UX & UI Cost

Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch are the most common UX & UI design tools, though designers generally don’t use all three at once. However, it is possible to switch tools throughout your career depending on project requirements and company preference. Thus, comprehensive courses in UX & UI design usually teach all three.

If you’re already employed as a UX & UI Designer or working as a student, your workplace or educational institution likely provides one or all of these programs for free. However, if you’re looking to learn on your own or practice your skills at home, Figma and Sketch are available for less than $15 a month, respectively. Adobe XD is available starting at $9.99 a month and can be licensed as part of a package including all of the Adobe Creative Cloud programs for $54.99 a month. All three programs offer free trials and student or educator discounts, which are excellent resources for new learners.

What is UX & UI Design?

User interface (UI) design involves the development of a digital application’s interface and how it appears to users. Interface designs need to not only look appealing but also effectively communicate information to audiences. UI Designers create graphic assets and use them to build menus and layouts, among other aspects of a user interface. UI design relies heavily on principles of visual and graphic design.

UI design pairs closely with user experience (UX) design. Rather than building the look of a digital application, UX Designers focus on how an application feels to use. A user’s experience should be simple and engaging in ways that allow them to easily navigate the program. UX Designers conduct focused tests and analyze data to understand their audience’s behaviors.

UX & UI Designers work closely together. The fields also overlap so that it’s not uncommon for one designer to fulfill aspects of each role, particularly at small firms. 

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

What Can You Do with UX & UI Design?

There are many skills gained through studying UX & UI design. UX & UI designers learn how to identify and solve problems. They form hypotheses, conduct research, engage with customers, analyze data, and build prototypes. They know how to build a long term project plan, follow through, and iterate. Even if not pursuing UX & UI design as a career, the skills gained through studying the field are useful for Department Managers, Project Managers, and entrepreneurs. 

UI design specifically focuses on creating text, images, and graphics and combining them into a digital interface that must be both visually appealing and functional. These skills are essential for marketers and entrepreneurs looking to build websites, social media content, and other digital media.

UX Designers work closely with customers through focus groups, user surveys, and interviews. Many UX Designers spend more time interacting with the public than with their team of designers. Building the skills needed to understand your audience is useful in any field that works closely with people such as hiring, general management, marketing, campaign strategy, and market research, among others.

UX & UI Designers are ultimately responsible for crafting the experiences of the digital products we use in our everyday lives. They work to ensure those experiences are accessible and enjoyable. Choosing to pursue a career in UX & UI Designer can be exciting as these designers play a large role in influencing how the world around us works.

In-Depth Review of the Cost

Figma is the only UX & UI design tool available for free. This version is excellent for beginners as it offers full features of the program, However, it only allows users to create up to three project files. If you plan on using Figma regularly, a “professional” version of the program is available at $12 a month per person. It adds unlimited files, sharing permissions, and team libraries. Students and educators can get this version of Figma for free but must be verified. A business version of Figma is available that offers organization-wide libraries, design system analytics, private plugins and widgets, and much more. The enterprise level of Figma offers more security options and advanced controls at $75 a month. 

Sketch offers a timed free trial and afterward costs $9 a month. Like Figma, Sketch is offered free for students and educators (with verification). Sketch provides a $20 a month business plan with additional security and business features. Sketch is currently only available for iOS devices.

Adobe XD has a timed free trial. Afterward, it is available for $9.99 a month. However, it can also be purchased as part of a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, which features many other Adobe applications that are often used for UI design, such as Illustrator and Photoshop. A subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud is available for $54.99 a month or at a discounted rate for verified students and educators. Businesses can obtain a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud for $84.99 a month or $35.99 a month for a singular application. 

Noble Desktop offers a free seminar on Figma vs. Sketch vs. Adobe XD so you can get an idea of how these three tools differ from one another and which one best suits your needs. You can also take a look at the additional free seminars Intro to Figma and Intro to Adobe XD. 

Why Learn UX & UI Design?

In today’s digital world, a company’s digital presence is paramount for customer outreach. However, possessing a website or mobile app that is unappealing or difficult to use can be worse than having nothing at all. UX & UI Designers are needed across industries to build accessible web applications that create memorable impressions and drive conversions. This makes UX & UI design a lucrative and extremely versatile field for individuals of nearly any interest. Demand for UX & UI Designers continues to grow.

If you’re unsure about pursuing an education in UX & UI, doing so can still aid in honing digital skills applicable to a variety of professions. Graphic and visual design skills learned through UI design are essential for nearly any digital career, such as marketing, digital design, graphic designers, and freelancing. UX design teaches techniques in behavior research, research planning, data analytics, and product testing. These skills are useful for careers in project management, product development, software development, and marketing. Data analysis training in UX design can be a stepping stone to more advanced careers in data science. Learning UI design could lead to a career in more creative graphic design careers. The UX & UI design field is truly versatile and valuable. 

Read more about why you should learn UX & UI design.

Free Introductory UX & UI Design Course Online 

If you’re interested in UX & UI design but aren’t ready to dive into a full course, you can start learning for free online. Some ideal places to start include Noble Desktop’s free Intro to Figma and Intro to UI Design seminars. In these introductory courses, you’ll learn what Figma can do and how its features integrate with UI and UX design. You’ll also learn about UI design, how it relates to UX design, and what the visual design process entails. These courses are perfect for giving you an overview of UX & UI design before deciding to attend a full course.

Free online courses are ideal for beginner learners to start their journey as they often feature overviews of a program. You can find additional free courses through skill-sharing websites such as Youtube, Coursera, or Udemy. While these classes can be valuable and cost-effective for beginners, their main purpose is to provide overviews of a program. Professionals looking to comprehensively learn UX & UI design skills to advance their careers will need to attend more advanced, professional development classes. 

Read about more free UX & UI design videos and online tutorials.

Learn UX & UI Design with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

If you’re interested in learning UX & UI design, Noble Desktop offers several classes for you to choose from. These classes are available both in-person and live online. Classes are small and are taught by instructors who are experts in their fields. Free retake options are also available. 

In Noble’s UX & UI Design Certificate program, you’ll learn both UX & UI design concepts, build a professional portfolio, and gain one-on-one job preparation assistance. This is the perfect course to jump start a new career. Additionally, you may wish to enroll in the Figma Bootcamp. While Figma is taught in the UX & UI Design Certificate, the bootcamp dives in depth into the program. You’ll thoroughly learn the leading application for interface design from beginner to advanced techniques applicable to both UX & UI design. 

Additional classes can be found through the Visual Design and UX Design categories. The UI Design Certificate teaches graphic and interface design for websites and mobile applications. You’ll also learn essential software used by professionals including Figma, Adobe Photoshop, and Illustrator. The Digital Design Certificate teaches design techniques for web, print, and mobile. You’ll learn Figma for interface design along with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for designing digital and print materials. The Visual Design Portfolio Bootcamp teaches interface design through hands-on and multi-project courses. You’ll need to feel comfortable using Figma before enrolling in this course. 

Whether you know you want to start a career in UX & UI design or want to explore how UI design principles can be utilized in more graphically inclined careers, Noble Desktop has the classes you are looking for.