Design Engineer Pro by Sunal Sood
Course Overview
What You Will Learn
- AI-assisted development: Understand how to use AI models and coding environments to accelerate the transition from design to implementation.
- Tool selection and workflow design: Choose appropriate tools for different tasks and understand concepts such as MCP, CLI, and skills.md.
- Mobile application development: Build a React Native application, work with authentication and cloud storage, and prepare an Android APK.
- Native macOS development: Create a macOS application using SwiftUI, refine its interface, and package it as a DMG installer.
- Production and career readiness: Learn how to contribute to an existing codebase and understand what employers look for in design engineering candidates.
- Individual guidance: Access two 30-minute one-to-one calls with Sunal and Shashi after completing Module 03.
Curriculum and Module Breakdown
Module 01: The Shift
8 lessons
- Why an offensive, action-oriented mindset can be more effective than waiting for opportunities or engineering resources.
- Frontend development, backend systems, and APIs explained in accessible language, with examples involving Pocket FM and Flipkart.
- The differences between AI tools designed primarily for prototyping and environments intended for building functional applications.
- The limitations of relying exclusively on tools such as Lovable, v0, and Figma Make.
- A comparison of AI models, including Opus, Sonnet, Codex, and Gemini.
- AI usage costs, including tokens, caching, context windows, and practical considerations when choosing a model.
- How to select an AI model that fits a particular design and development workflow.
Module 02: AI Toolkit
5 lessons
- Why design taste, prompt quality, and workflow decisions matter more than simply choosing a popular AI tool.
- How teams at Perplexity, Intercom, Shopify, RAMP, Pocket FM, and Notion use AI, as presented in the course.
- An overview of Variant UI, Replit, v0, Magic Pattern, Magic Path, Freepic, and Unicorn Studio.
- Practical workflows for using these tools to improve productivity and move projects forward more efficiently.
- An introduction to MCP, CLI, and skills.md, including why these concepts matter for designers working with AI-native development workflows.
Module 03: Mobile App — Build and Ship Bunkd
6 lessons
- Setting up Cursor, Node.js, Expo Go, Xcode, and the iOS simulator.
- Using a Figma frame and Figma Dev Mode MCP to generate an initial running React Native application.
- Iterating on the application with a file picker, PDF preview, and Lottie empty states.
- Working through the practical challenges of an iterative development process.
- Implementing authentication and cloud storage with Supabase and the Supabase MCP.
- Investigating a zero-byte upload bug through a live debugging example.
- Building an Android APK for distribution using EAS.
- Publishing the codebase to GitHub and learning six commonly used Git commands.
Module 04: Mac App — Build and Ship a Native macOS Application
5 lessons
- Setting up Kiro for macOS development and understanding which parts of the previous module’s workflow carry over.
- Building an initial application with Kiro and SwiftUI.
- Comparing Vibe and Spec modes as part of the development process.
- Iterating on notch reminders and adding custom sounds sourced from Pixabay.
- Debugging and refining the interface over three iterations.
- Adding Lottie icons through Airbnb’s Swift Package.
- Implementing personalization based on a user’s name.
- Creating an application icon and packaging the finished project as a DMG installer.
- Reviewing the included Gatekeeper bypass guide for the distribution process.
Module 05: Stay Relevant — Hiring and Production
2 lessons
- Becoming a valuable contributor to an organization’s existing codebase.
- Understanding how to introduce and ship code within a team’s repository without disrupting established work.
- Identifying the skills and signals employers look for when hiring design engineers.
- Understanding the potential career trajectory for design engineering roles.
Bonus: Two One-to-One Coaching Calls
two individual calls with Sunal and Shashi
Who Is This Course For?
- UI and product designers who want to turn Figma designs into working applications rather than relying exclusively on handoffs.
- UX designers interested in experimenting with implementation and validating product ideas through functional prototypes.
- Design engineers who want to strengthen their AI-assisted coding workflows and application delivery skills.
- Independent creators and product builders who want to explore mobile and desktop application development.
- Design professionals pursuing new roles who want to understand the technical expectations and career opportunities associated with design engineering.
Why Learn AI-Assisted Design Engineering?
- Faster experimentation: Move from a visual concept toward a working prototype through iterative AI-assisted implementation.
- Practical technical knowledge: Build familiarity with application frameworks, APIs, backend services, development environments, and version control.
- End-to-end product work: Follow projects through implementation, debugging, and packaging instead of stopping at a static mockup.
- Broader collaboration: Develop an understanding of codebases and technical workflows that can support collaboration with engineering teams.
- Career development: Explore the skills and working practices associated with design engineering roles.
Tools and Technologies Covered
- AI models: Opus, Sonnet, Codex, and Gemini.
- AI-assisted development and prototyping: Cursor, Kiro, Replit, Lovable, v0, Figma Make, Variant UI, Magic Pattern, Magic Path, Freepic, and Unicorn Studio.
- Design-to-code integration: Figma Dev Mode MCP and other MCP-based workflows.
- Mobile development: React Native, Node.js, Expo Go, Xcode, and the iOS simulator.
- Backend and storage: Supabase and its MCP integration.
- Build and distribution: EAS, Android APK packaging, and DMG installers for macOS.
- Native macOS development: SwiftUI and Kiro.
- Interface animation: Lottie and Airbnb’s Swift Package.
- Version control: Git and GitHub.
- Development concepts: Frontend, backend, APIs, CLI, tokens, caching, context windows, and skills.md.
Learning Approach and Expected Outcomes
- Choosing AI models and development tools for different tasks.
- Connecting design references to an initial application implementation.
- Building and iterating on a React Native mobile app.
- Working with authentication and cloud storage through Supabase.
- Debugging practical implementation problems.
- Preparing an Android APK and a macOS DMG installer.
- Maintaining a project through Git and GitHub.
- Contributing more confidently to an existing codebase.
- Preparing for design engineering opportunities and discussing relevant technical work.
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Course Page:
https://www.designengineer.pro/
