Course Curriculum

5 Sections
00

The Essential Roles of Filters and Sort

3 Lessons 41 min
  • Course Overview & Downloads 5 min
  • The Gatekeeper and the Organizer 5 min
  • Better Filters & Sorting = Better Business Outcomes 5 min

Practice Activities

  • Evaluate Filters and Sort in the Wild (Instructions) 19 min
  • Evaluate Filters and Sort in the Wild (Walkthrough) 7 min

Resources Provided

  • 0.1_CheatSheet_Filters-and-Sorting (PDF)
01

Sorting: How You Organize Options

4 Lessons 54 min
  • The Two Types of Sorting, and When to Use Which 7 min
  • How the Default Sort State Influences First Impressions and Retention 7 min
  • Sort Options: How Many and What to Call Them? 9 min
  • Stop Burying Sort Controls 5 min

Practice Activities

  • Design a Sort Experience for a Home Goods Store (Instructions) 20 min
  • Design a Sort Experience for a Home Goods Store (Walkthrough) 6 min
02

Filtering System Decisions: Before You Design a Single Screen

3 Lessons 61 min
  • A Framework for Choosing Filter Categories and Values 17 min
  • Filter Logic: OR, AND, plus What to Do When It Gets Complicated 10 min
  • Static vs. Dynamic Filters: When to Use Which 7 min

Practice Activities

  • Critique and Redesign Filter Categories and Logic (Instructions) 20 min
  • Critique and Redesign Filter Categories and Logic (Walkthrough) 7 min
03

Filtering Interface Decisions: Designing the Screens

5 Lessons 69 min
  • The Wrong Input Control Can Break Your Filter Experience 11 min
  • Where Filters Live on the Page (and Why It Matters) 13 min
  • Feedback: How to Keep Users Oriented While They Filter 9 min
  • When to Save Filters and When to Reset Them 7 min
  • Sorting and Filtering that Work Together 6 min

Practice Activities

  • Design a Filtering Experience Interface (Instructions) 19 min
  • Design a Filtering Experience Interface (Walkthrough) 4 min
04

Technical Considerations: Avoid Torturing Your Developers

4 Lessons 55 min
  • The Questions You Should Be Asking Your Developers 9 min
  • Avoid Spaghetti Prototypes 7 min
  • Accessible Filters: What Breaks for Keyboard and Screen Reader Users 12 min
  • Wrap Up 3 min

Practice Activities

  • Build a Filter Prototype (Instructions) 18 min
  • My Filter Prototype (Walkthrough) 6 min

Learning Outcomes

  • Design sorting controls that organize information for real-world user decisions
  • Design filter categories, logic, and interaction patterns that help users narrow down large option sets
  • Design filter interfaces that are clear and predictable across content types, devices, and sessions
  • Test and ship accessible filter/sorting designs that prioritize technical feasibility

Course Preview

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Tools Used in This Course

To complete activities in this course, you will need access to a free version of an AI prototyping tool (e.g., v0, Bolt, Lovable, or Figma Make).

All other resources can be accessed through a standard PDF reader.

Turn Problems Into Solutions

Match filter and sort interface patterns to the appropriate task, content, and device

  • Design sorting defaults and labels that map to how users browse and search
  • Define filter categories grounded in user mental models, discovered through user research
  • Place filters based on content type and screen size (side rail, overlay drawer, toolbar, etc.)

Support fast, confident user decisions with the right filter and sort behaviors

  • Prevent “zero results” dead ends with dynamic faceted filters
  • Choose filter logic and when results update based on what users are trying to do
  • Communicate filter state through real-time counts, applied-filter chips, and predictable persistence

Ship filter and sort experiences that won’t torture your engineers

  • Define performance, latency, and indexing constraints with engineers before committing to a design
  • Prototype complex filter designs beyond the happy path that you can test
  • Plan for keyboard navigation, screen-reader support, and strong SEO from the start of the design process

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will I have access to this course?
Once purchased, your access will never expire. This ensures you can learn at your own pace and return to review content as often as you'd like, whenever you need.
Will I get personalized instructor feedback on course activities?
No, personalized feedback is not provided for activities completed during the course. Most courses provide answer keys to activities that help learners reflect on their progress and understanding of course materials and examples.
What content can I download?
You can download a variety of resources provided with each course, including templates, how-to guides, cheat sheets, posters, reading lists, and more. Video lessons provided in all courses will not be available for download.
Can I access this course offline or on a mobile device?
Offline access isn't available yet, although we plan to add it. Most courses offer downloadable resources for offline reference.

For the best experience, mobile devices are not recommended.
Is this course eligible for the NNGroup UX Certification Program?
Unfortunately, self-paced courses do not count toward UX Certification. However, learners who complete the final exam will receive a “Recognition of Completion” to demonstrate their achievement.

See our Live Online courses for options that count toward UX Certification.
What can I share with my employer to show I’ve completed the training?
Upon completing a course’s final assessment, you will receive a “Recognition of Completion” showcasing your dedication to learning the topic. This document can be shared with your employer or professional network to demonstrate your new skills and commitment to professional development.