Workshop

Product Design Crash Course

Instructor
Chavez Procope
Start Date
July 4, 2022
Enrollment Closed

About this workshop

Every digital product around you – Instagram, TikTok, Netflix, Apple Watch, etc – was brought to life by Product Designers. This 5 weeks workshop is meant to give you a crash course introduction to the field of Product Design and what it means to be a Product Designer. You will learn the fundamentals of good design and the design process for transforming an idea into a delightful product experience.

This workshop is meant to be a rigorous hands-on / practical experience where you’ll learn by creating designs for two mobile app projects. At the end of the 5 weeks you will present your final project to a public audience and walk away with an introductory experience to product design and hopefully in interest in becoming a Product Designer.
SPONSORS

What will you learn?

Week 1

Foundations

Learn foundational product design concepts, tools and processes.

• What is Product Design?
• Figma & Figjam
• Visual Design Principles
• Design Thinking Process

Week 2

Quick Dive

Apply the design process by developing a hypothesis and ideating solutions.

• UX Research
• Mini Design Sprint
• Wireframes
• UI Design

Week 3

Deep Dive - Pt I

Validate your hypothesis through user testing and design iteration.

• UX Research
• Mini Design Sprint
• Wireframes
• Usability Testing

Week 4

Deep Dive - Pt II

Frame your narrative and findings and collect feedback from peers.

• UI Design
• Design Critique
• Wrap Up

Week 5

Presentations

Hone your communication and storytelling skills by presenting your final project.

• Presentation Prep
• Public Group Presentations
• Augmented Reality Exercise

Who is this workshop for?

This workshop would be useful for anyone who:
  • Is considering Product Design as a potential career path
  • Practices Graphic Design and want to broaden their skillset
  • Knows their way around creative software like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc
  • Enjoys building websites
  • Enjoys solving problems

Requirements

  • Computer:
    Windows 8.1 or later
    Apple MacOS 10.12 (macOS Sierra) or later
  • Google Chrome browser
  • Reliable internet connection
  • Time to commit

Instructor

Hi everyone, my name is Chavez and I’ve been a product designer for over 7 years and it’s still my number one passion as it was on the day I discovered it. I’ve led many projects for companies like Facebook, HP, Hyundai and more. My hope is that this workshop will peak your interest enough for you to explore product design as a career path – it can be a very rewarding one.

Judges

Diego Spanner

As an avid artist, Diego A. Spanner uses his talent as a Graphic Designer to pave the way for his small enterprise, QuiteVIVID, a successful creative agency. Diego is recognized as one of St. Kitts’ leading Graphic Artist and never fails to impress many with the indescribable knowledge, work ethic and passion he exemplifies.

Ultimately, Diego hopes to empower creatives through solidarity with the aim of fostering greater development and awareness of the arts through his capacity as an Entrepreneur and Volunteer in the field.
Judging how the designers use creativity to address user needs.

Treasa Wyatt

Ms. Wyatt has been contributing to the field of IT and Information Management Systems in the federation of St. Kitts and Nevis for many years and is the recent winner of the 2022 International Women’s Day Award in the area of Digital Economy.

She has served as a community activist and leader who is committed to the development of youths – helping to build up young females' skills and their entrepreneurial spirit.
Judging how the designers make considerations for technical constraints.

Alex Straun

Alex is a technology enthusiast and currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Genesis Group of Companies. This Group is geared to the development of Financial Technology (FinTech) that enhances the security and inclusion into the financial system. Current developments include the Mobile/e-money Wallet (JAD CASH) which enables persons to digitize existing currency and make frictionless payments.

Mr.Straun is passionate about community building and provides mentorship to young men and women in addition to financial and life principles coaching.
Judging how the designers make product decisions and consider scale.

FAQs

What is a Product Designer?

A Product Designer is someone who uses different tools of design to create a solution that solves a problem people have.

Why start a career in Product Design?

More and more, everything we use is becoming digital and companies need product designers to ensure the experience of those products are the best – hence the high demand in the field. It can also be very financially rewarding.

What kind of companies hire Product Designers?

All kinds. Regardless of the company type, as long as they have a digital product or service they need designers to optimize product experience and craft marketing experiences like company websites.

Which job titles can I pursue with the experience from this workshop?

• Product Designer
• UI Designer
• UX Designer
• UX Researcher (kinda)

What is the workshop format?

90% Online 10% in-person. We’ll establish an online community for collaboration and each session will be live zoom video calls with supplemental video content from YouTube. During the 5th week, August 1st - 5th, we will be meeting in person each evening. Place to be determined later.

What is the time commitment?

In order to get the most of this program we ask that you attend live Zoom sessions and commit to 1.5 hours per night Monday to Friday. Majority of the time will be spent performing hands-on exercises and missing a day or two could set you back.

How is this different from online courses?

This workshop is a shortened, accelerated version of what you would learn in online course, which goes more in-depth. Think of this workshop as an introduction to any online courses/certifications.

What background knowledge is necessary?

You just need to know how to use a computer well.

What will we be presenting on the final day?

Yourself and two other teammates will present, as a group, the app you create based on the challenge given for the second project.

Is there a limitation to how many people can attend?

Yes. Only 12 persons can be enrolled. We plan to open it up to more people next year.

Enrollment Form

Enrollment has been closed. Thank you for your interest in the workshop. If you've enrolled already, you will hear from us by Monday 27th June. If you weren't able to enroll, we'll see you next year.

Workshop Details

Timeline
July 4, 2022 – August 6, 2022
(5 weeks)
Time Commitment
Mon - Fri (6:30pm - 8:00pm)
Max Students
12
Age Restriction
Must be 18+ yrs
Cost
$0 • Free
Enroll By
June 23, 2022
Enrollment Closed

That's a Wrap

Students presented their design solutions to address access to public and private transportation as well as the digitization of healthcare. Congratulations to Oksana and Emmanuel of group HelpCare for winning in the healthcare category and congratulations to Jaeda, Khrystal and Jalen of group Ketch for winning in the Transportation category. Each member of the winning groups received $300 EC. Below you can view each group's product experiences.

To all participants, congratulations on completing the crash course and thank you for the grind and work ethic you displayed in creating your digital products. We hope you've acquired a new set of skills and an understanding of what it means to be a Product Designer. To those on the path to become full-time Product Designers, we can’t wait to see what you do next!

We also appreciated seeing everyone that came out to support the students and the initiative. We hope you too have learned a thing or two about Product Design and continue to spread awareness of the field as a potential career path. If you'd like to learn more about what the students learned, click over into the 'Enrollment Info' tab above. We look forward to doing this workshop again next year!

Student Showcase

HelpCare
Team: Oksana and Emmanuel
Healthcare Winner

For consumers, this experience shows how easy it is to access and share medical records. For healthcare providers, you can see how doctors and others can create digital records among other actions such as ordering labs.
Omega Health
Team: Latrell and Caona
Healthcare Runner up

For consumers, the concept utilizes an AI assistant to help self diagnose the reason for booking a doctor appointment. For the medical professional they highlight how easy it is to access patient files and how forms can become intelligent based on the reason for a patient’s visit.
Ketch
Team: Jaeda, Khrystal and Jalen
Transportation Winner

Their design aesthetic through the use of color and illustrations caters more towards a younger audience looking for fun experiences.
Plix
Team: Faith and Trehdel
Transportation Runner up

Their design aesthetic caters more towards a professional audience looking for a minimal experience.