# WDS Course: From Designer to Linchpin

**Master the complete WDS methodology and become indispensable as a designer in the AI era**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ5Aai_r-uo 

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## Welcome to the WDS Course

This comprehensive course teaches you the complete WDS workflow through **practical modules** that transform how you design products.

**The paradigm shift:**

- The design becomes the specification
- The specification becomes the product
- The code is just the printout

**What you'll become:**

- The linchpin designer who makes things happen
- The gatekeeper between business goals and user needs
- The irreplaceable designer in the AI era

**Time investment:** ~10 hours total
**Result:** Complete mastery of WDS methodology from project brief to AI-ready specifications

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## Who Created WDS?

**Mårten Angner** is a UX designer and founder of Whiteport, a design and development agency based in Sweden. After years of working with AI tools, Mårten observed that traditional design handoffs were breaking down. Designers would create beautiful mockups, hand them off to developers, and watch their creative intent get lost in translation.

Mårten developed WDS to solve this problem - a methodology where design thinking is preserved and amplified through AI implementation, not diluted and lost.

**The Mission:** WDS is completely free and open-source. Mårten created it as a **plugin module for BMad Method** - an open-source AI-augmented development framework - to give designers everywhere the tools they need to thrive in the AI era.

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## Before You Start

**[→ Getting Started Guide](00-getting-started/overview.md)**

Review prerequisites, choose your learning path, and get support:

- **Prerequisites** - Skills, tools, time investment
- **Learning Paths** - Full immersion, quick start, or self-paced
- **Support** - Testimonials, FAQ, community

**Reading time:** ~15 minutes

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## Course Structure

Each module contains:

- **Lessons** - Theory and concepts (with NotebookLM audio support)
- **Tutorial** - Step-by-step hands-on guide (for practical modules)
- **Practice** - Apply to your own project

**Learning format:**

- **Lessons** - Read as documentation or generate audio with NotebookLM
- **Tutorials** - Follow step-by-step guides with AI support
- **Practice** - Apply to real projects as you learn
- **Workshops** - Use for team training

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## Course Modules

### Foundation

- [Module 01: Why WDS Matters](module-01-why-wds-matters/module-01-overview.md)
- [Module 02: Installation & Setup](module-02-installation-setup/module-02-overview.md) • [Tutorial →](module-02-installation-setup/tutorial-02.md)

### Pre-Phase 1: Alignment & Signoff (Optional)

- [Module 03: Alignment & Signoff](module-03-alignment-signoff/module-03-overview.md) • [Tutorial →](module-03-alignment-signoff/tutorial-03.md)  
  *Skip if doing it yourself - go straight to Project Brief*

### Phase 1: Project Brief

- [Module 04: Create Project Brief](module-04-project-brief/) • [Tutorial →](module-04-project-brief/tutorial-04.md)

### Phase 2: Trigger Mapping

- [Module 04: Identify Target Groups](module-04-identify-target-groups/)
- [Module 05: Map Triggers & Outcomes](module-05-map-triggers-outcomes/) • [Tutorial →](module-05-map-triggers-outcomes/tutorial-05.md)
- [Module 06: Prioritize Features](module-06-prioritize-features/)

### Phase 3: Platform Requirements

- [Module 07: Platform Requirements](module-07-platform-requirements/)
- [Module 08: Functional Requirements](module-08-functional-requirements/)

### Phase 4: Conceptual Design (UX Design)

- [Module 09: Initialize Scenario](module-09-initialize-scenario/) • [Tutorial →](module-09-initialize-scenario/tutorial-09.md)
- [Module 10: Sketch Interfaces](module-10-sketch-interfaces/)
- [Module 11: Analyze with AI](module-11-analyze-with-ai/)
- [Module 12: Decompose Components](module-12-decompose-components/)
- [Module 13: Conceptual Specifications](module-13-conceptual-specs/) • [Tutorial →](module-13-conceptual-specs/tutorial-13.md)
- [Module 14: Validate Specifications](module-14-validate-specifications/)

### Phase 5: Design System

- [Module 15: Extract Design Tokens](module-15-extract-design-tokens/)
- [Module 16: Component Library](module-16-component-library/)

### Phase 6: Development Integration

- [Module 17: UI Roadmap](module-17-ui-roadmap/)

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## Learning Paths

**Complete Course:** All 17 modules (~12 hours)

**Quick Start:** Modules 1, 2, 5, 9, 13 (~4 hours)

**Phase-Specific:** Jump to any phase as needed

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## NotebookLM Integration

Each module has matching content for NotebookLM:

- Feed module lessons to NotebookLM
- Generate audio podcasts for learning on the go
- Generate video presentations for team training
- Create study guides and summaries

**All modules are optimized for AI-assisted learning.**

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## Module Structure

Every module follows the same pattern:

**1. Inspiration (10 min)**

- Why this step matters
- The transformation you'll experience
- Real-world impact

**2. Teaching (20 min)**

- How to do it with confidence
- AI support at each step
- Dog Week example walkthrough

**3. Practice (10 min)**

- Apply to your own project
- Step-by-step instructions
- Success criteria

**4. Tutorial (optional)**

- Quick step-by-step guide
- "Just show me how to do it"
- For practical modules only

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## After the Course

Once you've completed the modules:

1. **[Workflows Guide](../workflows/WDS-WORKFLOWS-GUIDE.md)** - Reference documentation
2. **[Quick Start](../getting-started/quick-start.md)** - Try WDS with agent
3. **[Community](https://discord.gg/whiteport)** - Get help and share your work

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## Prerequisites

**What you need:**

- Basic design thinking and UX principles
- Ability to sketch interfaces (hand-drawn or digital)
- Understanding of user needs and business goals
- Willingness to think deeply about WHY

**What you DON'T need:**

- ❌ Coding skills
- ❌ Advanced technical knowledge
- ❌ Experience with AI tools
- ❌ Formal design education

**If you can design interfaces and explain your thinking, you're ready to start.**

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## Ready to Begin?

Ten hours of learning. A lifetime of being indispensable.

**[Start with Module 01: Why WDS Matters →](module-01-why-wds-matters/module-01-overview.md)**

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**This course is free and open-source**
**Created by Mårten Angner and the Whiteport team**
**Integrated with BMad Method for seamless design-to-development workflow**
