What to Learn After UX & UI

UX & UI design is the practice of designing digital applications with the goal of creating the optimal experience for the user. It involves learning a variety of skills, including interface design, visual design, consumer research, data analysis, and prototyping, among others. If you already know how to use UX & UI design, you might consider learning project management, graphic design, and front end web coding. We’ll cover these skills below so you have a clear understanding of what you want to tackle next. 

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.

Project Management

UX & UI Designers develop projects through stages such as wireframing, prototyping, research, and iteration. It’s essential for designers to focus on each stage of the project while not losing sight of the overall vision. Designers must also be able to pivot at unforeseen roadblocks and keep lines of communication open between team members and departments. These are all important project management skills, and UX & UI Designers who excel at them can see improved job performance or even go on to become project leads. 

If you’re interested in learning or improving your project management skills, Noble Desktop offers a Project Management Bootcamp where you’ll learn the five stages of project management and the strategies and methods for managing them. 

Graphic Design

UX & UI design operates on principles of visual design. UX & UI Designers often use graphic tools such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. These tools along with visual design concepts are the same used by Graphic Designers. UX & UI Designers can choose to dive deeper into graphic design training, either to pivot careers or to improve interface design. UX & UI Designers who understand how to use Adobe programs comprehensively can take full advantage of the design options available to them when importing their designs into Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD.

Those interested in learning more about graphic design can undertake Noble Desktop’s Graphic Design Certificate. You’ll deep dive into graphic design concepts as well as how to use Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Front End Web Coding

Despite working so readily with technology, UX & UI design isn't a technologically heavy career. Nevertheless, learning code can give UX & UI Designers an understanding of how their designs function. This can improve how they think about their own designs and work with other, more technologically heavy, design teams (such as Web and Application Developers). It could also spark interest in exploring a more coding or data heavy career.

Noble Desktop offers a certificate in Front End Web Development. You’ll learn how to code with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as how to build responsive websites. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to create your own website from scratch. 

Key Insights

• UX & UI Designers inherently develop some skills in project management as they undertake various assignments. Taking a serious interest in developing this skill further can improve job performance or lead to a team lead role.
• UX & UI Designers already use graphic design tools and possess knowledge of graphic and visual design concepts. Undertaking official training in these skills can improve project design and a designer’s understanding of the tools they use on a daily basis. 
• UX & UI design involves little to no coding knowledge. However, deciding to learn front end coding can deepen a designer’s understanding of their designs and improve their relationships with other, more technical, departments. 
• Learning skills in UX & UI design could lead to a career in Project Management, Web Development, or Graphic Design. 

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.