UX design, or user experience design, is important for creating a strong relationship between a product and a customer. Companies today are turning their focus to developing a strong user experience, so professionals in this field are in demand. Various educational pathways aim to meet this demand, but UX design bootcamps stand out for being an affordable and flexible option.
A UX designer bootcamp can help you gain job-ready skills in just a few months. If you’re considering a career in tech and wondering if a bootcamp is right for you, this article can help. You’ll find everything you need to know about the best UX design bootcamps, including the best free bootcamp programs and courses.
Best UX Design Bootcamps
| Program Name | Bootcamp | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| UX Design Program | CareerFoundry | $7,110 |
| UI/UX Design Bootcamp Part-Time Online | Coding Dojo | $13,245 |
| UX Academy | Designlab | $7,249 |
| UX Design Course | Devmountain | $9,900 |
| Product Design UX / UI Bootcamp | Flatiron School | $17,400 |
| Digital Skills: User Experience | FutureLearn | $27.99 (monthly) |
| UX Courses | Interaction Design Foundation | $16 (monthly) |
| UX/UI Design Bootcamp | Ironhack | $12,500 |
| UX Design Certificate Program | Kenzie Academy | $12,500 |
| UX Research | Memorisely | $975 |
| UX/UI Design Bootcamp | Springboard | $11,900 |
| Intro to User Experience Design | SuperHi | $149 |
| UX/UI Design Bootcamp | Thinkful | $12,150 |
| Professional Program in User Experience (UX) Design | UC Berkeley Extension | $7,793 |
UX Design Program | CareerFoundry
This online UX Design bootcamp from CareerFoundry is offered on either a full-time, six-month or part-time, 10-month schedule. Students graduate with an impressive portfolio of real-world projects and have access to one-on-one support. Some of the topics covered include user research methods, information architecture, usability testing, and wireframing and prototyping.
UI/UX Design Bootcamp Part-Time Online | Coding Dojo
This is one of the best UX bootcamps for absolute beginners hoping to study part-time. Coding Dojo students have the chance to work on real-world projects from actual clients. This 22-week program is industry-focused and incorporates both UX and UI skills. Each week includes a mix of live workshops, office hours, personalized design feedback, and self-study.
UX Academy | Designlab
By the time you graduate from Designlab’s online user experience design bootcamp, you’ll have completed over 100 hands-on exercises and four capstone projects. Whether you choose to study full-time or part-time, you’ll be able to design your own schedule. Complete beginners must first enroll in the UX Academy Foundations course to master basic design skills.
UX Design Course | Devmountain
This part-time, 16-week UX design bootcamp is available both in-person and online. The areas of study include research, prototyping, visual design, information architecture, and how to design applications and websites. Devmountain students have access to career services like resume assistance, portfolio reviews, interview prep, and access to an employer network.
Product Design UX / UI Bootcamp | Flatiron School
Flatiron School’s UX bootcamp is available on a fixed full-time schedule lasting 15 weeks or a more flexible part-time schedule of around 40 weeks. The comprehensive curriculum includes 15 modules covering a mix of hard and soft skills essential for the field. Full-time students of Flatiron School’s UX bootcamp can study online or in person.
Digital Skills: User Experience | FutureLearn
Accenture’s UX design course is one of many available user experience and user interface design courses on FutureLearn’s massive open online course (MOOC) platform. It’s a three-week program covering fundamentals, tools, and testing of UX design that requires about two hours of work per week.
UX Courses | Interaction Design Foundation
Interaction Design Foundation’s UX courses can be accessed through membership. There’s an option to access the courses for free for three months during this period. IDF offers a number of UX and UI design courses, as well as several suggested bootcamp paths. The school is known for its immersive programs that impart hard and soft skills to impress future employers.
UX/UI Design Bootcamp | Ironhack
Ironhack’s UX designer bootcamp includes three modules and 40 hours of online prework. Each module includes real-world scenarios where you will apply your new skills and learn from industry professionals. Students complete at least three complex projects for their professional portfolios. You can study part-time or full-time and online or in various major cities around the world.
UX Design Certificate Program | Kenzie Academy
This nine-month program is available online. Learners are expected to dedicate 20-25 hours per week. Kenzie Academy prioritizes hands-on projects to ensure students fully absorb the course materials. This is one of the best UX design bootcamps when it comes to flexibility because students can design their own schedules and attend class live online or watch recordings.
UX Research | Memorisely
The UX Research bootcamp runs for five weeks during which you’ll learn UX research and how to improve your evaluative and generative research skills. The focus is on increasing your experience with prototyping tools and working in a design team. The classes are live, and you receive rapid feedback during the UX bootcamp and a certificate when you’re done.
UI/UX Design Bootcamp | Springboard
This self-paced UI/UX design bootcamp from Springboard takes most students nine months to complete. The curriculum covers design thinking, ideation and design, heuristics and interaction design, sketching and wireframing, and more. Before graduating, students get a chance to try out their skills on a real client project that solves a business problem.
Intro to User Experience Design | SuperHi
This is one of the most affordable UX design bootcamps on our list. It consists of six hours of video lessons you can progress through at your own pace. Expert teachers are available to help when you have questions, and students also have access to a Slack community. The curriculum covers topics like research methods, user testing, and creating wireframes and prototypes.
UX/UI Design Bootcamp | Thinkful
This UX designer bootcamp from Thinkful is available as a six-month part-time course requiring 15-20 hours per week, or as a full-time program requiring 50 hours per week with a cohort. You learn how to use creative tools, gain hands-on experience, learn user testing, and create designs for web and mobile apps.
Professional Program in User Experience (UX) Design | UC Berkeley Extension
The UX Design program offered by UC Berkeley Extension is a great way to give your resume a boost. To earn the certificate of completion, you’ll need to complete six required courses and at least two electives and maintain a GPA of at least 2.5. Some of the required courses include Visual Design Principles, User Research for UX, and Information Architecture and Content Strategy.
How Much Do UX Design Bootcamps Cost?
The average UX design bootcamp costs between $7,000 and $17,000, but there are a few cheaper options. In general, self-paced programs are more affordable than in-person or live online courses because they come with less personalized attention.
Most bootcamps offer flexible payment options to help students afford tuition. This might include deferred tuition options, private loans, and installment plans. You can also lower your UX design bootcamp cost by applying for scholarships.
Best Free UX Design Bootcamps and Courses
The following section will provide more information about the best free UX design bootcamp options. Entirely free UX design bootcamps are rare, but many schools offer free short courses or prep programs that can be a great resource to help you pick up basic technical skills required for a career in design.
UX Design Bootcamp | Baseline HQ
This free UX Design Bootcamp introduces you to the concept of user experience design and basic design principles like hierarchy, color, typography, and layout. You also learn graphic design, what wireframing is, how to use prototyping tools and how to create a design workflow.
UX Design Bootcamp Prep Course | BrainStation
The UX design bootcamp at BrainStation costs money, but you can take the comprehensive prep course for free. The course covers the fundamentals of user experience design through 17 lessons intended for novices. By finishing this prep course, you’ll learn practical knowledge that can be applied to design new solutions and receive assistance in applying to UX design bootcamps.
Free UX Design Short Course | CareerFoundry
Along with the $7,110 CareerFoundry UX bootcamp, the school also provides free short courses anyone can take to learn more about UX, user interface, and web development. This free UX design course teaches you how to investigate, create prototypes, understand the visual elements of design, develop websites, and create user-centric designs.
Intro to UX Design | Digital Crafts
You can enroll in this UX design course for free and learn the fundamentals of design thinking, interaction design, and cutting-edge design software to begin your journey into the world of UX/UI design. This course will teach you how to conduct a usability study and redesign your first website. You’ll also build your design intuition through various engaging activities.
Learn Design | Figma
Figma designed free online design tutorials for newbies to help them learn the basics of design. Ethics, design thinking, visual design, accessibility, inclusivity, research, and typography are among the topics covered.
Free Intro to Product Design | Flatiron School
This is an introduction to Flatiron School’s product design bootcamp. This short free UX design course will teach you fundamentals such as product design, user testing, how to get feedback, and product design research. If you’re just starting out as a UX or product designer, it’s the perfect place to begin.
Intro to UX Design Free Online | General Assembly
The goal of this free online workshop is to get you prepared for the General Assembly UX bootcamp and to give students a solid grounding in UX design. This online workshop introduces new UX designers to design leadership and the decision-making process. Classes in topics like prototyping, wireframing, usability testing, and user research are available during the bootcamp.
UX Fundamentals | Gymnasium
Students in the design and marketing fields can take advantage of this UX design bootcamp for free. You’ll learn about user research and information design as well as how to wireframe and prototype during the six recorded lessons.
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Career in UX | LearnUX.io
LearnUX.io has a range of free UX design courses available covering subjects like web ergonomics, UX careers, user testing, design workflow, and prototyping. You can also learn relevant skills like HTML, CSS, and WordPress.
Free UX Design | Springboard
If you’re looking for free UX design training with a comprehensive syllabus, you should check out Springboard’s UX bootcamp. You will learn cognitive psychology, visual design theory, portfolio development, project management, user research, user personas, the UX design process, and how to conduct user interviews in this UX design curriculum.
Learn UX Design Free: Other Resources
- Balsamiq: Wireframing is the primary focus of Balsamiq, not prototyping. Pre-built templates can be used to promote brainstorming, enabling all members of the team to participate in the design process in the early phases of development.
- Bubbl.us: Bubbl.us focuses on displaying ideas, unlike other solutions that have more features. With this tool, cloud brainstorming has never been easier. Bubbl.us offers a free or paid option to help you with decision mapping.
- Figma: This tool stands out as a prominent tool for multi-user projects, allowing numerous UX designers to work simultaneously on the same design file. Figma’s online, macOS, and Windows versions all have the ability to develop responsive designs and have handover functionality.
- Origami: Developed by Meta, Origami is a freemium prototyping tool. With it, you don’t even need to know how to design in order to construct complex user interfaces. It’s the perfect tool for beginner and modern designers.
- XMind: This is one of the most popular design resources UX designers use for creating mind maps, and it can be used on any of the major operating systems, including Windows, macOS X, and Linux. XMind’s support and interoperability with Microsoft Office is one of its primary advantages.
Is a UX Design Bootcamp Worth It?
Yes, attending a UX design bootcamp is worth it because not everyone can afford to study for a four-year degree at a university to learn the skills for a job in UX design. UX design bootcamps are less costly, typically have a flexible learning schedule, and prepare you with marketable skills and hands-on training to get you job-ready in a matter of months.
If you are looking for a role in the tech industry where you can use a mix of creative and analytical thinking, you will likely find that studying UX design is worth it. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, digital designers have a strong job growth rate of 16 percent, which means you can expect many career opportunities as you improve your in-demand skills.
Free UX Design Bootcamps FAQ
You can get started in UX by pursuing a free UX design bootcamp, or seeking other educational paths to learn the required skills. You can find free MOOCs and online tutorials on resources like Coursera and YouTube to start learning UX design.
How much do UX designers make?
UX Designers in the US make an average yearly salary of $98,483, according to Glassdoor. This amount will vary depending on the level of education, work experience, and level of career advancement achieved.
Can someone who has completed a UI bootcamp work as a UX designer?
Yes, even if you attended a UI bootcamp, you can still land a job in UX design, provided you’re willing to improve your skills. Furthermore, you’ll stand out from the crowd if you can clearly describe how you arrived at your ideas while demonstrating mastery of user-centric design thinking.
What happens after you finish a UX design bootcamp?
After you finish a UX design bootcamp, you will want to take full advantage of any career services offered by your school. You may have access to a dedicated career coach, resume assistance, or mock interviews. If you haven’t already, put together a comprehensive portfolio of your best projects and start applying for entry-level positions to gain industry experience.
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