UX design certifications demonstrate a candidate’s proficiency in organizing user experience. Those seeking these certifications typically complete a course and pass an exam that assesses specific knowledge and skills relevant to UX tools and techniques. Earning a UX design certification could aid you in your job hunt if you want to work in UX, product management, sales, marketing, or a related industry. In this post, we will cover the various types of UX design certifications, explain the benefits of obtaining these credentials, and provide advice on how to choose the best certification for you.
What Is a UX Certification?
A UX certification verifies a person’s knowledge and expertise in the field of User Experience (UX) design. The process of providing meaningful and engaging experiences for people when interacting with a product or service is referred to as UX design. UX design and UX designers are concerned with understanding user demands, conducting user research, and creating user-friendly interfaces that increase user happiness.
Individuals often undergo training or complete a certification program that covers many aspects of UX design in order to acquire a UX certification. The Google UX Design Certificate, an online program given by Google in partnership with industry professionals, is one well-known example. This program teaches fundamental UX design skills, as well as user research, usability testing, and UX design principles.
The Advantages of a UX Design Certification
Certification programs typically allow you to learn about industry issues and standards while also validating your abilities to potential employers. Here are some advantages to obtaining these types of credentials:
- Learn new skills: Candidates can learn from advanced professionals and study resources regarding UX techniques and advancements by enrolling in a structured or self-paced certification course.
- Gain field experience: Many programs offer career preparation and allow students to do hands-on projects that allow them to gain field experience.
- Create a resume: After getting a certification, you can include the designation, the skills you learned in the program, and any projects you accomplished in the course on your résumé.
- Expand your professional network: When you participate in a certification program, you are likely to encounter mentors, coaches, experienced professionals, and other UX students.
- Stand out from the crowd: While employers frequently interview hundreds of people for a single position, your certification may help your CV and application package wow them and set you apart from the crowd.
Best UX Certification Programs
#1. Springboard
Springboard offers a UX boot camp that focuses on both UI and UX design. This course’s UX section will teach you about UX research, prototyping, and the business of UX. The UI sections include subjects including mobile design concepts, interactivity, and creating high-fidelity mockups.
This UI/UX design course requires all students to complete two capstone projects in which they will identify a user problem, undertake competitor research, construct a prototype, and conduct usability testing. You can put both of these projects in your portfolio whenever you begin seeking jobs.
Students in this boot camp also get the opportunity to collaborate with an outside company on a forty-hour project that is completed over the course of four weeks. This allows students to learn how to collaborate with many stakeholders and to go deeper into the practical aspects of UI/UX design.
All of your learning in this course will be guided by an experienced mentor, all of whom are UI/UX designers from firms such as Google and Adobe. Mentors are accessible to students who require assistance with specific challenges or clarification on theoretical areas of design.
#2. General Assembly
After finishing the General Assembly UX Design immersive boot camp, over 11,000 people have been recruited. Graduates have gone on to work for firms such as Twitter, NBC, Coca-Cola, and AT&T, demonstrating that this is a course that has a proven track record of providing learners with job-ready skills and placing them in leading organizations.
The User Experience Design Standards Board, a group of professionals who come from top firms and have expertise in designing user experiences for them, created the curriculum for this General Assembly course. The curriculum includes traditional UX design subjects as well as innovative areas of study such as design leadership and services design.
This course goes beyond the technical parts of UX design by addressing some of the more practical and soft skills required to work in this area, such as giving presentations, interacting with others, and delivering design criticisms. This is a one-of-a-kind program that equips students with skills required in professional settings.
Students get access to dedicated career advisors in addition to their teachers, who assist them sketch out a career pathway based on their specific aspirations.
Although General Assembly can not guarantee employment, it does provide career assistance. Students are taught how to prepare for interviews, develop a personal brand, and produce an outstanding portfolio of work. They also created special networking events for students to meet hiring managers and others interested in UX design.
#3. Memorisely
Memorisely is a UX/UI design school that specializes in educating developers and designers. Over 500,000 people are now training and working in such disciplines, making up the community. This is a fantastic bonus for those contemplating this boot camp because having a community means having someone to rely on for course feedback and support.
The course’s developers claim to have a zero-powerpoint policy. That means that instead of having an instructor lead you through a presentation, you will learn through working on actual projects. Classes on qualitative research and information architecture are the first on the schedule. It then moves on to topics like design systems, user interface components, and prototyping.
Students in this bootcamp attend live classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. Thursdays are set aside for group mentorship. On Fridays, you will receive personal comments on your portfolio items and case studies. Memorisely suggests that you set up five hours for feedback sessions and other interactions outside of live seminars.
Memorisely offers its bootcamp students career assistance in a variety of ways. Tuesdays are reserved for career chores, which means you can practice networking and portfolio development. Their expert team also provides interview practice and career coaching.
#4. Google
Coursera offers a beginner-level course called Google UX design professional certificate. You do not need any prior design experience or education to enroll in this course. The training lasts six months in total, with a weekly commitment of 10 hours. It offers a flexible structure, and students can monitor their progress in a variety of ways.
The course begins with a theoretical primer on the fundamentals of user experience design. Students then progress to more specialized abilities such as creating wireframes, low-fidelity prototypes, and responsive web design. You will utilize Figma and Adobe XD the most during the course of this certification.
During this course, you will create three complete projects. One mobile app, one responsive website, and one cross-platform app are included. As a result, students learn how to build user experiences for many platforms and device kinds. There is also a capstone project in which you apply all you’ve learned to build a social good project.
So far, 790,000 students have attended this course, indicating that there is a strong, built-in community and that you can find help despite the lack of mentorship supplied through this course. Career services include résumé evaluation, interview preparation, and a job guide.
#5. DesignLab
DesignLab provides a beginner-level education for students with no design expertise who want to enroll in their UX Academy program. This is an introductory course in which students study the fundamentals of visual design and tools such as Figma and Sketch.
If you already know the fundamentals of UX design, you may skip right to the DesignLab UX Academy curriculum. This is a completely online bootcamp where you will learn UX design skills and construct a portfolio of work that will help you obtain a job.
The program can thereafter be completed on a part-time or full-time basis. Part-time students must work 20 hours per week for 30 weeks to finish the course. A full-time schedule lasts 15 weeks and requires a weekly commitment of 40 hours.
The projects that students work on during this bootcamp are given special attention by DesignLab. Each student is assigned four projects: responsive web pages, an end-to-end mobile app, and a feature-based project. This guarantees that students work on a variety of application types, gaining the necessary skills and tools for each.
This bootcamp is divided into two major sections. The first is when you learn important skills like ideation, information design, and user research. The second phase includes the completion of all project and portfolio development. That’s also when you’ll be working on a personal branding project, which will entail honing your web presence and UX design portfolio.
#6. Simplilearn
Simplilearn’s UX design boot camp is co-sponsored by UMass Amherst. This implies that the certification you obtain at the end of the course is issued by the college, and you will be eligible to join the alumni association.
As part of this course, you will work on four unique projects: a sports community app, an e-auction app, a shopping website prototype, and an engine framework. Students are also shown how to set up a Dribbble profile and exhibit their work in a portfolio. This course will teach you how to use UX design tools such as Figma, Balsamiq, inVision, and Mural.
Because this boot camp is offered through UMass Amherst, you will have access to the same job portal as the rest of the college’s students. That means you’ll have fast access to a slew of companies hiring at the campus. Job aid is also provided to students in the form of resume critiques and career counseling.
How Does the Google UX Design Certification Work?
Google was formed in 1995 as a search engine with the purpose of “organizing the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful.” It took a few years, but the young company received its first investor in Silicon Valley in 1998, and the rest is history. The company grew at breakneck speed, adding engineers and developers to support its operations and expanding its reach from a single search engine to hundreds of products you’re probably using right now.
Google and its parent company Alphabet are the Big Tech meccas. So it’s no wonder that the company’s professional Google Career Certificates program has inspired and ushered in a new wave of engineers, developers, and designers. Google’s multiple certification programs span a wide range of areas, including project management and IT support.
Coursera hosts the Google UX Design Certification, a 200+ hour design course. Participants in this course may anticipate to take seven core courses over the course of six months, with a UX course curriculum that includes UX design principles, website wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes, UX research, high-fidelity prototypes and Figma, and responsive web design.
The Benefits of Learning UX Design with Google UX
You may learn at your own speed with Google UX Design School.
You do not have to pick between working full-time and attending online classes. The Google UX Design Certificate program is suitable for beginners and is entirely self-paced. That is to say:
- You progress through the UX course curriculum at your own speed, based on your learning style.
- You may take breaks from the design course as needed.
- You can study wherever you choose. All you need is an internet connection and laser-like focus.
There is one snag. Coursera charges a monthly fee. It’s one of the more economical design courses accessible, costing $39 per month. However, the longer time you spend on the course, the more money you will spend.
Google certifications carry impact.
Without a UX degree, you may become a UX designer, and design classes are an affordable, flexible, and accessible alternative to traditional schooling. However, the UX certification you obtain may have an impact on employers.
On online learning portals like Skillshare alone, there are over 800 design courses. Consider other platforms like as edX and Coursera, as well as other learning institutions, and you’re looking at thousands more courses.
Google is a rare exception among no-name courses. The brand alone commands enormous power and reputation, having affected organic and paid search, smart technology, and other areas. And, get this, following program completion, alumni are connected directly with over 150 U.S. employers who accept Google Career Certificates.
That is not to say that you must obtain a Google professional certificate to get a job. Employers desire UX designers who can carry out their responsibilities. A strong UX portfolio will allow you to demonstrate your expertise (regardless of the design course you choose). Don’t overlook your portfolio; it’s your golden ticket into the industry.
The Drawbacks of Learning UX Design with Google UX
Google UX Design Course does not provide mentorship.
You may rest assured that the UX certification program is of the highest caliber. However, while it shines in terms of curriculum, it falls short in terms of support. Because the curriculum is self-paced, you can go back and study lessons and outside resources for more difficult UX themes. You may have to do this, especially if you’re new to technology because the course lacks teacher or mentor support.
While it is not the end of the world, experienced assistance from real-world professionals might be invaluable if you are a new designer. If the design principles, UI design, prototypes, or user research aren’t clicking, you must seek assistance from your peer network or other outside resources, or risk falling short on critical skills.
The design school does not provide job-search assistance.
For some, the most difficult aspect of entering the IT business is the job-search process. Job hunting for UX professional opportunities is not your typical experience, with technical interviews and competitive exams.
“Design a User Experience for Social Good & Prepare for Jobs” is the final module of the UX certification, in which you apply your UX knowledge to a final project and prepare for UX designer interviews. This module, like the rest of the program, is self-paced and self-taught. Aside from job interview resources, the training provides little career support.
You get what you pay for at this pricing point, but breaking into tech is difficult enough for the uninitiated. It is up to you to negotiate this new terrain without the assistance of a professional counselor or mentor. Regardless of UX certification fame, this is a difficult task.
How Much Is Google UI UX Design?
The Google UX Design Certificate is the same price as a Coursera membership: $39 per month.
Is UX Really in Demand?
UX designers are in high demand, yet skills are few.
Can I Become A UX Designer In 3 Months?
UX Bootcamps can last anywhere from two to ten months.
Is UX Design A Hard Career?
For a variety of reasons, learning UX design can be difficult. Even for persons with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in design-related areas, the abilities required to become a great UX designer are pretty advanced.
In Summary,
UX design certifications demonstrate a candidate’s proficiency in organizing user experience. In this article, we’ve chosen nine of the best UX design certification programs. If you’ve limited it down to a few possibilities, do some further in-depth study before making a final decision.
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