UX & UI Prerequisites

UX & UI design is the process of designing digital applications with the optimal user experience in mind. UX & UI designers have skills in graphic design, interface building, prototyping, customer researching, and analyzing data. You might worry that UX & UI design will be too hard to learn. This guide will help you understand the best methods for learning UX & UI design and what you should study first to make the learning process easier. This way, you’ll be successful however you choose to apply your new skills. 

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.

Is UX & UI Design Easy to Learn?

The individual concepts of UX & UI design can be simple to start learning. The difficulty in mastering UX & UI design lies in learning its various components. There are a number of tools that UX & UI Designers use, including Adobe XD, Figma, and Sketch. Designers also need to know how to create illustrations, manipulate photos, build wireframes and prototypes, analyze data, and research user behavior. For those unsure about learning UX & UI design, it can be useful to explore these various skills before committing to professional classes.

What to Know Before Learning UX & UI Design

Though there are no formal prerequisites to learning UX & UI Design, there are a few topics you can explore before diving into a full course. These topics can help you decide if committing to learning UX & UI Design is right for you. 

Foundations of Design Theory

UX & UI Designers need to know the ins and outs of visual design in order to craft effective designs that shape user experiences. While students learn about design theory as part of their training, diving into the basics can give individuals interested in UX & UI design an idea of the topic and what UX & UI Designers do. You can begin learning through Noble Desktop’s Design Theory learn hub. You can also get an idea of how design theory works within UX & UI design by watching the free Get Started in Design: Graphic, Web, UX/UI & Motion seminar. 

Soft Communication Skills

UX & UI Designers need to know how to communicate effectively with team members, stakeholders, and consumers. Internal communication within the team and external communication with stakeholders is paramount to the success of a project. Designers need to be able to handle constructive criticism, defend their designs, and communicate roadblocks. 

UX Designers also commonly conduct focus groups and user testing. They interact directly with consumers to gather feedback and collect data, so they need to be comfortable talking to groups of people and asking pointed questions. While how to conduct interviews and manage user feedback is a part of UX & UI design training, practicing communication skills is always useful, even for established designers. 

UX & UI Design Tools

The tools used in UX & UI design may sound daunting. Those who are unsure about learning UX & UI design can get a preview of Figma vs. Sketch vs. Adobe XD in a free seminar before ever diving into a class. Not only can this seminar give you an idea of how UX & UI Designers work, but it can also give you the confidence to move forward with your education.

Key Insights

• Though relatively easy to learn, UX & UI design can be difficult to master in that there are various skills and tools involved. 
• Design theory is a great place to start if you want to learn more about the basics concepts used in UX & UI design. 
• Noble Desktop offers a free seminar in UX & UI Design. 
• Soft communication skills are a must for UX & UI Designers and are useful even for the pros to brush up on. 
• Noble Desktop offers an overview of the most popular UX & UI Design tools so you can get an idea of their complexity before diving in.

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.