Is UX Design a Hard Class?

The difficulty of a UX design class will depend upon its specific curriculum and the student’s aptitude and background and aptitude, and, ultimately, all these factors can vary widely. User experience (UX) design is an unusual subject, as it requires complex balances of creative and analytical thinking and technical and human-centered skills. Therefore, UX design classes tend to be broader in scope than courses in related fields like user interface and visual design but not necessarily more challenging than these subjects. Its interdisciplinary nature makes UX design a unique field of study, which some may find more challenging. Still, others may find it considerably easier due to the wide range of past experiences an individual may draw upon in building their expertise in the subject. However, it's important to remember that no matter how difficult an individual learner finds a UX design class, they can overcome those challenges with dedication, hard work, and access to resources such as a helpful instructor and online seminars and tutorials.

What is Hard about Learning UX Design?

While learning UX design is achievable for anyone if they are motivated and willing to put in the effort, most students will find certain aspects of the subject considerably more challenging than others. What topics are the most difficult will vary from learner to learner depending on their personal circumstances, but most find advanced aspects like user research, usability testing, and prototyping present the most significant challenges. Juggling the technical elements of wireframing and prototyping with creative and practical design techniques can take some time to master, as can becoming comfortable conducting user research, surveys, interviews, and usability testing. 

The complexity of UX design is due to the heavy integration of all these skills with the ability to empathetically examine the collected user data and translate it into effective, sharable insights. As UX design’s interdisciplinary nature draws learners from an unusually varied number of backgrounds, interests, and areas of expertise, each student’s challenges and strengths can vary greatly. While most students will agree that integrating all these skill sets is among the most challenging components of learning UX design, a UX design learner with strong technical skills may find learning to think like a user the most challenging aspect of the whole subject. On the other hand, an individual with strong people and communication skills may find wireframing and prototyping significantly more demanding than conducting user interviews and surveys and communicating the users’ needs to their team.

UX design is considerably more multifaceted than most closely related technical skill sets, such as graphic design, web development, and UI design. While Graphic Designers think primarily about aesthetics, visual appeal, and the effectiveness of their communication, UX Designers must know these same design principles and effectively integrate them with processes that prioritize the development of functionality and intuitive interfaces. Meanwhile, Web Developers are able to focus on coding and technical implementation while relying on UX Designers to provide them with the information they need to apply user-centric design principles in their interface development. Finally, UX design’s most closely related subject, UI design, focuses more on the visual aspects of interfaces and how users interact with them. In contrast, UX design involves the arguably more challenging process of empathetically gathering and processing user data into insights to shape the entire user experience journey.

How Can I Make Learning UX Design Easier?

Structured Learning with Live Courses

The biggest step a UX design student can take toward making their learning experience easier is enrolling in a live online or in-person class. Live UX design classes connect students with the mentorship and guidance of expert instructors and with the community learning and networking opportunities of learning with a classroom of peers. Live instructors can answer students’ questions in real-time and use their experience to guide students through the most challenging concepts and techniques of UX design as effectively and easily as possible. A proven, up-to-date curriculum provides structure and accountability for students and ensures they complete their education with no significant gaps in their knowledge. Finally, live classes usually feature hands-on exercises and projects, which are the easiest way to master both the theoretical and practical skills of UX design.

Free Online Resources

Several free resources are available on the web that UX design learners can use to make their studies easier. While it’s virtually impossible to piece together a complete UX design education with these learning materials, they can be exceptional supplementary tools for any UX design learner’s studies. Professional training schools like Noble Desktop sometimes offer free UX design seminars on various related topics, while software companies often provide tutorials to help learners master specific tools of the trade. Additionally, professional training schools will occasionally host UX design articles like those in Noble Desktop’s Learn Hub designed to answer questions and provide guidance for learners in charting their educational journey. UX design students can also find supplementary learning resources in the form of YouTube videos, podcasts, and blog posts created by training institutions and working designers to share various insights and up-to-date industry news that aspiring UX Designers can use to strengthen their understanding of complex topics and fill gaps in their knowledge.

On-Demand Training

If live online or in-person classes don’t fit into a UX design learner’s schedule, on-demand courses on platforms like Coursera and Udemy offer a flexible learning pace and schedule. On-demand classes, also known as asynchronous or self-paced courses, offer similar curricula to live classes but often for a lower cost as the learning materials are updated less frequently, and no live instructors are associated with these classes. While some highly motivated and self-driven students thrive under these circumstances, most learners find UX design extremely difficult to learn without the guidance of a live instructor. Additionally, the lack of a set schedule removes a layer of accountability and structure that many UX design students find detrimental to their motivation and ultimate success in their learning goals.

Best Ways to Learn UX Design Without Difficulty

Enrolling in a live online or in-person UX design bootcamp provides students with direct access to several beneficial features that can significantly reduce the difficulty of learning the subject.

Personalized Instruction and Immediate Feedback

Live UX design classes provide a space where students have direct access to experienced instructors who can offer personalized guidance, immediate feedback, and answers to any questions that may arise. Expert instructors can help students catch mistakes and troubleshoot any issues, offering extra support to technically-minded students who find user research methods extra difficult and technically challenged learners who struggle to master the tools and practice of prototyping. Real-time interaction with instructors and peers creates a collaborative learning environment where diverse perspectives and alternative means of problem-solving can help students navigate challenging UX design topics.

Structure and Accountability

Another benefit of a high-quality live online or in-person UX design class is its structured curriculum, carefully crafted by experts to ensure students learn the skill set effectively and as comprehensively as the course description promises without any gaps. This structure also includes a set schedule of class meetings and project deadlines, which creates a timeline that keeps students on track maintaining consistent progress, as well as a sense of accountability. Regular hands-on assignments provide opportunities for students to turn the concepts they learn in class into practical knowledge, which expedites the process of learning challenging principles and techniques.

Career Support and Networking Opportunities

Live UX design certificate programs and bootcamps go beyond helping students master the skills necessary to succeed in the field as easily as possible. They also offer students career support and networking opportunities that make securing a first UX Designer position quick and painless. The specific offerings of classes will vary, but Noble Desktop’s UX & UI Design Certificate provides a course module focused on portfolio development and eight one-on-one career support mentorship sessions where students can obtain interview practice, resume reviews, and other tailored assistance to prepare to stand out as a job candidate. Additionally, students have the opportunity to build long-term relationships with instructors and classmates who will soon be working professionals in UX design, creating a professional network that can provide job and collaboration opportunities in the future.

Learn UX Design with Noble Desktop

Design and coding school Noble Desktop offers a range of live UX design classes packed with features to help you achieve your learning goals. Noble’s UX & UI Design Certificate program is ideal for beginners looking for a career-focused all-in-one UX design class including introductory and advanced training, career support, and other benefits tailored to fit the needs of aspiring UX Designers. In addition to 132 hours of training in user testing, prototyping, Figma, and the essential concepts, methodologies, and best practices of UX design, your live expert instructor will walk you every step of the way through building a portfolio that showcases your expertise. Tuition covers all this, plus eight one-on-one career support mentorship sessions, a free retake option, and a verified digital certificate of completion. Noble Desktop’s UX & UI Design Certificate is one of the few that is available as either a full-time or part-time program, giving students the option to fit their studies into their current schedules and learn at the pace that best suits their lifestyle.

If you are looking for a short course in the basics of UX design, Noble Desktop’s UX Design Foundations will help you meet your learning goals. Whether you attend in-person in Manhattan or live online for students anywhere in the world, UX Design Foundations will provide you with the same 12 hours of expert-led training in the essential terminology, concepts, tools, and methodology of UX design. The beginner-friendly class will answer your questions about what UX design is, what UX Designers do, and how they do it, arming you with the knowledge you need to either apply UX design principles to improve user satisfaction with your current work or decide whether to make a career switch to UX design. Students will receive a free retake option should they wish to attend the program again within a year and a verified digital certificate of completion.

Noble Desktop’s Figma Bootcamp provides the training, structure, and support you need to make learning the industry-standard prototyping application as fast and easy as possible. No experience is required to attend this course in-person in NYC or live online from anywhere. Tuition covers Noble’s proprietary workbook, a free retake option good for one year, and a verified certificate of completion. Through lectures, discussions, and hands-on exercises, your expert instructor will ensure you master making user-friendly layouts, building interactive prototypes, creating animations, exporting assets, and collaborating with team members with Figma by the end of the bootcamp.