A free UI and UX Design course is a good way to get started in the field. If you are going to be a designer, it will give you a basic understanding of UX design and help you decide if you are a good candidate for a career as a designer. An accredited best UI UX certification program will give you all of the skills and techniques that you need to be successful in this field. Moreover, it’s a great way to formalize your knowledge and market yourself as an expert UX practitioner, even if you are a self-taught designer.
In this article, we will introduce you to the best UX certification programs. We will introduce you best ui/ux certification programs such as:
- Nielsen Norman
- Designlab UX Academy
- Designlab UX Academy
- MIT Human-Computer Interaction to Improve User Experience Design
- UI/UX Specialization by Calarts
- Flatiron School UX/UI Design Course
Table of Contents
Is UX Certification beneficial?
The UX Certification is best for:
- UX novice
- Mid-career change
- Internship seeker
- Software Developer
UX Certification is a way to get started in the field of user experience UX design to become a UX designer. It focuses on the principles and methods of user-centered design (UCD), UX design (UX design), as well as user experience research (UX Research).
A UX Certification program will be a huge help if you’re new to UX. The program will guide you through the fundamentals of UX. Although you won’t be qualified to work as a UX researcher or UX designer, you will have a good understanding of their jobs and the scope of your role.
UX certification is a must for software developers. It will allow you to collaborate with other designers and researchers, and help you focus on the users and make better UI UX design services.
Best certification for UI UX designer
It is important to remember that the best UX design certifications are not universally accepted. Therefore, it is crucial to choose a reliable program from a trusted provider. Here is a list of top UX certification programs available right now to help you in your search.
- Online UX design certification programs
- Attendance-based and in-person programs.
Google UX Design Certificate
A quick glance at the Google UX Design Certificate program:
- Study Mode: Online
- For: Newbies with No Experience
- Duration 6 Months (10 hours per Week)
- Price: Free & $39 per month (via a Coursera subscription)
The Google UX Design Certificate is one of the best UX design certification programs for complete beginners who are looking to learn the basics of user experience (UX). The course is open to all levels of experience and qualifications. However, you must be able to learn independently online.
Although the Google certificate does not include any mentorship or personal guidance, there are opportunities to receive peer–to–peer feedback and participate in discussion forums. This certificate is an affordable and flexible option for those who are new to the field.
Google doesn’t charge for the course, so you don’t have to pay for Coursera. Google also offers financial assistance and sponsorship. These topics are covered in the course:
- Foundations of User Experience Design (UX)
- Begin the UX Design Process: Empathize. Define. And Ideate.
- Make Wireframes and Low Fidelity Prototypes
- Do UX Research and Test Early Concepts
- Figma allows you to create high-fidelity prototypes and designs.
- Responsive Web Design in Adobe XD
- Create for social good and prepare for jobs
This course is for beginners and can be used by a mid-career changer or a fresh graduate interested in a UX career.
Nielsen Norman UX Certification
A quick glance at the Nielsen Norman UX Design certificate program:
- Study Mode: Online, Live 2-way video conferencing / In-person
- For: Intermediate (UX Certificate), / Advanced (UX Master Certificate).
- Duration: The UX Certificate is for 30 hours and the UX Master Certificate for 90 hours.
- Cost: USD 3200 to 6,000 tuition fees + USD 400 exam fees for UX Certificate (5 Courses) / USD 9,600-18,000 tuition fee + US 1200 exam fee UX Master Certificate (15 Courses)
The Nielsen Norman Group is a UX consulting company founded in 1998 by Jakob Nielsen. All UX practitioners know them as the UX pioneers. Don Norman, VP of Research at Apple Computer, Inc., coined the term “User experience” in 1993.
The group offers consulting services as well as training services for aspiring and established UX practitioners. The UX Conferences modules are used to train employees at Nielsen Norman Group. There are more than 50 modules that cover topics in UX design, research and management. Each module is about six hours long and covers a specific topic in UX. The module exam is optional and not required to pass. You can skip the exam if you are only interested in learning about a module.
To be eligible for the UX Certification, however, you must attend 5 UX Conferences, pass 5 exams, and complete 5 UX Certification Exams. To qualify for the UX Master Certification, you may also want to take another 10 UX Conferences or pass 10 exams.
The Nielsen Norman UX Certification is more difficult and suited to those with some UX experience. The certification is widely accepted and can be used by experienced professionals to become certified.
Designlab UX Academy
The Designlab UX Academy certificate program at A Glance:
- Study Mode: Online
- Perfect for: Experienced designers and Beginners who wish to become certified
- Duration 4-12 Months
- Price: $7.249-9.677 USD
Designlab’s UX Academy targets both novice and experienced designers who are looking to build a career in UX.
The Designlab focuses on making you job-ready so it’s a great option for anyone looking to make a career change.
The UX Academy Journey is broken down into three stages. The first stage, Design 101 takes approximately 4 weeks. It is completed at a pace of 10-15 hours per week. This course serves as a foundation course that prepares you for the main curriculum. Students are paired up with an expert mentor at this stage.
You’ll be admitted to the UX Academy if the work you do in Design 101 is acceptable. You’ll be working with your mentor on a variety of projects and exercises for 15 weeks or 28 weeks. (Phentermine) The last step is to polish your portfolio and search for a job. The course can take between 4-12 months depending on whether you choose to study full-time or part-time.
MIT Human-Computer Interaction to Improve User Experience Design
The MIT Human-Computer Interaction certificate program at A Glance:
- Mode: Online, E-learning
- Duration: Self-paced for 8-10 hours per semaine for 6 weeks
- Price: USD 2,500
- For: Beginner
MIT Human-Computer Interaction for User Experience Design This is an online course offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. The course can be accessed remotely online and is open to anyone around the globe. The cost of the course is also very affordable.
These are the contents of the curriculum for the program:
- Module 1: The Essence of Interaction
- A brief introduction to HCI/UI and the various levels and concepts that are important to remember in interaction design.
- Module 2 Natural Interaction
- This overview provides a brief description of the natural user interfaces and the design principles that guide them.
- Module 3 Collaborative Computer Interaction
- Find out more about computer interaction and the tools available to help you do it.
- Module 4: Intelligent User Interfaces and Prototyping
- Learn how high-performance apps can increase usability and how prototyping is possible.
- Module 5 Multimedia, Speech, and Vision in Computer Interaction
- Learn more about vision capabilities, gaze following, intuitive media authoring and language learning in computers and machines.
- Module 6 Future Directions for UI
- Explore the future, look at user interaction, and learn more about human-robot interaction and virtual reality.
UI/UX Specialization by Calarts
Coursera offers one of the best UI UX certification courses for beginners to learn UI/UX design skills. This course was created for web designers, focusing on how UI/UX is used on the web and teaching you key web design skills.
This exciting specialization will allow you to learn the basics of UX design. The courses included in this specialization will allow you to begin your journey.
Course duration: 4 months
Course rating: 4.2 out of 5
Michael Worthington Instructor
Course Price: $39-$99 USD per month
This UI&UX certification program is one of the most popular Coursera specializations for learning UI and UX for web design. After completing this course, you will learn to create High Impact User Experiences and how to prototype visually-driven, effective websites and apps.
Flatiron School UX/UI Design Course
Flatiron School Bootcamp at a Glance:
- Study Mode: Hybrid online and on campus
- Ideal For: Beginnings looking for a career change
- Duration: 24 weeks, full-time
- Price: $17,000 US
Flatiron School Bootcamp is one of the best UI and UX certification boot camps that is open to anyone interested in a career as an interior designer. This is an expensive program that requires a commitment of at least six months. It’s a viable option for people who are willing to invest in their careers.
It is available at several locations in the United States including New York City, Austin, San Francisco, and Seattle. You can also find it in London. This boot camp is 24 weeks long and divided into five phases. Phase 1 focuses on Design Essentials. It is offered online in a part-time format.
Students can choose to concentrate on UX or UI at the end of Phase 1. All subsequent phases, including Portfolio, Studio, Client, and Client, are taught full-time on campus, with the exception of the Process phase which is taught online.
Each phase has weekly assignments and quizzes. Students are required to attend meetings, present, get feedback and work on their portfolios.
Flatiron School’s entire boot camp can be completed in 24 weeks if you work full-time. Students are expected to dedicate 40-50 hours per week during the Studio Phase. The boot camp cost $17,000 USD. You can also finance the boot camp with a loan or defer your tuition until after you have earned a certain amount.
Conclusion
This article showed you what to look for in the best UI&UX certification so you can get the best value. We’ve introduced top programs that offer the best certification for UI UX designers in this guide. After narrowing down your options to a few, it is a good idea for you to do more research before you make a decision.
FAQ
Is UI UX design certification worth it?
Our Verdict: Google UX Design Certificate program does a lot of things right! This design certificate provides a high-quality UX curriculum that builds real-world, applicable professional skills. Students can use this to build a resume and make an immediate difference in the technology industry.
How long does Google UI UX certification take?
What is the cost of a Google UX Design certificate? The Google UI UX Design Certificate costs $196. Coursera offers the course through its Coursera Plus subscription, which costs $49 a month. Students typically take 4 months (4 x $49) to complete and receive certification.
