Top 16 Free Online Resources For UI And UX Designers 2021
As a product designer (UX/UI) and college dropout, I’ve had to develop my own tools and resources in my pursuit to become a UX/UI design expert.
Now more then ever, with the right attitude, anyone can learn to become a product designer (UX/UI) using free online resources and practicing it religiously.
Though it wasn’t easy, with the help of amazing online resources I’ve managed to land my first design job and enjoying a thriving design career ever since. And I love it.
Check out these 16 free online resources I’ve discovered that have helped me along my journey to becoming a product designer (UX/UI).
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Mini UX Writing Course | UX Writing Hub
This is the first and only free UX writing the course in the world for anyone interested to learn how to writer digital interfaces.
https://course.uxwritinghub.com/free-microcopy-course
Product Design course by Google
There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. This product design course from Udacity is built to help you take your game-changing idea and transform it into a product that you can build a business around.
This course blends theory and practice to teach you product validation, UI/UX practices, Google’s Design Sprint and the processes for setting and tracking actionable metrics.
DesignTalks by InVision
DesignTalks is a series of webinars created by leading industry product designers. It doesn’t matter what kind of designer you are– this video series is a must-have for any level of design skill.
High Resolution Podcast
High Resolution is a video and podcast series includes interviews with 25 design industry masters.
Started by Bobby Ghoshal and Jared Erondu for the design and business community, High Resolution is a great source of insight into what’s cooking in the world of design in companies such as AirBNB, Instagram, Spotify and more.
User Onboarding by Samuel Hulick
User onboarding, when done right, can increase the likelihood that new users will adopt your product for the long-haul.
The one and only Samuel Hulick has compiled a vast library of tools, tips, and tricks to help product designers (UX/UI) build and implement successful user onboarding strategies for their digital products.
Muzli by InVision
Muzli instantly delivers inspirational design content each time a new tab is opened in your browser.
Discover beautiful illustrations, design tools, websites, photography projects, and visual art that will inspire you each and every day.
On top of this, they also showcase op-eds and articles from design experts across the web and around the globe. A must-have for any product designer (UX/UI).
Dribbble
Web designers, graphic designers, user interface designers, interaction designers, illustrators, icon artists, typographers, logo designers, and other creative types share small screenshots (shots) that showcase their work, process, and portfolio.
It takes a bit of time and effort to get an invitation to the private Dribbble community, but nevertheless, it’s an excellent resource for daily inspiration.
Color Hunt by Gal Shir
Color Hunt is an open-source collection of rich color palettes founded by Gal Shir in August 2015.
Color Hunt began as a side project to share personal color palettes between a group of friends who were designers.
Today, Color Hunt has become a popular design resource used daily by thousands of people worldwide.
Lately, I’ve been creating 3D artwork with Cinema 4D, and I use this tool on a regular basis to help me pinpoint the right color scheme.
Flux YouTube Channel by Ran Segall
Flux is the personal YouTube channel of Ran Segall, an Israeli designer and entrepreneur. On his show, Ran shares his journey to becoming a UX/UI designer and business owner.
Each episode gives us insight into Ran’s life, including the struggles he’s come up against and the lessons he’s learned throughout his career.
Ran is super engaging and posts a video every day of the week. A must for any freelance UX/UI designer.
“Designing for Simplicity” by John Maeda
The MIT Media Lab’s John Maeda lives at the intersection of technology and art, a place that can get very complicated. In his video, ‘Designing for Simplicity,’ Maeda talks about paring down to basics.
This talk was presented at an official TED conference about 11 years ago but is relevant today more than ever.
DesignBetter by InVision
DesignBetter.Co is a vast resource of best practices, stories, and insights from the world’s top designers.
Loaded with in-depth books, podcasts, and a shit-ton of content, DesignBetter.Co is the essential guide to building remarkable teams and products.
Dan Petty YouTube Channel
This is one of my favorite YouTube channels to watch. Dan Petty covers many topics that are super relevant for UX/UI designers worldwide.
From design tools to job opportunities, Dan even has an episode on healthcare for freelancers. Check it out.
The Hacking UI Podcast
The Hacking UI Podcast is hosted by Sagi Shrieber and David Tintner, a designer and developer and all around tech geeks.
On the podcast, they discuss tech and design topics, often through interviews of highly-experienced thought leaders at companies like Facebook, Intercom and Invision.
Intro to The Design of Everyday Things
Everyone designs. Design occurs anytime you deliberately change an environment to make things better. When you decide what seat to take in an auditorium you’re designing your experience. When you rearrange the furniture in a room or draft an email, you’re designing.
This course presents the methods used by the first-ever UX designer Don Norman, author of the Designer’s Bible, Design of Everyday Things.
Real gold for any product designer (UX/UI) out there.
Microcopy & UX Writing
Learn the art of language design from the largest online microcopy and UX writing community. A great source of inspiration for all designers who know that content is king (and he should come first).
Personally, engaging this Facebook community on a regular basis has helped me fast-track my career, all while networking with super talented professionals.
Really good product designers👌🏾
You’ve probably noticed that there are many Israeli product designers (UX/UI) on this list. That’s why I recommend you follow the works of some of the best Israeli product designers(UX/UI), curated all in one place by our very own Ariel Verber.
Talks from Interaction 18
Interaction 18, arguably the largest and most renowned UX conference in the world, took place February 3rd-8th in Lyon, France. The good news is: the Interaction Design Association (IxDA) has published all recordings from the talks and have uploaded them to their Vimeo channel.
So now you can watch them all from the comfort of your own home. And don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone you weren’t actually there.
Those were my 16 free design resources for product designers (UX/UI). Thanks for joining!
Did I miss anything?
Let me know in the comment section below and don’t forget to clap and share👏👏👏
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