Explore in-depth insights into UI design, a sub-field of digital design focused on the visual appearance of user interfaces for digital applications. Understand the importance of UI design training for a myriad of careers, from web application development to web page design, and learn about the variety of training options available, including in-person and online classes, free tutorials, and on-demand courses.

Which UI Design Training Format Is Right for Me? Compare Learning Methods

UI design is a sub-field of digital design concerned with the visual appearance of user interfaces for digital applications. By combining text, graphics, images, and interactive elements, UI Designers build layouts for evocative and memorable digital applications that communicate meaning to audiences. UI design training is ideal for anyone looking to build web applications or design web pages. When comparing types of UI design training, there are many factors to consider. Everyone learns differently, and choosing the right training is critical to your experience.

Keep reading to learn more about the different formats of UI design training, how they compare, and how to determine which is best for you.

What is UI Design?

UI design is the field of graphic design concerned with how digital applications look and how they communicate information to users. UI designers ensure that a digital application looks appealing and communicates effectively with its audience. UI Designers will create digital assets using graphic design programs and then build layouts and prototypes of those layouts to share for collaboration and testing. UI design pairs closely with UX design. UI designs concern themselves with how the digital application looks, whereas UX Designers concern themselves with how the digital application feels. These two fields work closely enough together that often, one designer will do both.

Visual and graphic design skills are vital to the field of UI design. UI Designers will need to learn how to utilize a variety of different graphic design programs, and they will need to understand theories and philosophies of composition. Images and graphics communicate a large amount of information in a small space, and it is the job of UI Designers to ensure that the information a digital application communicates aligns with the desired message that a client seeks to send. This will mean that UI design focuses heavily on any project's small details, assuring that all design elements come together to communicate ideas effectively. UI design is thus concerned with both the big picture design of a digital application and the visual design of the various individual components that are used to build the appearance of that digital application.

Read more about what UI design is and why you should learn it.UI design is the field of graphic design concerned with how digital applications look and how they communicate information to users. UI designers ensure that a digital application looks appealing and communicates effectively with its audience. UI Designers will create digital assets using graphic design programs and then build layouts and prototypes of those layouts to share for collaboration and testing. UI design pairs closely with UX design. UI designs concern themselves with how the digital application looks, whereas UX Designers concern themselves with how the digital application feels. These two fields work closely enough together that often, one designer will do both.

Visual and graphic design skills are vital to the field of UI design. UI Designers will need to learn how to utilize a variety of different graphic design programs, and they will need to understand theories and philosophies of composition. Images and graphics communicate a large amount of information in a small space, and it is the job of UI Designers to ensure that the information a digital application communicates aligns with the desired message that a client seeks to send. This will mean that UI design focuses heavily on any project's small details, assuring that all design elements come together to communicate ideas effectively. UI design is thus concerned with both the big picture design of a digital application and the visual design of the various individual components that are used to build the appearance of that digital application.

Read more about what UI design is and why you should learn it.

What Can You Do with UI Design?

Training in UI design will help creatives build vibrant and instantly memorable web designs and user interfaces for digital applications. UI Designers can blend text, images, and graphics to create functional and evocative designs using the various design programs. Unlike traditional graphic design projects, UI design projects will let creatives maximize the affordances of the digital canvas they are given, and UI Designers will be able to create digital layouts that communicate effectively and quickly. With so much modern communication happening over the internet, learning UI design is a powerful tool for expressing the interests of oneself and one’s organization.

UI design is also a useful skill for creatives who aren’t necessarily planning to build a career out of their graphic design training but still want to optimize their digital presence or their organization. Given the number of web applications designed to ease the process of web development, individuals can start designing and building digital applications for themselves or their organizations without only a little bit of UI design training. This is a bonus for small businesses, up-and-coming charities or nonprofits, advocacy organizations, and any other interest group that may want to build a web presence but is hesitant to hire professional Web Designers.

Finally, learning UI design can give existing creatives an entirely new medium to express their ideas. While web design is concerned with the functional elements of a digital application, learning UI design will allow artists and designers to build unique installations and projects that would otherwise be impossible to construct in a physical space. While most people receiving UI design training will do so with professionalization, learning how to build assets and art pieces online can give artists a new space to experiment with their creative ideas.

Training Formats for UI Design

In-Person UI Design Training

One of the most enticing student training options is learning UI design through an in-person training course. These courses provide students with a slew of advantages, most notably being taught by experienced instructors who help guide them through their training, answering questions, and providing feedback on their designs. The drawback to these courses is that they will only be available at the on-site locations of their specific service provider, which will often be isolated to one or two major American cities.

Noble Desktop offers in-person UI design courses at its Manhattan campus. These courses are ideal for students who can make the commute and who want to receive hands-on UI design experience overseen by experts in their field. Students not located within commuting distance from Manhattan may consider live instruction options offered by other service providers, such as The School of Visual Concepts in Seattle or General Assembly in Chicago.

Live Online UI Design Training

For students unable to attend an in-person class, either because they are not located near a training center or simply aren’t located near the training center they would most like to attend, live online training options can be a comparable alternative. These courses maintain many benefits of in-person learning options, particularly those afforded by a live instructor available to answer questions and provide feedback. As a drawback, while students won’t have to commute, they will have to provide their technology, which can be pricey for UI design training if they take courses that will have them learning multiple different graphic design applications.

Noble offers all of its in-person UI design classes through live online class formats. These courses are identical to their in-person versions so that students can take them from the comfort of their own homes. Several other service providers offer similar training options through live online instruction. To see what options are available to you for live online UI design classes, consider checking out Noble’s Classes Near Me tool.

Free Online Courses & Tutorials

Interested in learning UI design, but don’t feel like you’re ready to take the plunge into a professional training course? You may be interested in learning some of the basic UI design skills through free online courses and resources. While these courses are unlikely to replace a student's professional training in a UI design bootcamp, they are an ideal place to start learning fundamental UI design skills. 

Noble offers several free introductory courses through its website and official YouTube page. Noble offers a free Intro to UI Design course and a free Intro to Figma course. These courses will cover the basic elements of design philosophy and the basic functions of one of the market's most common UI design tools. These courses can help students become more comfortable with the ideas and programs they will practice during more advanced training courses.

In addition, Noble offers many pre-recorded courses covering web design and development concepts and graphic design concepts on their YouTube page. These video recordings will help students understand tools like Photoshop and Illustrator or design platforms like WordPress. These training options are ideal for students looking to get a taste of the various flavors of graphic design and who aren’t yet confident that UI design is right for them.

Free courses are also available through other professional training services, such as GeneralAssembly, Udemy, and Coursera. Additionally, for individual applications and tools, first-party developers like Adobe and Figma provide users with tutorials and videos instructing new users how to take advantage of their applications.

Read about more free UI design videos and online tutorials.

On-Demand Classes

Noble can assist students in finding live in-person and online classes. These classes have the advantage of letting students interact with expert instructors who are ready to help them learn the fundamental concepts of UI design. Students can ask questions and receive feedback on their designs directly. Live in-person learning has the added advantage of providing students with access to the technology they need to practice UI design skills. Live online classes can allow students to attend coursework regardless of location.

Comparison of UI Design Training Formats

There are so many ways to learn UI design skills that some new students may find it overwhelming to choose the one that is right for them. Each course has its advantages and disadvantages, and students should consider their availability, learning preferences, and desired outcomes before enrolling in a course.

In-person training seminars may be ideal for students who want a live learning experience and have the luxury of commuting to a nearby campus. These classes give students hands-on experience working with UI design programs under the supervision of expert instructors who can help them learn the skills they need to succeed professionally. Students will also have the advantage of working with like-minded colleagues and networking with instructors and students. In addition, most in-person courses will furnish students with the hardware and software they need to practice UI design principles.

Live online training seminars are well-suited for students who wish to take a real-time training seminar but aren’t located where they can commute to a training campus. Live online courses retain all the benefits associated with having a trained expert instructor guiding your learning, as they will still be present to answer questions, provide feedback, and offer advice on design theories and principles. As an added bonus, students learning in a live online environment can choose from a much wider variety of courses and instructional styles.

On-demand training courses may be the best option for students whose schedule requires that they have an added element of flexibility in their UI design training. These courses let students control their learning pace and can be ideal for students with inconsistent schedules or other obligations preventing them from attending regularly scheduled classes. Students will be required to do more independent work outside the classroom, but this can be a boon for some designers.

Free training options and video tutorials are available for students looking to become comfortable with a program or field of study. These resources are ideal for students looking to get their feet wet with a subject like UI design before enrolling in a more detailed training course. However, these courses will necessarily be cursory, so most students will need more dedicated training if they hope to use their UI design skills professionally.

Is it Possible to Teach Yourself UI Design?

Some students may consider self-teaching UI design as an alternative to professional skills training and wonder if it is advisable. For students with experience with graphic design programs, self-teaching is an option for some UI design elements. Students can practice the creative elements of UI design at their own pace. However, students who don’t have training in graphic design tools will need professional training if they wish to use those tools as part of their careers.

With tutorials and practice, the creative side of UI design can be picked up slowly but gradually by students self-teaching. However, even these students will likely benefit from the expert feedback instructors provide in a live training course. On the other hand, the tools of UI design, such as user experience layout tools or vector graphics illustration tools, won’t be easily self-taught for most learners. They will be able to pick up the basic concepts and become familiar with the programs, but they won’t be able to become proficient enough with these programs to work with them on a professional level.

How to Decide the Best Way to Learn UI Design

Given the number of training opportunities available to students, it can be difficult to decide what will provide students with the best experience. Generally speaking, the most important thing to consider is how much students intend to use their UI design training and their prior experience with graphic design programs.

New students who want to learn the basics of UI design before deciding whether to enroll in a professional training program may wish to consider a free tutorial, such as Noble’s Intro to UI Design course or Intro to Figma course. These courses will give students the important background knowledge to lay the groundwork for later study, making them an ideal place to start for students who think they might wish to learn UI design but aren’t yet sure.

For students who already have a working knowledge of some basic design principles and experience with graphic design, Noble’s Figma Bootcamp and UI Design Bootcamp offer students in-depth training in the various skills that they will need to use professionally in the field of UI design. These narrowly focused courses teach students how to use specific tools, so they are intended for students with some design experience looking to plug a skill gap or grow their current role within an organization.

Students looking for a complete UI design education can look towards Noble’s UI Design Certificate. This course, designed for early-stage students looking to build a new career in the field of UI design, will teach students how to use all of the tools they will be expected to use in their regular career work. Students will receive training in the basic theories of composition and hands-on career training with Figma, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

Learn UI Design with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Once students have committed to learning UI design, they can receive hands-on training in one of the many UI design classes offered through Noble Desktop. These courses, available both in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus and online, provide students with career-focused skills training in an industry-recognized educational environment. Students will benefit from working with live instructors who can answer their questions, provide feedback, and help them overcome any learning challenges they encounter. Even online, Noble’s classes boast small class sizes so that students can receive individual attention from their instructors. Plus, Noble offers free retake options, meaning that a student can re-enroll in a completed course within one year to receive additional training, review material, or just get a bit more hands-on UI design experience.

Students looking to learn the basics of UI design may wish to consider enrolling in Noble’s UI Design Bootcamp. This course will provide students with hands-on experience, using practical examples, designing the appearance of web pages and mobile applications. Students will receive training in the basic theories of composition and design and one-on-one feedback from expert instructors on the make-up of their UI design projects. This course is ideal for students hoping to learn the ins and outs of how to apply their existing knowledge of visual design tools to the process of building digital applications. Students who wish to enroll in this course should have a working knowledge of the user experience design tool Figma. Students looking for this training can enroll in Noble’s Figma Bootcamp.

Noble offers a UI Design Certificate program for students who want a more career-focused learning experience that will teach students all of the important fundamental skills they will need to enter the workforce as UI design specialists. Students will learn theories of composition and design and how to apply those theories of design to web pages and digital applications. In addition, students will learn how to use design tools like Figma, Adobe Photoshop, and Illustrator. This course caps off with a series of lessons concerning how to build a design portfolio to take onto the job market. With portfolio design training, one-on-one career mentorship, and the reception of an industry-recognized skills certificate, this course is ideal for students looking to build new careers in UI design.