This free open online course will help young people to get started with designing and developing apps and software. This course will help you to develop your own “Design Thinking”. You’ll learn how to use a free and fun prototyping tool called Build. The course has been especially designed for young people interested in technology, but with little or no development experience.
Do you enjoy using apps on your mobile phone, or playing video games? Maybe you’ve wondered how their creators made them? Maybe you even have an idea for creating an app yourself, but have no idea where to begin.
In this course we’ll help you to develop your own “Design Thinking” – a mindset that is commonly used when designing new products, especially software. We’ll introduce you to a free and fun prototyping tool called Build, where you can apply some of your new design skills. We’ll show you how to access this tool at the start of the course.
And even if you’ve never designed anything before, well, there’s no better place to start! We’ll guide you through every step along the way, with lots of opportunities for you to try out and test your new ideas. The course has been especially designed for young people interested in technology, but with little or no development experience.
The course also includes a discussion forum, where you can get help from our team of experts chat with other learners. There are optional self-tests after each video lecture, and short weekly assignments and a final exam to help you earn a record of achievement.
But by the end of this 4-week course, your greatest achievement will be that you won’t just be using apps, you’ll be designing them with confidence too!
Course Content
Week 1: Design Thinking: Starting with Empathy
Week 2: Point of View and Idea Generation
Week 3: Build: Prototype and Feedback
Week 4: Taking Your Vision into the World
Week 5: Final Exam
