BMAD-METHOD/docs/learn/00-course-overview/00-course-overview.md

WDS Course: From Designer to Linchpin

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

Watch the Course Introduction Video

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Welcome to the WDS Course

This comprehensive course teaches you the complete WDS workflow through 18 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?

MÃ¥rten Angner is a UX designer and founder of Whiteport, a design and development agency based in Sweden. After years of working with AI tools, MÃ¥rten 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.

MÃ¥rten 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. MÃ¥rten 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

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 (Modules 1-2)

Module	Title	Agent	Time
01	Why WDS Matters	—	40 min
02	Installation & Setup	—	45 min

Alignment (Module 3) — Optional

Module	Title	Agent	Time
03	Alignment & Signoff	Saga	55-75 min

Skip if doing it yourself — go straight to Product Brief

Strategy Phase (Modules 4-6) — Agent: Saga

Module	Title	Agent	Time
04	Product Brief	Saga	60 min
05	Platform Requirements	Saga	30 min
06	Trigger Mapping	Saga	95-125 min

Design Phase (Modules 7-13) — Agent: Freya

Module	Title	Agent	Focus	Time
07	Design Phase Introduction	Freya	Overview	20 min
08	Outline Scenarios	Freya	UX	30 min
09	Conceptual Sketching	Freya	UX	60 min
10	Storyboarding	Freya	UX	45 min
11	Conceptual Specifications	Freya	UX	60 min
12	Functional Components	Freya	UX	45 min
13	Design System	Freya	Systems	30 min

Build & Deliver Phase (Modules 14-16) — Agents: Freya + Idunn

Module	Title	Agent	Focus	Time
14	Agentic Development	Idunn	7-activity menu	60 min
15	Visual Design & Assets	Freya	Asset pipeline	60 min
16	Design Delivery	Freya	Handover	45 min

Validate & Evolve (Modules 17-18) — Agents: Freya + Idunn

Module	Title	Agent	Time
17	Usability Testing	Freya	45 min
18	Product Evolution	Idunn	30 min

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Learning Paths

Complete Course: All 18 modules (~10 hours)

Quick Start: Modules 01, 02, 04, 06, 08, 11 (~6 hours)

Strategy Only: Modules 1-6 (~4 hours)

Design Deep Dive: Modules 7-13 (~5 hours)

Build & Deliver: Modules 14-16 (~3 hours)

Phase-Specific: Jump to any phase as needed

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The Three Agents

WDS uses three AI agents, each with a specific domain:

Agent	Domain	Phase	Modules
Saga	Strategy	Strategy	3-6
Freya	UX, Visual Design & Assets	Design & Deliver	7-13, 15-17
Idunn	Development & Evolution	Build & Evolve	14, 18

Each agent maintains focus on their domain while coordinating with the others.

Idunn's 7 activities (Module 14): Prototyping, Development, Bugfixing, Evolution, Analysis, Reverse Engineering, and Acceptance Testing — all menu-driven from a single entry point.

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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. Documentation Guide - Reference documentation
2. Quick Start - Try WDS with agent
3. Community - 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 →

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