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Master Digital Product Design: UX Research & UI Design (Udemy.com)

A complete design education for product designers: Research the user experience, then design a great user interface

Created by: Rob Sutcliffe

Last updated November 2021

Our take

Based on the ratings of 13,608 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in November 2021. No course pays to be reviewed.

Rob Sutcliffe built this as a slow-track course in design thinking, not a tool tutorial. The syllabus runs through design history, critical thinking, creativity, perception, usability, minimalism and balance, with exercise sections between the theory and a Figma block of 19 lectures. It is about 15.5 hours across 168 lectures, and Sutcliffe himself says to spread it over several months. The audience list is wide: junior designers, product managers, engineers and entrepreneurs.

Reviewers mostly like the big-picture view. One calls it thought-provoking and says it questions habits the industry treats as standard. One working designer says the exercise methods improved client work, and a senior visual designer says it refreshed basics they had forgotten. The complaints are consistent too. Low-star reviewers say it is mostly theory, with little real-world application and not enough hands-on Figma practice. One reviewer with an architecture background found the theory a drag. Another felt it spent more time criticizing other people's work than teaching how to do better.

The last update was November 2021, so check the Figma section against the current tool. Of about 13,600 ratings, roughly 7,750 are five stars and only about 290 are one or two stars. It suits someone who wants the why behind design, before or alongside a hands-on UI course. If the goal is a portfolio piece or Figma fluency, pair it with something more practical.

Best forJunior designers, product managers and developers who want the thinking behind design before the tools.
Skip it ifYou want a Figma-heavy course where you build a real product from start to finish.

Pros

  • Covers design history, critical thinking and perception, topics the instructor says most curricula miss
  • Exercise sections sit between theory blocks; one reviewer says the methods improved client work
  • Broad enough to help designers, product managers and developers alike
  • Figma section gives beginners a gentle tour of the interface and basic tools

Cons

  • Mostly theory; low-star reviewers say it lacks real-world, build-a-product practice
  • Figma section is short, and reviewers ask for more hands-on exercises there
  • Last updated in November 2021, so the Figma section may not match the current tool
I think this course provides an excellent overview of the design profession and the role of a designer. It can be valuable for anyone involved in software development.
Liudmila Likhacheva, a student

Suits beginners and newcomers to design; one reviewer from an architecture background found the theory familiar.

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What you will learn

  • Critical Thinking
  • User Interface Design
  • User Experience Research
  • Some Relevant Design History
  • History of Digital Product Design
  • Design Processes
  • How Human Perception Works
  • Increased Creativity
  • Usability Testing
  • Applied Psychology in Design

Course content

19 sections · 168 lectures · 16 hours of video

  1. 1Introduction 3 free previews7 lectures · 28 min
  2. 2What is Design? 1 free preview11 lectures · 55 min
  3. 3Getting Started (Exercises)6 lectures · 55 min
  4. 4Design Process 1 free preview8 lectures · 25 min
  5. 5Create Your Process (Exercises)3 lectures · 29 min
  6. 6Critical Thinking 1 free preview12 lectures · 1 hour
  7. 7Research (Exercises)7 lectures · 50 min
  8. 8Experience Economy 1 free preview10 lectures · 46 min
  9. 9Analyse (Exercises)4 lectures · 22 min
  10. 10Creativity 1 free preview11 lectures · 55 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • Junior or aspiring product designer
  • Product owners or managers
  • Software Engineers
  • User experience designers
  • User interface designers
  • Entrepreneurs

What you need before you start

  • Pencil and paper
  • Computer
  • A free or paid Figma account (I will show you how to set this up)
  • An open mind
  • Desire to learn and a willingness to be challenged.

How it compares

Against the other 144 rated Udemy courses in UX Design on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.4 out of 5higher than 43% of them
  • Reviews13,608#6 of 145 by number of reviews
  • Length15.5 hourslonger than 92% of them
  • Last updatedNovember 2021more recently than 50% of them

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Quality Score

Content Quality
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Video Quality
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Qualified Instructor
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Course Pace
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Course Depth & Coverage
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Overall Score : 88 / 100

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Course Description

Digital products are more abstract and complex than any product we've designed before. People are using their digital devices faster, with less conscious thought and more distracted than ever in history.

These issues present new challenges that require a new kind of design team to address. These design teams need to understand a complex range of behavioral psychology, perception, creativity, business. They need to understand what has come before, the history of design didn't start with the iPhone. The history of product design started with the history of products!

I created this course out of frustration. Frustration that design education has been reduced to a handful of feal good quotes, an ineffective standardised design process, unquestioned research activities and no mention of philosophy or critical thought. We are designing the most complex product in history for the most distracted users. We're expecting designers to work with an embarrassingly narrow understanding of design. I had to create this course for them, I had to create The Master Digital Product Design Course because no one else was doing it ;)

The Master Digital Product Design Course will give you everything you need to start designing products people love. It will take time and I advise you to work through all the exercises over a period over several months, leaving time for reflection and experimentation. This is not a fast track to any design job, this is a slow track to a great career.

What do I get with this course?

This course comprises of 12 modules, each around an hour long. Each module contains high-quality explainer videos with multiple activities and downloadable worksheets. Every video has resource links for further reading to ensure you get a range of opinions and allow you to dig deeper into topics that interest or apply to you.

The modules will cover a unique range of topics that I believe are missing from the majority of modern design curriculums. The 12 sections are:

  • Introduction: background into the industry and some of the problems

  • What is Design?: looking at, where design came from and some misconceptions about how to design

  • Design Process: the elements of a design process. You'll then create your design process

  • Critical Thinking: the core skill to design effectively, how to challenge ideas, especially your own

  • Experience Economy: experience is vital to create products people love, yet most people are ignoring it!

  • Creativity: you can learn to be creative, I'll show you what it is and how to get it!

  • Perception: looking at how people see the world and how we can design for them (people)

  • Usability: let's make sure your product is easy to use and doesn't frustrate

  • Figma: is a rapid design and prototyping tool, you'll learn to mock up your designs

  • Form & Function: why your product has to look good and what to do about it

  • Minimalism: minimalism is hard and we often get it wrong

  • Balance: you can have too much of anything. lets balance standards with trends

Is this course for me?

I created The Master Digital Product Design Course to fill many of the holes in other product design courses, for this reason, I believe it'll be useful for a seasoned designer.  I've also created it with the beginner in mind so if you have never designed anything you will be just at home (and everyone has designed something before, you just don't know it!).

As well as designers I also had in mind all the people who project manage, own or develop digital products. I believe there is a lot of interesting materials that will help the whole business think differently about creating digital products.


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Instructor Details

Rob Sutcliffe

It's been 10 years since I started working in elearning. I understand the limitations and the possibilities of online teaching. I'm excited for the future and I'm amazed at what we can do right now.

It's been 15 years since I first taught a class. I spent three years teaching english in Seoul. I loved seeing the progress of my students and I loved knowing they were having a good time in my class. I learnt about how to write a solid lesson plan the only way I believe anyone can... by seeing the results right there in front of me.

It's been 20 years since I first designed and built a website. I remember learning dreaweaver and flash while I was a student and been hooked on the power it gives us, even then I didn't know how far it would go. I've dedicated my life to building and designing web apps to the highest standard and now I want to pass that on.

It's been 35 years since I started school. and I wasn't that good at school truth be told. I had dyslexia and couldn't keep up, having overcome that and managed to find ways to teach myself the skills I need to get some fantastic jobs I'm confident I can explain things in a way everyone can understand and, knowing how much I struggled to learn, I can be very patient in explaining how things need to be done.

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Reviews

4.4

13,608 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Devika Vikram Kole on 8/18/2026

I recently completed Rob Sutcliffe's Digital Product Design course and found it to be very insightful and well-structured. The course covers key product design concepts in a clear and practical manner, making it suitable for both beginners and professionals looking to strengthen their understanding of digital product design. I especially appreciated the real-world approach and the focus on user-centered thinking. Highly recommended for anyone interested in creating better digital products!!

By Eplhouse Group on 7/31/2026

The first lessons I watched amazed me and completely changed my perspective on design. I realized that design is not simply about learning tools that help me create something visually appealing and easy to use; it is also about solving problems and learning how to take inspiration without copying the design itself. I believe that by completing the remaining lessons, my old and traditional view of design will change even more.

By Liudmila Likhacheva on 6/23/2026

I think this course provides an excellent overview of the design profession and the role of a designer. It can be valuable for anyone involved in software development. Even as a practicing designer, I found the course engaging and thought-provoking. It raises important questions while offering alternative perspectives on concepts that are often treated as industry standards. Remarkably, despite being released seven years ago, the course remains highly relevant today.

By Zuhaib Wani on 5/15/2026

I really loved this course. Being a Senior Visual Designer this course helped me to learn things in a whole different level and also refreshed some of the basics which I have even forgot. I appreciate and this is really a great course I recently enrolled in.

By You Li on 4/23/2026

A relevant course for entry-level UX designer or anyone new to the industry, covering a wide range of topics. It has a good balance of theories and practical examples, with a small session on Figma, which is useful enough.

By Hassan on 4/8/2026

This course is only based on theory and past things there is nothing to learn where I could apply in real world scenario. Course name is Product Design and there is a product in this course. Waste of money and time.

By Roni Selei on 2/23/2026

I'm barely through my first half of the course, maybe the more technical parts will emerge later on, but I'm really liking this instructor's humanist approach to teaching User Design. His no-nonsense exploration of what really are user needs, and what we need to look for when doing research has honestly contributed to the refinement my own personal thinking process. His is a generous contribution to the subject, and not in the way one might assume.

By Mariana Furlanetto on 1/3/2026

Achei muito completo, é um curso que ensina a olhar tudo ao seu redor, questionar, aliás a si questionar, o seu trabalho e afins, achei muito enriquecedor :)

By Irene Ion on 12/20/2025

Practical information about obvious things that we are actually not aware of. As a software developer helped me to define a better working process and understand what design is all about.

By Thabisile Dhlamini on 12/3/2025

This was a great course for someone who is looking to get an introduction into design theory / critical thinking , however it doesnt really include practical examples for someone looking for more hands activities on Figma. The figma section is great for learning the tools and the interface for beginners, I did enjoy that. Being someone from an architecture background, I am quite familiar with most of the theory discussed so it did feel a bit like a drag as I was looking for more practical activities on figma. Well presented course - Thanks

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