What Classes to Take to Become a UI Designer

If you are planning to study UI design, it's important to make sure that you pick the right classes. There are many different reasons to learn UI design, and as a result, there are many different class options for doing so. This article discusses some of the different types of classes that you can take if you want to become a UI Designer.

What Is UI Design?

User interface (UI) design involves working with the visual and interactive elements of a digital product, like an app or a web page. UI Designers ensure that these elements are used in a way that gives the user an intuitive, easy-to-use, and functional experience. They make choices about placement, color, typography, navigation, and many other features of the interface. UI designers often work closely with User Experience (UX) Designers, who are more focused on the overall user experience.

Ways to Learn UI Design

If you want to become a UI Designer, one of the best options is to take a comprehensive course like a bootcamp or certificate program that is specifically designed to prepare students for an entry-level job in that field. These types of courses cover the knowledge and practical skills that you’ll need, and many include career support. However, while these programs are a great option, there are other types of UI design classes. You’ll also find many short UI design classes. Just keep in mind that these classes are not as comprehensive, and while they are generally cheaper and quicker to complete, they are unlikely to be enough to prepare you for a career in UI design.

College Degree

Earning a college degree is one route to becoming a UI Designer. However, you probably won’t find any schools offering a bachelor’s degree in user interface design. Instead, you’ll need to pursue a degree in a related field like design or computer science. This type of degree is likely to provide you with a comprehensive background and will be a valuable asset, but you’re likely to also need to supplement your education with additional training or experience. For instance, if you earn a degree in design, you’ll also need to learn the technical skills required for UI design, and if you earn a degree in computer science, you’ll need to learn design skills. For most people, a bachelor’s degree takes about four years to earn. Depending on the college that you choose, you’ll also likely need to be prepared to spend tens of thousands of dollars on your education. 

Immersive Bootcamp

Because there is no specific college degree for UI design, an increasing number of students are learning UI design through immersive bootcamps. A bootcamp is an accelerated course that is specifically designed to give you all the knowledge and skills that you’ll need to work in the field of UI design. Most bootcamps take a number of weeks or months to complete and can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000 dollars. While this is still a substantial investment, it is likely to be quicker and less expensive than earning a college degree. With a bootcamp, you’ll focus on learning the concepts and tools that you’ll actually use in a UI design job. In addition, since these programs are intended to get you career-ready, they usually include career support. For example, some include one-on-one mentoring sessions where you can get help building your resume and portfolio. You might also get help preparing for interviews, or even get access to internships and professional networks. Bootcamps are often designed for students with busy schedules and may include a variety of flexible scheduling options like weeknight and weekend classes. Many come in both in-person and live online formats and include both full-time and part-time options. 

Coursera, Udemy, and Other On-Demand Platforms

Another way to learn UI design is to take an on-demand class through a platform like Udemy, Coursera, Masterclass, or Skillshare. These sites offer courses that range from shorter options that can be finished in a few hours, to longer, more comprehensive classes. With on-demand classes, you learn at your own pace, so you have a lot of flexibility. However, compared to live classes that you take through a professional training center, on-demand classes are generally less comprehensive overall. In addition, they are prerecorded and lack a live instructor. This means you can’t get immediate feedback or answers to your questions. In addition, because the course content is pre-recorded, it also has the potential to become outdated. If you want to work as a UI Designer, an on-demand course is unlikely to be enough to prepare you, however, it can be a good way to start learning some information about this field.

Shorter Class

You can also learn some UI design skills by enrolling in a shorter class. A single short class won’t be enough to prepare you for a career as a UI Designer, but it can be an effective way to learn a smaller set of skills. You’ll find shorter classes offered in many of the skills that need to be mastered as a UI Designer, like Figma, graphic design, and Photoshop. An advantage of taking shorter classes is that you can space out the time and cost required to learn UI design skills. However, if you need to take a lot of classes, you can end up spending more money overall, than if you’d opted for one longer comprehensive course. With short classes, it can also be more difficult to make sure you cover all the skills that you’ll need.

Learn UI Design with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop is based in New York City and offers a number of different UI design-related classes, with both short courses that can help you quickly master the basics, and longer, more comprehensive programs that are intended to prepare you for a career in this field. Its classes can be taken in person at its Manhattan facility or in a live online format. Noble Desktop is licensed by the New York State Education Department. All courses include a certificate of completion and the option of a free retake within one year.

One of Noble’s most popular UI design classes is the UI Design Certificate, which is a multi-week course where you’ll learn about composition, typography, color, interactivity, user interface elements, best practices, and all the other things you’ll need to understand in order to work in UI design. You’ll learn to retouch photos in Photoshop, use Adobe Illustrator’s drawing tools to create graphics, icons, and logos, and create UI designs and prototypes using Figma. You’ll also create a portfolio of website and app designs that you can show to potential employers or clients. This class also comes with eight one-on-one mentoring sessions that you can use to work on challenging concepts, review your portfolio, or receive professional advice about applying and interviewing for jobs.

Noble Desktop also offers a UX & UI Design Certificate. This course covers the fundamentals of both UI and UX design. You’ll learn how to conduct user research and testing. You’ll also learn to design digital products and build clickable prototypes using Figma. In addition, as part of the class, you’ll work on projects that you can include in your design portfolio. The class comes with six one-on-one mentoring sessions.

Another option is the Web Design Certificate, which includes instruction in UI design. In this class, you’ll learn to use Figma for designing UI, you’ll build websites with WordPress, and you’ll work on a variety of coding skills. You’ll also learn how to use Git to track changes in your code and to collaborate with other developers, JavaScript for animation and interaction, and Bootstrap for building layouts. Eight one-on-one mentoring sessions are included.

Noble Desktop also offers classes in Figma, which is a popular UI design tool. The Figma Bootcamp takes a number of days to complete. In this bootcamp, you’ll learn a variety of Figma skills including optimizing designs for mobile, tablet, and desktop screens, extracting image assets, designing on grids, and sharing designs with clients. You’ll also learn to create animations and build interactive prototypes. In addition, the class covers components, and working with team libraries.

Another Figma option is the Figma Masterclass, which will take you from a beginner to an advanced level. In this class, you’ll learn to create UI and UX designs for websites and apps, designing layouts that are optimized for various devices. You’ll also learn to build interactive prototypes, make animations, use components, work with team libraries, and use conditionals.