Keep up to date with the most recent article on UX courses. Our list aims to simplify your decision-making process when choosing where to expand your knowledge.
Recommended course providers for UX specialists
- Nielsen Norman Group
- Zero to UX
- Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)
- Coursera
- Human Factors International (HFI)
- Udemy
- CareerFoundry
🐝 Note: Each organization in our list has been given a normalized score in the range 0-10, simplifying the process of comparison and selection for you. This scoring system is based on our survey in the UX specialists community. You can learn more about the survey and its methodology here.
Who provides the best-rated courses for UX specialists?
Top-rated courses for UX specialists are typically offered by well-known educational institutions, leading online platforms, and experts in the field. To find the best courses for UX professionals, take a look at the organizations that topped our survey!
Top course providers ranked across different experience levels
This graphic simply shows which course providers were preferred by specialists with different levels of experience.
Recommended selection of courses
You’ve reached the much-anticipated section! Below, we present the organizations that topped our survey with the highest ratings. Keep in mind, every course is unique, and what works for most may not align perfectly with your needs. Enjoy exploring these top picks!
#1 Nielsen Norman Group
The Nielsen Norman Group, a prestigious American company known for its expertise in user interface and user experience consulting.
Source: nngroup.com
Score: 10/10 🥇
About their courses
NN/g offers in-person and virtual UX courses, focused on Interaction Design, Research, or Management, and encompassing topics like research methods and UX strategy. Each course leads to UX Certification, requiring successful completion of online exams. Ideal for those with experience, these courses leverage NN/g’s industry expertise and respected standing.
🗣 Students’ impressions overview
From the students’ view, NN/g courses, though expensive, are rich in research-based content, requiring active involvement and self-study for full benefit. They provide well-organized, quality materials, practical tips, virtual networking, and knowledgeable lecturers. Completing a course also earns you a widely recognized certificate, enhancing your resume.
#2 Zero to UX
Zero to UX is an organization dedicated to advancing careers in UX Research. They offer a variety of services, including Mock Interviews, Portfolio/Resume Reviews, and Consulting Calls for individual career guidance. Additionally, Zero to UX extends its expertise to businesses through Enterprise Consulting services.
Source: zerotoux.com
Score: 9.18/10 🥈
About their courses
Zero to UX specializes in elevating aspiring UX researchers to become industry leaders. Although this article discusses a range of UX professions, the UXR Masterclass from Zero to UX stands out. This course specifically targets those starting in UX research, covering topics like human factors psychology, leadership, management, the integration of AI, and UX business strategies. The course is taught by Kevin Liang, an expert in the field, offering a focused and comprehensive learning experience.
🗣 Students’ impressions overview
Students have commended Zero to UX for its well-structured course content, clarity in presentation, and enthusiastic instructors. The hands-on assignments and quizzes are often mentioned as engaging and effective for learning UX principles. Generally, Zero to UX is well-received by students for delivering an impactful and enjoyable UX research course.
#3 Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)
IxDF is an educational platform providing open-access courses in areas such as user experience and interface design. These courses are taught by professionals and professors with expertise in the industry.
Source: interaction-design.org
Score: 8.80/10 🥉
About their courses
The Interaction Design Foundation is recognized as one of the top three most affordable options worldwide for UX education. They offer a wide range of courses, organized into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels.
For learners at different stages, they recommend “Design Thinking: The Ultimate Guide” for beginners and “Mobile UX Strategy: How to Build Successful Products” for more advanced students. Each student who successfully completes a course at the Interaction Design Foundation receives a certificate.
🗣 Students’ impressions overview
Students often say that while IxDF offers a budget-friendly basis in UX design, it’s crucial to also seek out additional resources. They find that earning a certification is a confidence booster, but emphasize the equal importance of practical skills and empathy. Many students appreciate IxDF for its excellent value in UX education and for making the career path in this field more understandable. It’s frequently recommended by students eager to deepen their UX knowledge.
#4 Google
Google LLC, a leading global technology company, is known for its significant market presence, expertise in AI, and extensive data collection practices. As a member of the Big Tech group, alongside Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft, Google stands out in areas like AI, online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, and several other sectors.
Score: 6.79/10👈
About their courses
Google offers a range of UX courses on Coursera, catering to different specialties within the field. For those starting in UX design, the “Google UX Design Professional Certificate” is a good choice. Meanwhile, for those interested in UX research, the course “Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts” provides focused insights and practical knowledge tailored to researchers.
🗣 Students’ impressions overview
Google’s courses are known for being educational and providing informative content. Students particularly value the interactive aspects, like teamwork exercises, and often enjoy the overall learning experience. While some parts of the courses might progress at a slower pace, upon completion, learners frequently acknowledge Google and Coursera for providing such valuable learning opportunities.
#5 Coursera
Coursera, a U.S.-based online learning platform, offers an extensive selection of courses, certifications, and degree programs. In partnership with over 275 universities and companies, they provide access to a comprehensive catalog of over 7,000 courses.
Score: 5.36/10👈
About their courses
Coursera covers a range of topics, including data science, business, information technology, mathematics, logic, and more. In 2024, Coursera offers over 2,000 user experience courses from various providers, including the University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Virginia, Google, and other organizations. Courses for UX specialists include the University of Michigan’s “Understanding User Needs” and the University of Minnesota’s “User Research and Design.”
🗣 Students’ impressions overview
Balancing a wide array of courses, maintaining consistently high-quality education can be challenging for this organization. Students have identified areas for improvement, including the need for more quizzes and interactive content to sustain engagement, better guidance on evaluating peers’ work and providing feedback, and increased flexibility in accessing weekly sessions for faster-paced learning. Nevertheless, many of these courses are excellent, and selecting based on user recommendations is a valuable approach.
#6 Human Factors International (HFI)
HFI is an organization that, in the post-digital era, shapes businesses by crafting digital experiences that foster customer relationships.
Score: 4.69/10👈
About their courses
HFI provides certification tracks tailored to UX practitioners at various career stages. The Certified Usability Analyst (CUA) certification is ideal for those entering or transitioning into the UX field, granting recognition as a usability expert and access to an exclusive online community. On the other hand, the Certified User Experience Analyst (CXA) certification targets advanced practitioners, emphasizing motivation, persuasion engineering, and ecosystem-level thinking.
🗣 Students’ impressions overview
Opinions regarding HFI’s certification program are diverse. While it provides a thorough grasp of usability, some argue that it may not notably boost job opportunities when compared to practical project experience. Alternatively, there are suggestions to explore more budget-friendly usability courses available on platforms like Udemy, which receive favorable student feedback. Ultimately, the worth of HFI’s CUA certification hinges on individual career aspirations and preferences within the field.
#7 Udemy
Udemy is an educational technology company that operates an online learning platform. Their platform features a wide variety of courses aimed at assisting organizations in improving their strategies.
Score: 4.38/10👈
About their courses
Udemy offers an extensive selection of courses spanning development, business, finance, marketing, design, IT, and various other subjects. These courses are priced at up to 100 euros, granting lifetime access to the course materials. Upon successfully completing a course, participants receive a certificate of completion.
🗣 Students’ impressions overview
At Udemy, the experience with their UX courses varies depending on the course and individual expectations. Some students have raised concerns about outdated information, lengthy content, conflicting teachings, and advice that may not align with practical constraints. However, others have found value in these courses, especially for those open to exploring new perspectives. These courses are seen as accessible and beneficial in fostering critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
#8 CareerFoundry
CareerFoundry provides an accessible tech bootcamp designed for self-paced learning. As an online school for career changers in tech, they offer expert-guided programs in design, development, and analysis.
Score: 0.43/10👈
About their courses
CareerFoundry offers UX, UI design, and product management courses that fast-track your entry into the tech industry in just five months, backed by a money-back guarantee and recognition from respected institutions. Their programs emphasize ethical AI use, offer flexible remote learning, and provide job readiness through the Dual Mentorship Model and Job Preparation Course.
🗣 Students’ impressions overview
Students at CareerFoundry enjoy the flexible learning model in UX courses but find online learning can be lonely for team-based tasks like user research. They value mentors for motivation. While there’s no physical learning environment, they connect with peers locally. Some feel that CareerFoundry’s job search support may not meet initial expectations. Nevertheless, they appreciate the well-structured courses.
🐝 Tip: Are you aspiring to become a professional user experience designer? Check out our article on the UX design processes to gain insights into essential design concepts and establish a solid foundation in the field of user experience design.
How to choose the right UX course?
👉 When you think about signing up for a UX course, it is important to know in advance how the given courses are set up, how much time it will take you to successfully complete them, and what reviews they have outside the institution’s own website.
👉 In our survey, the 3 most popular courses were NN/g, Zero to UX and IxDF. While Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) is suitable for experienced students seeking a challenging path, Zero to UX targets complete beginners aspiring to become UX researchers. Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF) stands out for its range of courses catering to various levels, providing a comprehensive overview at an affordable price.
👉 If you consider picking a UX course as a beginner, it’s crucial to prioritize the acquisition of fundamental design skills, knowledge of the design process, and hands-on practice. Look for courses that cover essential topics like digital product design, visual design, usability testing, user testing, design patterns, and real-world experience. If you already are more advanced on your UX journey, go for more complex courses that build on previous knowledge and are recommended by experts.
About our “Best UX courses” survey
What was the process behind our survey? We started by selecting courses from various articles that recommended reading for UX specialists. This formed a shortlist that our respondents could assess. They had options to mark each course as ‘Not familiar’, ‘Would recommend’, ‘Indifferent’, or ‘Would not recommend’. Once the survey concluded, we analyzed these responses to draw our conclusions.
How our rating methodology works?
- In our approach to rating the courses, we started by calculating the percentages of respondents who had either recommended it, expressed indifference to it, or not recommended it, disregarding the respondents who selected the “not familiar with” option.
- We then determined a net recommendation score for each course by subtracting the percentage of non-recommendations from the percentage of recommendations.
- This score effectively captures the overall sentiment toward each course, taking into account both positive and negative opinions.
- To make an easier comparison across the courses, we normalized these net recommendation scores to a scale ranging from 0 to 10. The highest-ranked course was assigned a score of 10, and the scores for the other courses were adjusted proportionally.
- This normalization process helps us present a clear, quantifiable, and easy-to-understand rating for each course, reflecting its relative standing among the survey respondents.
We believe this method provides a balanced view of the respondents’ preferences.
Where do our survey respondents come from?
We’re thrilled to report that 327 individuals from more than 40 countries chose to participate in our survey! A detailed look shows 48.8% were from the North America, followed by 36% from Europe, then 9.3% from Asia, 3.5% from South America, 1.4% from Africa and 0.8% from Australia and Oceania. It’s fantastic to see such wide and diverse involvement! 😊
How much experience in UX field do our respondents have?
Finally, we will explore the distribution of our respondents based on their levels of experience as UX specialists, spanning from less than 2 years, 2-5 years, 5-10 years, to over 10 years of experience.
🐝 Tip: Do you want to get in touch with people from the UX community but don’t know where to look? See our article Best 30 UX Communities and Groups to Join!
