Is UI Design a Hard Class?

It can be challenging to learn UI design. This field requires that you master a range of different concepts including design and an understanding of human psychology. You’ll also need to learn a number of design applications. If you already know something about design or web development, you’re likely to learn more quickly, however, even a beginner can learn UI design. This article discusses some of the challenges you might encounter while you are learning and ways to make the learning process easier.

What is Hard about Learning UI Design?

One thing that makes UI design challenging to learn is that there are a lot of different types of skills to master. You’ll need to gain a mix of design and development skills. You’ll also need to master a variety of different tools, like Adobe XD and Figma. In addition, you’ll need to develop an understanding of human psychology so that you can better understand the wants and needs of your users.

The particular challenges that you face will partly depend on your unique background. Design and development are two quite different fields, so it is common for new students to struggle with one side and feel more at ease with the other. For instance, if you have some design knowledge, you might find it easier to learn the design side, but find things like coding, research, and testing more challenging. In contrast, if you have a background in development, then these development skills might come more naturally to you, while design skills like using color and typography may be more difficult.

Some people find empathy to be one of the most challenging parts of UI design. Learning empathy means developing the ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes. By doing so, you can truly understand the thoughts and emotions of your users, and you’ll be able to create designs that really meet their needs. In an article titled, “How Can You Design User Interfaces that Prioritize Empathy and User Advocacy?” LinkedIn explains, “You try to see the world from their eyes, feel their pain points and emotions, and address their problems and aspirations. You also communicate with them, listen to their feedback, and involve them in the design process.” Developing empathy means learning to step back from your own biases and assumptions, and this is often challenging.

How Can I Make Learning UI Design Easier?

If you want to work in UI design, it’s important to start out right, building a strong foundation by learning all of the basics. This includes things like color theory, typography, composition, layout, and how to properly conduct user research. To master all of this foundational knowledge, it's also important to devote a lot of time to practice, which will help strengthen your skills. As a UI Designer, you’ll also want to understand that learning will be a lifelong process. This is a constantly evolving field, so you’ll need to keep learning throughout your career in order to stay up-to-date with the latest technology and trends.

When you’re learning UI design, 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.”

You’ll find a wide range of different free resources online that you can use to help you learn. 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.

Best Ways to Learn UI Design Without Difficulty

While learning UI design on your own has some advantages, and some UI Designers are completely self-taught, 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.

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.