If I could drop everything one day and start over, I would want to be a UX designer.
It’s multi-disciplinary, you learn everything along the way, and the best part is, it is in demand right now!
Of course, the journey to becoming a UX designer is not a walk in the park for everybody. You have to get the proper training first, and then practice and learn by yourself some more.
Well, that second part is up to you, but hey, let me put you on the first part and today.
Let’s look into some of the best UX design classes and courses in 2023.
But first, let me answer one question that has been on everyone’s mind for so long:
What should I study to become a UX designer?
UX designer is a fairly newly recognized position, and it is also quite multidisciplinary. Meaning, you have the potential to kill it as a UX designer after graduating from a handful of majors like:
- UX/UI design
- Computer science
- Psychology
- Graphic design
- Design
- Information sciences
And a lot more fields of study that you wouldn’t believe had anything to do with UX design. But more importantly, let’s answer this question:
Do I need a degree to be a UX designer?
The answer is a big fat no.
If there is one thing that Facebook posts taught us, it is this: you don’t have to have a degree to be successful in tech.
You could name any big company today (Tesla, Facebook, Uber, Twitter, and more) and I will tell you that the founder doesn’t have a college degree. They just don’t need it.
But this is, of course, a tricky situation. Now you are thinking, “but I am not a founder, they are going to ask for a degree anyways”.
They will unless you show them how talented you actually are.
And how do you get talented? Through practice.
That’s exactly what UX design classes are for. They start you off with an idea, teach you stuff you didn’t know, and all but most importantly, they help you find your potential.
So if you don’t think a degree is for you, you have come to the right place. Let’s take a look at some of the best UX design courses out there.
The Best UX Design Classes and Courses in 2023
1- Introduction to User Experience Design
Free intro class? Yes, please.
This course is an introduction to UX design and covers all aspects of the process. It’s a great place to get started if you don’t have any experience in this field.
With this UX design course, you will get a chance to learn more about the process of user research, prototyping, testing, and more.
This course comes with complete access to instructor-led lectures, videos, and resources. It will teach you how user-centered research and testing can improve your product or service, as well as what makes a great product or service from a UX perspective.
This course is a good place to start because it will help you figure out whether or not UX design is really the right career path for you. It also provides a firm foundation of knowledge that you can build upon in your future education.
- Price: Free
- Duration: 6 hours
- Online
- Click here to learn more about the course.
2- Google UX Design Professional Certificate
Google’s UX Design Professional Certificate is a free course offered through Coursera.
This program includes more than 200 hours of instruction as well as hundreds of practice-based tasks and exams that model real-world UX design scenarios and are essential for workplace success.
The content is highly interactive and was created by Google employees with decades of valuable UX design experience. Yep, you read that right, I said Google.
You’ll learn how to complete the design process from start to finish, including:
- empathizing with users;
- defining user pain points;
- coming up with ideas for design solutions;
- creating wireframes, mockups, and prototypes;
- testing designs through usability studies;
- iterating on designs based on feedback.
You’ll study Figma and Adobe XD, two in-demand design tools, through a mix of videos, texts, quizzes, and hands-on activities. You’ll also be able to put up a portfolio of three projects to show off the skills you gained in this program to potential employers.
It’s made especially for beginners who want to become professional designers in the industry. This program is a great way to kickstart your career as well as learn the tools and processes that industry-leading companies use.
- Price: Free
- Duration: 6 months to complete at 10 hours/week pace
- Online
- Click here to learn more about the course.
3- NN/g UX Certification
NN/g is a global digital agency that specializes in user experience design and technology. And they are here to create more UX experts.
Their UX certification course will help you learn how to go from beginner to pro, gaining the skills needed to be successful in today’s industry. You’ll get real-world projects with step-by-step instructions on how the best practices are applied by expert practitioners.
This course is perfect for beginners who want to learn the basics of UX design, as well as for more experienced professionals looking to stay ahead in their careers.
It will help you gain knowledge and skills that are highly sought after by employers across many industries today.
NN/g offers two advanced certifications:
- Specialty Recognition (passing at least five courses in a particular specialty area) and
- UX Master Certification (complete UX Certification and pass additional 10 courses)
At each conference, you have the option of taking one or seven courses, and you only pay for the courses you register for. This means you can finish your certification in one conference or stretch it out to over several conferences. After each course, you’ll have 35 days to complete the exam.
Before Covid, these conferences were in-person conferences that were held at various locations around the world. Now, the conferences are held online, meaning you can attend them in the comfort of your own room.
- Price: $3200 in tuition for five courses plus $400 in exam fees ($80 per exam)
- Duration: 5 to 7 days
- Online
- Click here to learn more about the course.
4- General Assembly UX Design Immersive
General Assembly offers a 12-week UX design immersive course that will teach you the skills and tools needed to be successful in this industry.
You’ll learn everything from sketching, prototyping, user research, empathy mapping, information architecture to visual design and testing your work with real users. You’ll get hands-on experience working on projects with classmates and instructors, gaining the skills that are essential if you hope to succeed as a UX designer.
This course is perfect for beginners who want to gain knowledge in all aspects of user experience design. It’s taught by instructors with years of industry experience, so you’ll get the best knowledge possible to start your own career.
At the end of the course, you’ll work with other students to create a capstone project over the course of a three-week sprint. And to top it off, resume reviews, interview preparation, and whiteboarding practice are all included in the course.
- Price: $14,950 (can be paid all at once or in three installments)
- Duration: 12 weeks (full-time)
- Online
- Click here to learn more about the course.
5- CareerFoundry Certified UX Designer
CareerFoundry is an online education platform that offers UX design courses to help you gain the knowledge and skills needed for a career in this field.
Their Certified User Experience Designer course will teach you how to go from beginner to pro, gaining the necessary skills employers are looking for today. You’ll acquire knowledge and experience working on projects with real-world clients.
This UX design certification program is perfect if you’re a beginner or fairly new to the industry. It’s taught by career experts, so it’s ideal for beginners who want hands-on experience with real clients and instructors.
- Price: $7505 upfront or $7900 ($1400 upfront, then $650 for 10 months)
- Duration: 6 months at 30-40 hours/week or up to 10 months at 15-20 hours/week
- Online
- Click here to learn more about the course.
6- DesignLab UX Academy
DesignLab’s UX Academy is a beginner-level online course that will teach you the basics of user experience design.
You’ll learn firsthand from instructors with years of industry experience, gaining knowledge and skills to help launch your career as a UX designer. You can also expect mentorship with an instructor throughout the program so you can grow as a designer.
DesignLab’s UX Academy Journey is divided into three parts.
The UX Academy Foundations part is intended to introduce students to the field of user experience design. There are 480 hours of coursework and projects at the Academy. Except for mentoring meetings and group critiques, which require detailed planning, everything is online and on-demand.
This course is perfect for beginners who are ready to jump into the industry but don’t have any work experience because it teaches you all the necessary skills to succeed as a UX designer.
This course also provides Career Support And Coaching. A must, for sure.
Career Services is a 24-week program in which you will be matched with a Career Coach. A Career Coach is a professional mentor with hiring experience or a track record of securing positions at well-known companies.
They’ll assist you in looking for a generalist position as a UX, UI, or Product Designer (whether it is a full-time, part-time, internship, or freelance position).
- Price: $6,249 Upfront or $6,649(1,041/mo)
- Duration: Up to 36 weeks (plus six months of Career Services)
- Online
- Click here to learn more about the course.
7- User Experience Design Fundamentals
This course is perfect for beginners who want to learn the basics of user experience design and UX tools without breaking the bank.
Taught by expert Joe Natoli, this course is a great way to gain the knowledge and skills needed for a career as a UX designer. You’ll learn about user research, prototyping & sketching, information architecture, and much more.
This ten-hour course, which is made up of on-demand videos and tasks giving you the chance to apply the knowledge you’ve acquired, will provide you with a complete understanding of how to do UX—from research to strategy.
- Price: $20.99
- Duration: Ten hours
- Online
- Click here to learn more about the course.
8- User Experience: The Beginner’s Guide
This UX design course is perfect for beginners who are ready to dive into the field of user experience.
You’ll gain a thorough understanding of the many design principles that come together to produce a user’s experience when using a product or service throughout this course.
As you go along, you’ll discover the value that user experience design adds to a project and what areas you must consider when designing exceptional user experiences.
If you’re new to the Interaction Design Foundation, this course is an excellent place to start because it contains an extensive collection of material taken from a number of other courses on offer.
This gives you a fantastic overall introduction to user experience as well as a brief glimpse of a range of courses they run to help you develop your future career. Following each lecture, they will present you to the courses you can take if a specific topic has piqued your interest.
- Price: Free with a membership (€15/month)
- Duration: 18 hours 12 mins over 6 weeks
- Online
- Click here to learn more about the course.
Conclusion
The UX design field is growing rapidly and provides a great opportunity for those who want an exciting, challenging, and rewarding career.
If you’re looking to break into the industry, these courses will provide you with all the knowledge and skills needed to be a successful UX designer.
And remember: It’s never too early nor too late to start your career as a UX designer.
