Design Mobile Experiences People Love Using Every Day
Learn to create apps that feel natural on mobile devices, respecting platform conventions while crafting delightful interactions that make everyday tasks easier.
Back to HomeWhat Mobile Specialization Offers
This focused program helps you understand what makes mobile design unique. You'll learn to work within the constraints and opportunities that mobile devices present, creating experiences that feel at home on iOS and Android platforms while maintaining your design vision.
Over seven intensive weeks, you'll design multiple apps across different categories, from e-commerce to productivity tools. You'll practice on actual devices, learning how designs that look good on desktop screens translate to the small, touch-driven environments where people actually use them.
Platform Knowledge
Understand iOS and Android design guidelines and when to follow or adapt them
Gesture Fluency
Design interactions that feel natural with touch, swipe, and gesture inputs
Portfolio Projects
Create diverse app designs showing your range and mobile-specific thinking
Challenges Mobile Designers Navigate
Designers interested in mobile specialization often face particular challenges that differ from general digital product design. These concerns come up frequently in our conversations.
Platform Confusion
iOS and Android have different design languages and interaction patterns. You're unsure when to respect platform conventions versus maintaining consistent branding across both. You want to create apps that feel native to each platform without doubling your design work unnecessarily.
Touch Target Challenges
Designs that work beautifully on desktop feel cramped or awkward on mobile. You struggle with button sizing, spacing for thumbs, and creating interfaces that work for different hand positions. Screen real estate feels limiting, and you're looking for strategies to pack functionality without overwhelming users.
Interaction Pattern Gaps
Mobile devices offer unique interaction possibilities through gestures, but you're not confident designing these experiences. You know apps should support swipes, pulls, and holds, but you're uncertain about when these interactions enhancebility versus adding unnecessary complexity.
Testing and Validation
You design in Figma but don't have a clear process for testing on actual devices. You're concerned that what looks good in prototypes might not translate to real-worldge. You want to learn how to validate designs before investing development resources, especially across different screen sizes and device capabilities.
Our Mobile-First Teaching Approach
This specialization focuses entirely on mobile contexts, teaching you to think about constraints and opportunities unique to handheld devices from the start of your design process.
Platform Guidelines and Adaptation
We start by thoroughly exploring iOS Human Interface Guidelines and Android Material Design principles. You'll learn not just what the rules are, but why they exist and when breaking them serves your users better. We'll examine successful apps that balance platform conventions with unique brand identity, helping you develop judgment about when to follow patterns and when to innovate.
Touch and Gesture Design
You'll design for actual human hands, considering thumb reach zones, comfortable tap targets, and natural gesture movements. We cover navigation patterns specific to mobile contexts: tab bars, hamburger menus, bottom sheets, and gesture-based navigation. You'll learn to create interfaces that work whether users hold their phone one-handed or two-handed, and design for both small and large screen sizes.
Context-Aware Mobile Experiences
Mobile apps exist in varied contexts: users might be walking, on transit, or multitasking. You'll learn to design for these situations, creating interfaces that communicate quickly and require minimal attention. We'll cover notification design, widget creation, offline states, and loading patterns that keep users informed without demanding their full focus. You'll also explore how mobile capabilities like cameras, location, and sensors can enhance experiences.
Prototyping and Device Testing
You'll create interactive prototypes that behave like real apps, then test them on actual devices throughout the design process. We'll show you how to get prototypes onto phones quickly for testing, evaluate designs in realistic conditions, and identify issues that only become apparent on physical devices. You'll learn practical testing approaches that fit within design timelines and budgets.
Seven Weeks of Mobile Focus
This condensed program moves quickly through mobile-specific concepts. Each week targets particular aspects of mobile app design with hands-on practice.
Practical Design Sessions
Weekly sessions focus on specific mobile design challenges. You'll work through exercises designing for different app categories, always testing your work on actual devices rather than just viewing prototypes on computer screens.
We emphasize learning by doing. You'll spend more time designing and iterating than listening to presentations. Bring your phone to every session—it's your primary testing device.
Portfolio Development
You'll complete designs for at least three different app types, showing your versatility with mobile patterns. These projects demonstrate your understanding of platform guidelines, gesture interactions, and mobile-specific considerations.
Final projects include preparation for app store submission, teaching you about screenshots, descriptions, and presentation approaches that help apps succeed in store environments.
Device Testing
Regular testing on iOS and Android devices helps you understand how designs perform in real conditions.
Diverse App Types
Work on e-commerce, social, and productivity apps to understand different mobile design patterns.
Platform Comparison
Learn to design for both iOS and Android, understanding similarities and important differences.
Program Investment
Complete mobile app design specialization
Program Includes
This focused specialization provides concentrated learning in mobile app design. All materials and project support are included in the program fee.
Realistic Expectations for Seven Weeks
This concentrated program provides focused learning in mobile design. Here's what you can accomplish in this timeframe.
Mobile Design Proficiency
You'll develop solid understanding of mobile-specific design patterns, platform guidelines, and gesture interactions. You'll know how to design navigation, handle different screen sizes, and create touch-friendly interfaces.
Your comfort level with mobile prototyping tools will increase significantly. You'll know how to test designs on real devices and iterate based on how they actually feel in hand, not just how they look on screen.
Portfolio Additions
You'll create designs for multiple app types, showing versatility and understanding of different mobile contexts. Your portfolio will demonstrate knowledge of both iOS and Android conventions.
These projects show potential employers or clients that you can design specifically for mobile, not just adapt desktop interfaces. They prove you understand the unique considerations mobile devices require.
Weekly Focus
Platform foundations. Learning iOS and Android guidelines, understanding mobile constraints and opportunities.
App design practice. Creating complete app experiences across different categories with proper mobile patterns.
Refinement and preparation. Polishing projects, preparing case studies, and learning app store presentation.
Our Approach to Your Success
This specialization works best for designers who already understand basic UX/UI principles and want to focus specifically on mobile contexts.
Initial Assessment
We'll discuss your current skills to ensure this specialization matches your level and goals.
Hands-On Practice
Every session includes practical work with device testing, not just theoretical discussion.
Focused Feedback
Small cohorts mean personalized guidance on your specific mobile design challenges.
Seven weeks provides enough time to develop mobile-specific skills, but mastery comes with continued practice. We provide the foundation and guidance—your dedication to applying these skills determines your ultimate progress in mobile design.
Starting Your Mobile Specialization
If you're ready to focus your design skills on mobile experiences, here's how to proceed.
Contact Us
Share information about your design background and interest in mobile specialization.
Discuss Fit
We'll assess whether this specialization matches your current skill level and goals.
Begin Specialization
If it's a good match, you'll receive enrollment information and preparation guidelines.
Prerequisites to Consider
This course assumes you already understand basic design principles and have worked with design tools like Figma. If you're new to digital design, starting with our UX Fundamentals or UI Design courses might provide a better foundation.
You'll need access to at least one mobile device for testing—ideally both iOS and Android. We'll discuss equipment during your consultation and help you plan accordingly.
Specialize in Mobile App Design
If you're passionate about creating mobile experiences that feel natural and delightful, this focused program provides the specialized knowledge you need.
Schedule Your ConsultationNext cohort begins late November 2024
Explore Our Other Courses
Want a broader foundation before specializing? Our other programs might better suit your current needs.
User Experience Design Fundamentals
Build a comprehensive UX foundation through user research, information architecture, and prototyping. This 10-week program develops core skills applicable across all digital platforms.
UI Design and Design Systems
Master visual design and systematic thinking through component-based design and design system creation. This 8-week intensive strengthens your interface design capabilities.