Are you wondering if it is possible to learn UX design yourself? Today, you can completely self-study user experience design with the support of 4.0 technology. You should also learn a prestigious course to continue sustainable development in this field.
So what is the best course? I spent time researching and testing a lot of free and paid courses.
Whether you’re a beginner or someone with a lot of experience in the field, you can find a course that’s right for you.
There are many courses related to UX design. However, not many courses can bring knowledge as exciting and valuable to as many different subjects as the 10 courses below.
1. Introduction to User Experience Design
Specifications
- Difficulty: beginner.
- Duration: Flexible schedule.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Coursera x Georgia Tech.
Course’s Highlights
Whether you are just interested in UX design or have previous background knowledge, Introduction to User Experience Design can satisfy you.
I have accompanied this course for five weeks, spending about 1-2 hours watching lectures. Each week, I need to care about 1 to 2 in 10 – 15 minute videos.
Although it is not long, it covers the concepts and guides the basic design steps. I appreciate its convenience because I can study anytime and anywhere.
My only complaint with this beginner course is that it has too few practical exercises. Therefore, learning will be even more effective when providing videos and readings as well as the system offers many practices and questions.
Enroll Here: https://www.coursera.org/learn/user-experience-design
Pros
- Study every time and everywhere.
- Complete the system quickly.
- A short video is easy to understand.
- Provide basic knowledge.
- A detailed guide to UX design steps.
Cons
- Not much practice.
2. Foundations of User Experience Design
Specifications
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: Flexible schedule.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: UX designers and researchers at Google.
Course’s Highlights
As the name suggests, Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design is aimed at beginners who are strong in UX design. After completing this course, you can build the most basic and low-level user experience projects.
Therefore, this course is one of the few options that require no experience. But once it’s done, you’ll be a standard UX designer.
What impressed me most about this course was the detailed sharing of UX principles. I also appreciate the clear chemical texture that addresses standard UX research methods.
Yet, I’m not satisfied with the videos at the end of the course. The knowledge in this section is a bit confusing for beginners with little experience in this field.
Enroll Here: https://www.coursera.org/learn/foundations-user-experience-design
Pros
- Suitable for beginners.
- No experience is required.
- It helps you get a solid foundation of knowledge.
- After the class, learners can build low-level projects.
- Provide detailed and easy-to-understand information.
Cons
- The last part is quite confusing.
3. Designing with a User-Centered Approach
Specifications
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 45 minutes.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Sr. UX Manager Google, Cinthya Mohr.
Course’s Highlights
The key to UX design is understanding user experience. The Designing with a User-Centered Approach is the course to help you know more about this factor.
Although this course only lasted 45 minutes, I gained interesting insights on how to create practical solutions to user pain. I also learned about valuable tools for designing digital products and interacting with users.
This course is perfect for anyone looking to build a background in UX design.
Despite receiving many positive reviews, this course still has some drawbacks that make me not too satisfied. For example, I have difficulty continuing to watch lectures on my phone because of video scaling problems.
Enroll Here: https://www.skillshare.com/en/classes/Intro-to-UX-Designing-with-a-User-Centered-Approach/658216834
Pros
- The duration is short.
- Learning is easy to understand.
- Introduction to digital product design tools.
- Provide background knowledge related to UX design.
- It helps to understand user experience better.
Cons
- Low-quality tutorial video
4. User Experience Design Training
Specifications
- Difficulty: Intermediate.
- Duration: 3 days.
- Price: $2,650.
- Provider: Learning Tree.
Course’s Highlights
User Experience Design Training aims to educate you to create UX usable on desktop and mobile devices. Yet, in my experience, the benefits of the course with web-based UI creators are more pronounced.
This course focuses on solving common UX design problems, suggesting devices you can use to serve you better. This course also includes instruction in refining the design through experimentation.
Yet, the time and knowledge in this module are not deep enough for learners to apply well.
Enroll Here: https://www.learningtree.com/courses/user-experience-ux-design-training-for-successful-software
Pros
- Quick completion time.
- Solve common problems.
- Optimized for the web user interface.
- Suggest necessary devices and operating systems.
Cons
- Pretty sketchy in fine-tuning the design through testing.
5. Google UX Design Professional Certificate
Specifications
- Difficulty: Beginner & Intermediate
- Duration: Flexible schedule.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Google Career Certificates.
Course’s Highlights
If you are new to UX design, you probably have many questions about the basic concepts. Besides, you don’t understand the design process well and lack knowledge of UX research.
Apply now for the Google UX Design Professional Certificate, and all your problems will be solved. You will understand the design process and basic UX concepts by taking the course.
I appreciate Google UX Design Professional Certificate and practical exercises.
The course requires the implementation of three end-to-end projects. These projects have allowed me to develop my skills in creating mobile apps, websites, and cross-platform experiences.
It’s a pity that the course doesn’t come with examples. The theories presented by the instructor are easier to understand with practical illustrations.
Enroll Here: https://www.coursera.org/professional-certificates/google-ux-design
Pros
- No need for experience.
- Three end-to-end projects.
- Provide definitions of basic concepts
- Help learners understand the design process.
- Support learners in creating cross-platform apps and websites.
Cons
- Lack of illustrative examples.
6. UX Design for Mobile Developers
Specifications
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: Approx. 6 Weeks.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Google.
Course’s Highlights
Want to become a mobile app developer but have difficulty creating quality products? Register now for the short course UX Design for Mobile Developers to learn about bugs and how to fix them effectively.
In the first lectures, I learned techniques used for UX design. After acquiring the necessary processes and tools, I could code and create simple applications.
The knowledge provided by the course comes from industry experts. I have complete confidence in the course’s up-to-date, accurate, and usefulness.
Yet, I don’t appreciate the exercise system that UX Design for Mobile Developers provides. They lack freshness and are not too applicable to my current work.
Enroll Here: https://www.udacity.com/course/ux-design-for-mobile-developers–ud849
Pros
- The instructor is an industry expert.
- Good support for mobile developers.
- Cover UX design techniques in detail.
- Provide technical information and necessary tools.
- After the course, learners can create simple applications.
Cons
- Need to update the exercise system regularly.
7. UI / UX Design Specialization
Specifications
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 4 months.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Calarts.
Course’s Highlights
I studied the UI/UX Design Specialization for four months. Every month, I delve into an issue. In the beginning, I learned about the main stages of UX development for a website or app.
Then I learned how to define strategy and project scope and develop sitemaps.
During my studies, I received many short assignments. At the end of the course, I’ll be working on a web/app design project with simulation functionality.
After following the scientific study schedule and completing the above diverse system of exercises, my UX design skills have improved significantly.
Yet, the exercise system in the course will have an advanced difficulty. For beginners, these exercises can be a bit overwhelming.
Enroll Here: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/ui-ux-design
Pros
- High logic learning path.
- Enhance UX design skills.
- Lots of helpful knowledge.
- Provide short assignments.
- Describe the process specific to projects.
Cons
- Short exercises are pretty tricky.
8. User Experience Design Essentials
Specifications
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 9h 45m.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Daniel Scott, Adobe Certified Trainer.
Course’s Highlights
I have used Adobe XD proficiently for UX design before. However, with User Experience Design Essentials, I still learned a lot of helpful knowledge.
This course taught me to get the most out of Adobe XD to create high-quality functional mockups. In particular, I also work on the instructor’s real-life project while participating in the course. The experience of working with experts in the field has taught me many valuable lessons.
When you sign up for this course, you need to download Adobe XD 2018 or later. You can start with a free trial if you can’t afford the official version.
Enroll Here: https://www.skillshare.com/en/classes/User-Experience-Design-Essentials-Adobe-XD-UI-UX-Design/1581992558
Pros
- Have practical skills.
- Firmly grasp the theory.
- Work directly with the instructor.
- Help get the most out of Adobe XD.
- Guide to creating high-quality functional models.
Cons
- Must work with Adobe XD 2018 or later.
9. UX Design for Graphic Designers
Specifications
- Difficulty: Beginner, intermediate or advanced
- Duration: Flexible schedule.
- Price: $29 per month after a 10-day trial.
- Provider: Brett Marshall.
Course’s Highlights
I used to have a pretty long time working as a graphic designer. And I understand the beginner’s confusion with graphic design and UX design.
UX Design for Graphic Designers is a course that shows the differences between these two tasks clearly for you.
This program solves learners’ misconceptions by explaining what UX designers do. It also gives an example of a typical website project that makes it easier for learners to understand.
I recommended the course to my colleague. By the end of the period, he was almost able to handle basic UX design tasks well.
As a practical course, UX Design for Graphic Designers requires students to pay a fee. Interactive situations throughout the learning process are worthwhile. And you certainly won’t regret investing in it.
Enroll Here: https://www.pluralsight.com/courses/ux-design-graphic-designers
Pros
- Highly interactive.
- High practicality.
- Provide many examples.
- A simple way to convey knowledge.
- Transition from graphic design to UX design.
Cons
- Request a fee.
10. Move from Graphic Designer to UX DESIGNER
Specifications
- Difficulty: Beginner.
- Duration: 2h 25m.
- Price: Free.
- Provider: Skillshare.
Course’s Highlights
If you have previous web design skills, you will have no trouble completing the Move from Graphic Designer to UX Designer course. This course helps you develop your existing graphic and web design knowledge base. It is also an option worth considering for anyone interested in professional UX design.
It provides critical tool insights, wireframing instructions, and InVision modeling. I was particularly impressed with the lecture on running A/B tests and how to read as well as generate reports. The instructions included in the course are detailed enough and beneficial for all subjects.
Unfortunately, this course doesn’t have many valuable examples. I was expecting it to have more real-life examples and applications.
Enroll Here: https://www.skillshare.com/en/classes/Move-from-Graphic-Designer-to-UX-DESIGNER/1514560071
Pros
- Many valuable lessons.
- Consistent with many objects.
- Lectures are detailed and easy to understand.
- Ideal for those who already have web design skills.
- Support to enhance knowledge of professional UX.
Cons
- Lack of real-life examples.
Learning Guide
Price
Most of the beginner courses are free. However, you won’t notice the simple techniques if you have a background in UX design. Instead, you can look at intermediate-level systems, which are often more expensive.
Duration
One of the most significant benefits of online learning is flexible study time.
Most courses today allow you to study anywhere and anytime. Therefore, you can completely control the time to complete your course.
Syllabus
The most suitable study program will depend on your needs and qualifications.
The beginner courses will cover basic knowledge. It does not have many complicated exercises and does not require the learner to have experience.
FAQs
What was the most challenging thing to learn in UX design?
Understanding how to use data is the hardest part of learning UX design because this operation requires you to understand the command line and carefully study the user experience issue.
How do I choose a UX course?
When choosing a UX course, you should consider the program’s cost, study time, and quality.
What do you learn in a UX design course?
A course that teaches UX design will allow you to do user research, interface design, web, and more.
What should I know before learning UX design?
You should learn about front-end technologies and user-centered design principles.
How can I improve my UX design skills?
To improve your design skills, you can conduct A/B reviews, reinventing your designs.
Final Thoughts
I always recommend Introduction to User Experience Design for those new to UX design. This easy-to-understand but detailed course promises to give you valuable knowledge that will lay the foundation for your future work.
Besides, you have quite a few other options in the list above. I hope you make the right decision and complete the course with the best results.