Online UI/UX design courses help jumpstart your user experience and user interface design career. UI and UX are two parts of how people experience websites and applications. User interface is the overall aesthetics of how a site or app looks and its interactivity. UX is how a user interacts with your brand on a broader scale.
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What is a UX/UI Design Course?
UX, or user experience, and UI, or user interface design, are related but often separate professions. Many courses in this field are broken up into UX courses and UI courses, but in some cases are combined. UX courses typically focus on the overall experience of using a website, app or program, while UI courses typically focus mainly on visual design. Some courses, even those specifically labeled as UX or UI, may teach a combination of UX and UI.
The Difference Between UX and UI Courses
UX and UI courses do not always completely overlap. There are several ways to understand the differentiation between UX and UI. For instance, it’s commonly said that UX comprises the entire experience users have with a product. In this view, UI is the part of UX that deals with visual, interactive elements. Someone who works primarily in UX, however, may focus less on the visual aspect of the product and more on the structure, layout and even text with which a user interacts. In this way, UI may be seen as both part of and different from UX.
UX Courses and Skills You’ll Learn
UX courses are focused on the user, often touting user-centered design. This approach combines research and analysis with implementation that is focused on an end product.
UX courses may focus skills such as:
Course | Focus | Topics |
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UCT User Experience Design Sponsored |
User Experience Fundamentals |
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Georgia Tech Introduction to User Experience Design | User Experience Fundamentals |
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CalArts UX Design Fundamentals | User Experience Fundamentals |
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HECMontreal UX Design | Intermediate User Experience |
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UI Courses and Skills You’ll Learn
User Interface courses may focus more on functionality of applications and software, beyond just aesthetics. There are many aspects of UI, which is why it can be beneficial to take multiple courses on both theory and application.
UI courses may focus on skills such as:
Course | Focus | Topics |
---|---|---|
CalArts Visual Elements of User Interface Design | User Interface Fundamentals |
|
University of California San Diego Design Principles: an Introduction | Intermediate User Interface |
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Coursera’s User Interface Design Specialization | Intermediate User Interface |
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Brainstation’s User Interface Design Course | Intermediate User Interface |
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MIT CSAIL Human-Computer Interaction for User Experience Design Sponsored |
Advanced User Experience |
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How Can I Enhance my Career with a UI/UX Design Course?
As mentioned, UI/UX is a well-paying field—the median salary for UX designers in 2018 was $95,000 (PDF, 533 KB), according to a survey by the User Experience Professionals Association. That is higher than the national annual mean wage. Some UX and UI courses help students put together a project at the end to show the skills you’ve learned in class, which may be a useful addition to your portfolio if you are looking to transition to a new career. Learn more about your options on Master’s in Data Science.
Last updated: August 2020