Prompt EngineerMastery Roadmap(Beginner → Industry Ready)
Phase 1: Foundations
Beginner Level
Understand design basics, principles, and thinking
Design Fundamentals
- 1. Visual hierarchy, contrast, balance, proximity, alignment, repetition
- 2. Typography basics (serif vs sans-serif, pairing, readability)
- 3. Color theory (complementary, analogous, accessibility contrast)
- 4. Layout and composition (grids, spacing, white space)
Design Thinking & Problem Solving
- 1. Double diamond process (Discover → Define → Develop → Deliver)
- 2. Human-Centered Design principles
- 3. Understanding business goals vs user needs
Basic Tools
- 1. Figma (or Sketch/XD but Figma dominates 2025)
- 2. Whiteboarding: FigJam, Miro
- 3. Iconography: Material Icons, Phosphor, Lucide
Beginner Projects
- 1. Redesign an existing app (e.g., Spotify, YouTube)
- 2. Create a landing page UI in Figma
- 3. Build a design system mini-style guide (colors, typography, buttons)
Phase 1
Phase 2
Phase 2: UX Foundations
Junior Level
Learn UX Research + Wireframing + Prototyping
UX Research
- 1. User personas, empathy maps
- 2. Surveys & interviews
- 3. Competitive analysis
- 4. Journey mapping
Information Architecture
- 1. Card sorting, sitemap creation
- 2. Navigation & hierarchy
Wireframing & Prototyping
- 1. Low-fidelity wireframes (paper, Balsamiq, Figma)
- 2. High-fidelity prototypes (Figma interactive prototypes)
- 3. Micro-interactions & motion design basics
Accessibility & Inclusivity
- 1. WCAG 2.2 standards (color contrast, screen reader-friendly)
- 2. Designing for all devices (responsive, mobile-first)
Phase 2
Phase 3
Phase 3: UI & Product Design
Mid-Level
Become a Product Designer with a solid portfolio
UI Specialization
- 1. Advanced grids & layouts
- 2. Design systems (Material Design 3, Apple HIG)
- 3. Component libraries & reusable elements in Figma
- 4. Dark mode design principles
Product Design Skills
- 1. Understanding product strategy & business goals
- 2. Metrics-driven design (KPIs, A/B testing)
- 3. Growth & retention design patterns
- 4. Design for scalability (modular design systems)
Collaboration & Handoff
- 1. Figma → Dev handoff (Zeplin, Figma Inspect)
- 2. Working with PMs, Developers, Marketing
- 3. Agile/scrum workflow for designers
Phase 3
Phase 4
Phase 4: Advanced & Industry-Ready
Senior Level
Be job-ready with strong portfolio + industry practices
Advanced UX & Research
- 1. Data-informed design (Mixpanel, Hotjar, Google Analytics)
- 2. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
- 3. Usability testing (moderated/unmoderated, A/B testing)
Design Leadership Skills
- 1. Storytelling in design presentations
- 2. Giving & receiving design critiques
- 3. Mentoring junior designers
Specializations
- 1. Interaction Design (IxD): Animations, transitions, motion UI
- 2. UX Writing & Content Design
- 3. Service Design (cross-platform journeys)
- 4. AI + Product Design (AI-driven UX, personalization)
Industry Tools & Skills
- 1. Figma (master auto-layout, variables, tokens, plugins)
- 2. Prototyping tools: Principle, ProtoPie, Framer
- 3. Analytics + experimentation tools: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Maze
- 4. Dev collaboration: Notion, Jira, GitHub (basic understanding)
Phase 4
Phase 5
Phase 5: Career & Growth
Professional Level
Land a job / freelance as Product Designer
Portfolio Building
- 1. At least 3–5 case studies (show thought process, not just pretty screens)
- 2. Document iterations & research insights
- 3. Use storytelling → 'This is the problem I solved…'
Resume & Branding
- 1. LinkedIn optimization
- 2. Personal website (showcasing portfolio, blog, case studies)
- 3. Networking (Design Twitter, Dribbble, Behance, ProductHunt)
Interviews & Job Prep
- 1. Whiteboard challenges (designing flows in real time)
- 2. Portfolio presentations
- 3. Product thinking questions (e.g., 'How would you improve Uber's driver onboarding?')
Continuous Learning
- 1. Follow top designers (Jared Spool, Julie Zhuo, Pablo Stanley)
- 2. Read: Don't Make Me Think (Steve Krug), The Design of Everyday Things (Don Norman)
- 3. Keep up with AI in design (Figma AI, Galileo AI, Uizard)
🏆 Final Tips to Become Industry-Ready
Congratulations! You've completed the Prompt Engineer Mastery Roadmap and are ready to design scalable, robust systems.