Modern UX apprenticeship · 2026

Think like a designer. Ship like a builder.

A hands-on path through research, flows, interface decisions, accessibility, design systems, product data, AI-native UX, prototyping, testing, and portfolio storytelling. Figma is a tool. Your judgment is the skill.

TODAY

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day learning streak

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1.1 UX is behavior, not decoration

Learn the difference between an interface and an experience.

The 2026 mindset:

AI can generate screens quickly. That makes problem framing, judgment, evidence, edge cases, accessibility, and validation more valuable—not less.

What you’re actually training

Not “how to make screens.” The transferable skills underneath modern UX work.

UNDERSTAND

Find the real problem

Research behavior, surface friction, separate evidence from assumptions, and frame the right problem.

DESIGN

Make decisions

Turn needs into flows, states, hierarchy, content, components, and interaction patterns—with rationale.

VALIDATE

Prove what works

Prototype, test, read behavior and product data, learn, and iterate instead of defending your first idea.

Your progress

The goal is evidence of skill, not course completion theater.

LESSONS

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Short concepts + immediate application.

MISSIONS

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Real practice artifacts you can keep.

PORTFOLIO

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Your first case study, built as you learn.

Badges

Small proof that you’ve practiced a behavior, not just read about it.

Skill Path

From instinct → professional UX judgment

10 tracks · 40 lessons · learn them in order or jump where you need.

Practice Lab

Do UX, don’t just read UX

Short, concrete missions that build the muscles employers actually care about.

20-minute design sprint

Find one frustrating website and make one thing clearer.

Observe → name the friction → propose one change → explain why.

5m Observe5m Frame7m Design3m Explain

20:00

Mission board

Save your answers locally. Finish the mission when you have something concrete.

Critique arena

Practice seeing problems before reaching for solutions.

Your account may require changes to maintain optimal service availability. Review the options below and select a suitable action before proceeding.

What’s the biggest UX problem?

Choose the strongest first diagnosis—not every possible flaw.

AI Lab

Use AI without outsourcing your thinking

Learn two different skills: designing with AI and designing AI experiences.

TOOLAI for divergenceGenerate alternatives, edge cases, test data, critique angles, or prototype variants.

MATERIALAI in the productDesign uncertainty, trust, confirmation, recovery, citations, permissions, and user control.

JUDGMENTHuman evaluationCheck whether generated output is useful, truthful, inclusive, understandable, and safe enough for context.

Prompt composer

Turn “make me a screen” into a UX-quality brief

Fill this in, then use the generated prompt in an AI prototyping tool.

User + situation

Goal

Constraints / edge cases

AI prototype review

Before you call it “done”

A plausible screen is not the same thing as a valid experience.

Goal: Can the intended user complete the core task? States: Did you cover loading, empty, error, success, and permission states? Reality: Does it use realistic content, data, constraints, and business rules? Accessibility: Is it keyboard-usable, readable, labeled, and not dependent on color alone? Trust: If AI is involved, does the user know what it did, what it knows, and how to correct it? Evidence: What would you test or measure before shipping?

AI UX pattern: confidence without pretending certainty

For generative or predictive experiences, avoid designing the system as an all-knowing oracle. Give users context, editable outputs, clear provenance when relevant, recovery paths, and a way to say “this is wrong.”

Designer language: “The model’s output is a suggestion. I’m designing the interaction around appropriate trust, user control, and recovery.”

Portfolio Builder

Build evidence, not pretty case-study theater

A credible case study shows what you noticed, why you chose, what changed, and what you learned.

01ProblemWho is struggling, with what, and why it matters.

02EvidenceResearch, observations, data, constraints, assumptions.

03DecisionsFlows, alternatives, tradeoffs, accessibility, edge cases.

04OutcomeTest result, metric, learning, next iteration—not fake impact.

Project title

The problem

Evidence

Your decisions

Validation / outcome

Your role

Resources

Use tools to support thinking—not replace it

A compact shelf for when a lesson needs deeper reference.

A11y

WCAG 2.2Accessibility principles and testable success criteria.

Open ↗

F

Figma MakeAI-assisted functional prototyping and design-to-code workflows.

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NN

Nielsen Norman GroupUsability, research, interaction design, and UX evidence.

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MD

Material DesignA concrete design-system reference for components, states, and adaptive layouts.

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APG

ARIA Authoring Practices GuideAccessible interaction patterns for common widgets.

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UX glossary

Words you should understand well enough to explain without jargon.