Prototyping & Interaction Design
Bring designs to life through interactive prototypes and sophisticated interaction patterns. Master prototyping tools including Figma, Framer, and ProtoPie for creating realistic user experiences.
Back to HomeAbout This Course
This specialized 10-week program focuses on bridging the gap between static design and functional experience. You'll learn to create interactive prototypes that communicate design intent clearly and allow for meaningful usability testing before development begins.
The course covers advanced prototyping tools including Figma's sophisticated prototyping features, Framer's code-based approach, and ProtoPie's sensor-enabled interactions. You'll understand when to use each tool based on project requirements and collaboration needs. Through practical exercises, you'll develop proficiency in creating realistic interactions that demonstrate complex user flows.
Motion design principles form a significant component of the curriculum. You'll learn how animation communicates state changes, guides attention, and provides feedback. Understanding easing curves, duration, and choreography helps you create interactions that feel natural and responsive rather than arbitrary or distracting.
The program emphasizes collaboration with development teams. You'll learn to create documentation that developers can reference, understand technical constraints that affect interaction design, and communicate design specifications effectively. Projects include building working prototypes that demonstrate complex user flows, gesture-based interactions, and emerging interface paradigms including voice and spatial computing.
Career Development & Outcomes
Prototyping skills are increasingly valued as teams recognize the importance of testing interactions before committing to development. Your portfolio of interactive prototypes demonstrates technical capability and design thinking.
Skill Development
- Advanced interaction pattern implementation
- Motion design and animation principles
- Gesture-based and touch interface design
- Developer collaboration and handoff
Professional Applications
- Interaction designer roles in product teams
- Motion designer for digital products
- Emerging technology interface specialist
- Product designer with prototyping focus
Portfolio Development
Your portfolio will showcase interactive prototypes ranging from mobile application flows to complex desktop interactions. Each prototype demonstrates your understanding of motion principles, interaction patterns, and technical implementation. You'll document your design decisions, showing how interactions support user goals and product requirements.
Previous participants have leveraged their prototyping portfolios when transitioning from visual design roles, demonstrating additional capabilities to current employers, and pursuing positions focused specifically on interaction design. The technical depth you develop bridges design and development, making you valuable in cross-functional teams.
Prototyping Tools & Technologies
Master the industry's leading prototyping platforms, understanding the strengths and appropriate use cases for each tool in your workflow.
Figma Prototyping
Develop advanced skills in Figma's prototyping features including interactive components, variables, and advanced transitions. Learn to create sophisticated prototypes that demonstrate complex flows while maintaining design system consistency. You'll understand how to use overlays, create reusable interactions, and leverage smart animate for smooth transitions between states.
Framer
Explore Framer's code-based approach to prototyping, learning when additional flexibility justifies the technical investment. You'll understand React basics as they apply to Framer, create custom interactions using code overrides, and build fully functional prototypes that blur the line between prototype and production. This knowledge helps you communicate effectively with developers.
ProtoPie
Master ProtoPie's sensor-enabled prototyping capabilities for creating realistic mobile experiences. Learn to implement complex conditional logic, work with device sensors like tilt and proximity, and create multi-screen interactions. This platform excels at demonstrating advanced mobile interactions that would be difficult to prototype in other tools.
Motion Design Principles
Learn foundational animation principles as they apply to interface design. Understand easing curves, duration selection, choreography, and how motion communicates meaning. You'll explore the twelve principles of animation adapted for digital interfaces, learning when to add motion and when simplicity serves users better. Practice creating animations that feel natural rather than mechanical.
Interaction Design Standards
Creating effective interactions requires understanding established patterns while knowing when innovation serves users better than convention.
Performance Optimization
Interactions must feel responsive regardless of network conditions or device capabilities. Learn to design animations that perform smoothly, understand the 60fps target, and recognize which interactions tax system resources. You'll develop awareness of how interaction complexity affects battery life and thermal performance on mobile devices.
- 60fps animation targets
- Battery and thermal considerations
- Efficient interaction implementation
Accessibility in Motion
Motion can exclude users with vestibular disorders or seizure triggers. Learn to respect prefers-reduced-motion settings, provide alternative feedback mechanisms, and ensure interactions remain comprehensible without animation. Understanding these constraints makes your work more inclusive while often improving the experience for all users.
- Reduced motion preferences
- Avoiding seizure triggers
- Alternative feedback methods
Developer Collaboration
Successful interaction design requires effective communication with development teams. Learn to document interactions in ways developers can implement, understand technical constraints that affect feasibility, and participate productively in handoff discussions. You'll develop skills in creating specifications that balance design intent with implementation reality, learning when to advocate for details that matter and when to compromise on less critical aspects.
Who This Course Is For
This program serves designers ready to advance their technical capabilities and develop specialized skills in bringing interfaces to life through interaction.
UI/UX Designers
Designers comfortable with static mockups who want to add prototyping depth to their skillset. If you create wireframes and designs but want to better demonstrate interactions, this bridges that gap.
Visual Designers
Visual designers wanting to expand into interaction design and motion. Your design sensibilities will inform how you approach animation and interaction patterns.
Technical Creatives
Individuals with some coding background interested in design. Your technical understanding will help grasp implementation considerations that inform interaction design decisions.
Prerequisites
This course assumes familiarity with basic design principles and interface design concepts. You should be comfortable with at least one design tool like Figma or Sketch. Previous experience creating static designs or wireframes provides necessary foundation.
While coding experience helps when working with tools like Framer, it's not required. The course teaches necessary technical concepts as they relate to prototyping. What matters most is curiosity about interaction design, willingness to learn complex tools, and interest in how interfaces respond to user input.
Learning Progress & Assessment
Progress is measured through increasingly complex prototypes that demonstrate your growing mastery of interaction design principles and prototyping tools.
Weekly Interaction Studies
Complete focused exercises exploring specific interaction patterns like loading states, form validation, or gesture controls. These shorter assignments let you experiment with different approaches and receive targeted feedback before applying techniques to comprehensive prototypes.
Portfolio Prototypes
Create three major prototypes demonstrating different complexity levels and use cases. Starting with mobile application flows, you'll progress to multi-screen experiences and finally to prototypes incorporating advanced interactions like sensor integration or complex conditional logic.
Usability Testing
Test your prototypes with real users, learning how to facilitate testing sessions and synthesize feedback. This practical experience demonstrates how prototyping enables iteration before development. You'll practice refining interactions based on observed user behavior.
Final Portfolio Review
Present your complete portfolio of interactive prototypes in the final session. You'll demonstrate not just the prototypes themselves but your ability to articulate interaction decisions, motion choices, and how prototyping informed your design process. Course completion requires submitting all portfolio prototypes with documentation.
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Join our next cohort and develop advanced prototyping skills that bridge design and development. Limited to 12 participants for hands-on instruction and detailed project feedback.