Practica

online courses

Practica’s free online courses offer a self-guided learning environment to help you build your human-centered design skills and improve customer experience (CX). Unlike most design training options, Practica courses are tailor-made for learners working in and with public institutions.

Three women sit at a table, looking at a laptop and smiling. Papers and notebooks are on the table, and colorful sticky notes cover the whiteboard in the background, suggesting a collaborative meeting or brainstorming session.

courses

Build core skills for designing human-centered public services and apply them to real projects.

Three women sit at a desk in an office, smiling and talking. Papers, a computer, and office supplies are visible on the desk. File cabinets and cubicle walls are in the background. The image is in black and white.

Foundations

An introductory course on human-centered design for people working to improve public services.

Learn more

Three people are sitting on a carpeted floor, closely collaborating as they sketch on a long sheet of paper. One holds a drawing, another points, and there is a roll of tape nearby. Their faces are not visible.

design principles

Learn how to assess and refine public-facing materials using best practices in accessibility, visual design, and content design.

learn more

A woman wearing a headset sits at a desk with two computer monitors, typing on a keyboard. The screens display data and spreadsheets. Papers and office supplies are scattered on the desk.

User Research

Learn how to conduct user interviews and on-site observations that can guide your design process.

Learn more

A woman stands by a wall-mounted board, speaking to five seated colleagues in a Civilla studio meeting room. The board behind her displays colorful notes and a “what to expect today” sign. Sunlight streams through nearby windows.

Stakeholder Engagement + Storytelling

Learn how to build resilient relationships with your project’s stakeholders using the power of storytelling.

Learn more

A whiteboard covered with colorful sticky notes, papers, and printouts. The notes contain handwritten ideas, sketches, and symbols, indicating brainstorming or project planning.

User Testing

Learn when, why, and how to get ongoing user feedback on your paper and digital designs.

Learn more

A group of people stand in a semi-circle in an industrial-style hallway in Civilla's studio, listening to a speaker. There is a long sheet of paper with diagrams or notes on the floor and posters on the walls.

Implementation

Learn how to move from prototype to real-world implementation by testing your design, training teams, communicating changes, and ensuring users remain at the center.

Learn more

A person holds an Michigan Assistance Application form listing healthcare, food, cash, child care, and emergency relief programs, with instructions and colorful program icons visible on the page.

Applications

Learn how to design a simple, usable benefits application, and start building institutional support for your project.

Learn more

A person in an orange striped sweater holds a stack of papers, with the top page titled Determination Notice, at a desk with a calculator and water bottle nearby.

Correspondence

Learn how to design public-facing correspondence that reduces confusion and improves the user experience.

Learn more

learn on your own or as a team

Whether you want to skill up on your own or address customer experience mandates as a team, our online courses allow you to move at your own pace and focus on what matters most. 

We’ll share:

  • Real Civilla case studies
  • Best practices we’ve honed over a decade
  • Templates that are ready to use
  • Practical tips for applying HCD concepts to your work
  • Tools that help you to re-center the people you serve
Two women sit at a desk in an office cubicle, one typing on a keyboard and smiling at a computer monitor, while the other holds a pen and looks on. Office supplies and a November calendar are visible in the background.

real insights from real case studies

You’ll learn directly from Civilla designers through videos like this, where we walk you through design and language changes we implemented for a key benefits application in Michigan. Practica courses use insights from real case studies that you can apply to your work immediately. 

I appreciated the modern and progressive content. I felt like I was actually LEARNING! It gave me a lot of tools that I can directly apply to my work.

— Christine Hauschildt, Hennepin Health

more ways to learn through practica

Skill Sprints

Focused, facilitated training in one to three days that builds your team’s human-centered design skills. You’ll bring a real customer experience challenge and walk away with practical skills and a shared framework that your team can start applying immediately. 

learn more
Two women stand indoors near large windows. One writes on a notepad, while the other holds a sticky note and pen thoughtfully to her lips. Bright sticky notes are visible on the wall, and a potted plant is in the background.
A person stands by whiteboards covered in sticky notes and charts, presenting to a group of seated people in a brightly lit office space with large windows and industrial decor.

Accelerators

Six months of deep human-centered design practice that builds your team’s capacity for improving customer experience. Through interactive workshops and targeted coaching with experienced Civilla instructors, your team will make meaningful progress on a project by applying new concepts in real time. 

learn more

enrollment help

If you have trouble signing up, reach out to us at practicaonline@civilla.org.