How do Beginners Learn UI Design?

If you’re new to UI design, you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed with all of the things you need to cover. This field requires you to learn a mix of technical and design skills and in order to be successful, you’ll also need to spend a significant amount of time practicing your skills. However, while UI design may seem challenging, it is something that almost anyone can master. This article contains information about the learning process including tips for getting started, free tools that you can use, and where to go after you have mastered the basics. 

Getting Started with UI Design

For most people, the first step in learning UI design is to choose a class. All UI design classes are different, so it’s a good idea to thoroughly research your options and get a good understanding of the course curriculum, how much hands-on experience you’ll get, and the credentials of the instructor. You’ll also need to think about what your goals and existing skills are so that you can find a course that aligns with your specific needs. Most experts say that you should look for a course that includes project work, portfolio development, and mentorship or networking opportunities, since all of these things can be beneficial in your professional career. Many UI design courses last for weeks, so it’s important to do your research before you commit to a course, or you might end up stuck with something that you regret.

It can also be helpful to immerse yourself in the UI design community. You can do this by following online communities and joining professional networks. In an article titled “What Are the Best Ways to Stay Up-To-Date on User Experience and User Interface Design Trends?” LinkedIn suggests, “Join online communities where you can interact with other designers, ask questions, share feedback, and learn from others' experiences. Online communities can also help you find opportunities, events, and resources related to UX and UI design.” Specific communities it suggests include Designer Hangout and UI Design Community. In addition, LinkedIn says, “You can also use platforms like Slack, Discord, or Reddit to find and join relevant channels and subreddits.”

The First Steps When Learning UI Design

One of the first steps in learning UI design is to learn all of the fundamentals that are important to this field. This includes some basic coding skills. It also includes knowing the principles of design, such as how things like color and typography work. To be a UI Designer, you’ll need to develop an understanding of what design elements work and why they do. You’ll also need to learn about human psychology--or how users think--since UI design is about meeting the wants and needs of your users. This includes things like knowing how to encourage users to make certain choices, and understanding how different structures, colors, and other design elements influence users. It also includes developing empathy, which means being able to put yourself in users’ shoes.

Another early step in learning UI design is mastering all of the tools that you’ll need to use. UI Designers use a variety of different applications, such as Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD to create and modify designs and prototypes. They also use graphic design programs like Adobe Photoshop for creating visual elements. Finally, applications play an important role in collaboration, allowing team members to work together to create a final design.

Free UI Design Tools for Beginners

You’ll find a wide range of different free resources online that you can use to teach yourself some UI concepts and skills. This includes tutorials, seminars, and forums. Many different websites offer these free resources. For instance, you’ll find dozens of tutorials on YouTube, covering a wide range of different UI design skills. Schools like Noble Desktop also offer free UI design resources like seminars and blog posts. Some on-demand schools also offer certain UI classes for free. In addition, if you’re trying to learn a specific design application, you may be able to find free tutorials specific to that application. For example, Adobe provides many free tutorials for its design programs, which are posted on its website. The Figma website also contains free resources. Finally, there are many online design forums where people with more experience in UI design are often happy to share tips and insights.

While the wealth of free UI design resources will give you a lot of options, the sheer number of options available can also be problematic. It can be time-consuming to find resources that fit your needs, and it can also be a lot of work to verify that your resources are up-to-date and accurate. In a Georgetown University Library article titled “Evaluating Internet Resources,” the author stresses, “Information available on the Internet is not regulated for quality or accuracy. . . . Keep in mind that almost anyone can publish anything they wish on the Web. It is often difficult to determine authorship of Web sources, and even if the author is listed, he or she may not always represent him or herself honestly, or he or she may represent opinions as fact.” As a result, the author says, users need to always evaluate the quality of their information.

Live UI Design Training for Beginners

While using free tools can be beneficial, most people who are serious about learning UI design decide to enroll in a paid class with a live instructor. There are many advantages associated with a live class. One is that you’ll follow a structured curriculum that covers all of the important topics in UI design, such as research methodologies, prototyping, design principles, and usability testing. Most UI design classes cover both theory and its practical application, giving you a well-rounded education that will prepare you to use your UI design skills in real-world situations. Having access to a comprehensive curriculum is a significant benefit. 

Another advantage of a class is that you’ll receive expert guidance throughout the learning process. Most classes are led by experienced instructors who also have professional industry experience. They can answer your questions and provide feedback. They can also share their insights about industry trends, best practices, and challenges that you are likely to encounter. In addition, they can help you network within the field of UI design. Most people find that when they learn from an instructor, they master UI design much more quickly than when they try to teach themselves.

Taking a class also means that you’ll be learning along with a group of peers, which can also help you learn more quickly and more effectively. Most classes involve a high degree of collaboration, with activities such as group discussions, projects, and workshops. These group activities can help broaden your experience and deepen your understanding. They can also help you prepare for collaborative work in the future, which is common in the field of UI design. Finally, peer interactions can lead to networking opportunities, which can also be valuable in the future.

The Next Step

Once you have a good understanding of design principles and UI design tools, you’ll want to spend lots of time practicing your skills. Practical experience is an important part of learning UI design because it helps you gain a deeper understanding of what you’re doing. Experience is also important if you want to work professionally in UI design. Most employers and clients will want to work with designers who have experience and can show them a portfolio of completed projects. Ways to gain experience include shadowing a UI designer and finding an internship.

You can also keep learning about UI design by taking another class, for instance, one that focuses on more advanced skills or specialty UI design skills. In UI design, constant learning is an important part of being successful. In an article titled “What Are the Best Ways to Stay Up-To-Date on User Experience and User Interface Design Trends?” LinkedIn explains, “Learning new skills can help you adapt to changing user needs, expectations, and behaviors, as well as leverage new technologies and tools.” Many experienced UI Designers stress that when you work in this field, you can expect the learning process to be lifelong. 

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.