syllabus — 12 lessons

  1. What UI and UX really are, and how design work flows16 min
  2. User research: interviews that tell you the truth17 min
  3. Making sense of research: affinity maps, personas and problem statements17 min
  4. Information architecture and user flows17 min
  5. Sketching and wireframing17 min
  6. Figma fundamentals I: frames, layers, text and auto layout17 min
  7. Figma fundamentals II: components, variants and a small design system18 min
  8. Visual design: type, colour, spacing and hierarchy18 min
  9. Accessible, data-light design for Nigerian users17 min
  10. Prototyping and handing off to developers17 min
  11. Usability testing and iteration17 min
  12. Portfolio, case studies and getting work18 min

Your project

Your UX Case Study

One shared link (a Google Doc or a Figma file with view access) that contains or links to every part, including the Figma prototype link. Do not include research participants' full names or recordings.

Certificates on Skillnaija are earned, not issued for attendance: you submit this project, it is graded against a rubric, and passing issues a certificate anyone can verify. See the full project brief, rubric and free workbook →

Frequently asked questions

Is UI/UX Design: Research, Figma and Apps People Can Actually Use free?

Yes. UI/UX Design: Research, Figma and Apps People Can Actually Use is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does UI/UX Design: Research, Figma and Apps People Can Actually Use take to complete?

8 weeks · ~5 hrs/week. There are 12 lessons, about 3 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start UI/UX Design: Research, Figma and Apps People Can Actually Use?

No prior design experience needed. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.

What will I learn in UI/UX Design: Research, Figma and Apps People Can Actually Use?

You will build practical skills in User interviews and research planning, Affinity mapping, personas and problem statements, Information architecture and user flows, Sketching and wireframing, Figma: frames, auto layout and constraints, Figma: components, variants and styles, Visual design: type, colour, spacing and hierarchy, Accessible, data-light design for Nigerian users, Prototyping and developer handoff, Usability testing and iteration, Portfolio case studies. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for UI/UX Design: Research, Figma and Apps People Can Actually Use?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Your UX Case Study and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

Related Design courses

Ready to start UI/UX Design: Research, Figma and Apps People Can Actually Use?

It's free, it's self-paced, and it ends with something you can show an employer.

Start learning free