A UX designer makes digital products easy, clear, and pleasant to use. Day to day you talk to users, find out what they struggle with, sketch and prototype solutions, test them, and work with developers and stakeholders to ship the improved version. No license is required and a degree is optional, because hiring managers look mostly at your portfolio and how you explain your decisions. This roadmap takes you from learning the basics, to building 2-3 real case studies, to landing a junior role, to leading design. Plan on about 8-10 hours a week. Everything here is free. The idea behind it all:
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Every stage from beginner to expert, with lessons, practice drills, projects, interview questions and free resources. Free with a Rolearch account.
Stage 1 of 4 · about 10 weeks
Understand the UX process (research, define, ideate, prototype, test) and core principles: Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics, visual hierarchy, contrast, spacing, typography, and WCAG basics. Learn Figma (free Starter plan) well enough to recreate an existing app screen exactly. Practice by running a 15-minute usability test on a friend using a paper sketch.
The UX process and Nielsen's 10 heuristics
Every UX job is a loop: find out what people need, define the problem, try ideas, and test them. Heuristics give you a shared vocabulary to spot problems fast, before you ever test with users.
Visual design fundamentals: hierarchy, contrast, spacing, typography
Screens that look clear are easier to use. Most beginner designs feel 'off' because of weak hierarchy, cramped spacing, or too many fonts, and these are fixable with a few simple rules.
Figma Starter fundamentals
Figma is the main tool UX designers use and hiring managers expect it. Recreating an existing screen exactly teaches you the tool and trains your eye for detail at the same time.
Accessibility basics (WCAG)
Millions of people have low vision, color blindness, motor limits, or use screen readers. Accessible design is also good design for everyone, and many US employers must meet accessibility standards, so it is a hiring advantage.
Paper prototyping and your first usability test
Testing early with a cheap sketch shows you problems before you spend hours polishing. Watching one real person struggle teaches more than any article, and it is the core habit of a UX designer.
Then 3 more stages (about 108 weeks in all) with lessons, drills, projects, 10 interview questions with strong answers and free resources.