Week 04 · Days 16–20
UX Audit & Design Literacy (Figma)
Build comfort in Figma and practice critiquing UX using heuristics.
Portfolio deliverable · A full UX audit of a consumer app with Figma annotations
Figma basics for PMs
Lesson: Figma fundamentals
As a PM, you don't need to design from scratch — you need to navigate Figma confidently. Key concepts: Frames are containers (like artboards) that represent screens. Components are reusable elements (buttons, cards) — recognizing when something is a component vs a one-off helps you understand design systems. Comments let you leave feedback pinned to a specific spot, which is how PMs typically collaborate with designers. Auto Layout makes elements resize responsively — useful when duplicating/editing. Spend time just clicking around an existing public Figma file before building anything.
Task: Recreate a screen in Figma
Take a screenshot of a screen from your practice app and recreate the basic layout in Figma using frames and rectangles (doesn't need to be pixel perfect).
Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics
Lesson: Nielsen heuristics
Jakob Nielsen's 10 heuristics are a 30-year-old checklist that's still the fastest way to spot usability problems in any interface. The ones most relevant for consumer apps: (1) Visibility of system status — does the app show loading/progress states? (2) Match real-world conventions — does it use familiar icons/patterns? (3) User control & freedom — can users undo/exit easily? (4) Consistency — do similar actions look and behave the same throughout? (5) Error prevention — does it stop mistakes before they happen, or just show errors after? (6) Recognition over recall — does the user need to remember things, or is everything visible? Memorize these 6 first; they catch most issues.
Task: Heuristic walkthrough
Pick a flow in your practice app (e.g. onboarding, checkout). Go through it screen by screen and note which heuristics are followed/violated.
Annotating screenshots in Figma
Lesson: Annotation best practices
Good design feedback is structured so a designer can act on it without a meeting. Use numbered callouts (1, 2, 3...) placed directly on the screenshot, pointing to the specific element. For each, write: what's wrong (1 sentence), which heuristic it violates, severity (Critical = blocks task completion, Medium = causes confusion/friction, Low = minor polish), and why it matters (impact on the user or business metric). Avoid vague feedback like 'this feels off' — be specific: 'the CTA button color matches the disabled-state gray used elsewhere, so users may think it's inactive (violates Heuristic #6, Medium severity).'
Task: Annotate 3-5 screens in Figma
Import screenshots of your practice app into Figma. Add numbered annotations for usability issues found in Day 17, with severity tags.
Proposing fixes
Task: Sketch proposed fixes
For your top 3 issues, sketch a rough 'after' version in Figma (low-fidelity is fine) showing how you'd fix each one.
Synthesize: Full UX audit
Deliverable: UX Audit Report
Compile into a UX audit report: intro, methodology (heuristics used), 3-5 findings with annotated screenshots, severity ratings, and proposed fixes with sketches.
Advanced Challenge: Audit an AI chat/assistant interface
Pick an app with an AI chat or recommendation interface (ChatGPT, Perplexity, a shopping app's 'AI assistant,' or your practice app if it has one). Apply Nielsen heuristics PLUS three AI-specific heuristics: (1) Does it show *why* it's making a suggestion (transparency)? (2) Is there a clear, low-friction way to correct it when it's wrong (recoverability)? (3) Does it set expectations about what it can/can't do (calibrated trust)? Annotate 2-3 screens in Figma with these AI-specific findings — this is a UX skillset most PMs haven't developed yet.