Course map
A friendly but rigorous semester path toward an AI-native Product Owner with design specialist capability. Start with simple language, tool setup, and clear examples; build real visual craft in layout, typography, color, and composition; then move into interface judgment, tradeoffs, product briefs, AI-assisted output, and startup-ready decision making.
Cadence
Week 0 setup plus Weeks 1-24 weekly guided studio classes, with four-week integration gates at Weeks 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24.
Core teaching loop
Notice, name, ask, choose, improve, explain.
Week 4: complete the first AI and FigJam/Figma setup, follow click/type/check/save walkthroughs, produce observation and screen-reading boards, and revise the first evidence pack.
Week 12: read interfaces, explain visual foundations, make craft and interaction decisions, and use AI critique without outsourcing judgment.
Week 24: turn a small product idea into a 3-screen flow, critique options, write a product/design brief, and defend a Product Owner case story with visible evidence.
Role architecture
The learner learns to frame problems, define outcomes, choose priorities, write briefs, set acceptance criteria, and explain what should happen next.
The specialist edge is design judgment: reading interfaces, shaping layout, typography, color, and composition, writing clear UX copy, reviewing states, and guiding visual quality.
AI is the multiplier. The learner uses it to learn faster, generate options, critique weak output, prototype ideas, revise decisions, and document product intent.
Week 0 + Weeks 1-4
Remove first-tool friction, teach the role triangle, establish evidence habits, practice screen reading, and revise early artifacts.
5 weeks
Evidence: Setup checklist, design observation board, prompt log, screen noticing board, visual foundations board, Week 4 revision note.
Week 0 · Guided setup
Remove first-click confusion before the first capability class: tools, privacy, screenshots, links, folders, and prompt logs.
Artifact: Setup checklist, evidence folder, blank board link, and prompt-log template.
Week 1 · Public
Observe, prompt, compare AI output, curate accept/adapt/reject notes, and make one evidence-backed decision.
Artifact: Design observation and product decision board.
Week 2 · Public
Read screens as user task systems: anatomy, attention order, primary action, support, trust, and evidence.
Artifact: Screen noticing board and decision sheet.
Week 3 · Public candidate
Map layout, typography, color, composition, density, accessibility, and AI critique as visual evidence systems.
Artifact: Visual foundations board.
Week 4 · Public/premium bridge
Clean up early boards, prompt logs, critique notes, and first revision evidence before moving into craft depth.
Artifact: Revised Week 4 evidence pack and capstone seed statement.
Weeks 5-8
Build the eye through layout, typography, color, composition, and a visual craft integration review.
4 weeks
Evidence: Layout board, typography audit, color role sheet, composition critique board, visual revision note.
Week 5 · Premium
Use layout, spacing, grouping, grid, density, and responsive structure to make product priority visible.
Artifact: Layout and spacing board.
Week 6 · Premium
Use type roles, hierarchy, readability, and tone to structure meaning and confidence.
Artifact: Typography audit board.
Week 7 · Premium
Use color as meaning, state, contrast, accessibility, trust, and product communication.
Artifact: Color role and contrast sheet.
Week 8 · Premium
Judge whole-screen quality, focal point, balance, rhythm, density, polish, and revise the visual craft pack.
Artifact: Composition critique board and Week 8 visual revision note.
Weeks 9-12
Connect visual craft to user, task, context, outcome, evidence limits, states, recovery, and UX writing.
4 weeks
Evidence: Product framing set, evidence and assumption note, action-state checklist, interface copy system, interaction revision note.
Week 9 · Premium
Frame the product moment with a specific user, task, context, outcome, evidence, assumption, and success signal.
Artifact: User, task, context, and outcome set.
Week 10 · Premium
Separate observation, inference, assumption, evidence gap, discovery signal, and AI-invented certainty.
Artifact: Evidence and assumption note.
Week 11 · Premium
Inspect interface behavior through actions, states, errors, feedback, recovery, and accessibility.
Artifact: Action-state checklist.
Week 12 · Premium
Improve interface words while revising state, recovery, clarity, confidence, and task support.
Artifact: Interface copy system and Week 12 interaction revision note.
Weeks 13-16
Teach disciplined AI collaboration, prompt-to-interface, prompt-to-prototype, and AI output quality assurance.
4 weeks
Evidence: AI collaboration log, prompt-to-interface comparison, prototype test record, AI QA checklist, revision log.
Week 13 · Premium
Brief, generate, check, revise, document, and keep human judgment visible while using AI.
Artifact: AI collaboration log.
Week 14 · Premium
Generate interface options only after criteria are clear, then compare outputs and reject weak patterns.
Artifact: Prompt-to-interface comparison board.
Week 15 · Premium
Use prompt-to-prototype tools as learning artifacts, then test what the prototype proves and does not prove.
Artifact: Prototype test record.
Week 16 · Premium
Critique generated artifacts against product, visual, interaction, copy, accessibility, and evidence standards.
Artifact: AI QA checklist and revision log.
Weeks 17-20
Turn generated and designed options into product-owner decisions, acceptance criteria, scope, and flow.
4 weeks
Evidence: Tradeoff sheet, critique and acceptance sheet, priority and scope decision record, 3-screen wireflow, feature brief.
Week 17 · Premium
Generate and compare meaningful options by user value, business value, effort, risk, evidence, and tradeoff.
Artifact: Three-option tradeoff sheet.
Week 18 · Premium
Turn critique into standards, severity, acceptance criteria, Given/When/Then scenarios, and readiness checks.
Artifact: Critique and acceptance sheet.
Week 19 · Premium
Decide what is now, later, and out of scope while recording evidence, risk, and rationale.
Artifact: Priority, scope, and decision record.
Week 20 · Premium
Map behavior across screens, states, branches, recovery, and feature-brief direction.
Artifact: 3-screen wireflow, feature brief, and Week 20 decision revision note.
Weeks 21-24
Package semester evidence into team-ready direction, capstone revision, case story, and final defense.
4 weeks
Evidence: Product/design brief, handoff note, revised capstone package, Product Owner case story, final evidence pack.
Week 21 · Premium
Convert decisions into team-ready scope, priority, acceptance criteria, risks, open questions, and handoff notes.
Artifact: Product/design brief and handoff note.
Week 22 · Premium/capstone
Assemble capstone artifacts, run a dry critique, respond to feedback, and revise the evidence chain.
Artifact: Revised capstone package.
Week 23 · Premium/capstone
Turn the evidence chain into a clear case story with AI transparency, decisions, tradeoffs, and limitations.
Artifact: Portfolio-ready Product Owner case story.
Week 24 · Premium/capstone
Defend decisions, answer critique questions, submit the evidence pack, and close the semester with final review.
Artifact: Final evidence pack and walkthrough record.
