Discover the Best UX Design Classes in NYC
User Experience (UX) design is the practice of creating web technologies, like sites and apps, that are easy and pleasant for a user to navigate. UX Designers do research on user needs, ideate and prototype designs, conduct tests with user tests, and finalize their designs based on user feedback before handing them off to a Front End Web Developer for coding. In recent years, companies within and beyond tech have increasingly wanted to hire UX Designers. The more obligatory it becomes to have a website for any business, and the more advantageous it becomes for a business to have an app, the more demand for UX Designers there will be.
UX design is a desirable field because it is both growing and well-compensated. It also provides creative people with an outlet for their creativity within a secure job. Many find it satisfying, too, to design an experience with technology that will make someone else’s day more pleasant.
Best UX Design Classes & Schools in NYC
#1: General Assembly—User Experience Design Bootcamp
General Assembly’s User Experience Design Bootcamp offers a hands-on introduction to UX design studies. A single-day bootcamp takes students through the entire process of UX design. They’ll gain a practical introduction to the most important tools and concepts in UX and user interface (UI) design, including concrete real-world examples for each one. In the process, they’ll practice the methods and strategies that are vital to success in UX design.
The course covers UX design’s contribution to a product team’s workflow and how students can apply the knowledge they acquire in the course to improve their current projects. Students also learn to produce common UX deliverables such as wireframes, prototypes, and user testing reports. They’ll also begin developing the collaboration and ideation skills they’ll need in their future pursuit of UX design.
Key Information
This is a 1-day, full-time course. There are no prerequisites. Tuition is $250.
More Details
Students praise the “clear,” “thoughtful,” and “amazing” instructors for this course, who also “provided guidance after the program finished.”
#2: Noble Desktop—UX & UI Design Certificate
Noble Desktop’s UX & UI Design Certificate introduces students to the fundamentals of UX and UI design. They learn about centering their designs on the user’s needs and discover visual design best practices. The course gives students user research skills, too, as they study target users, create personas, and conduct user testing of the designs they create. They also explore the use of UX software to build clickable design prototypes for user testing, client review, or developer handoff. The course concludes with the creation of online portfolios to showcase students’ skills to prospective employers and high-quality resumes to get the attention of hiring managers.
Key Information
This is a part-time course, offering 7 months of instruction at 6 hours a week. There are no prerequisites. Tuition is $3495.
More Details
The expert instructors and small class sizes make Noble Desktop stand out. Students in their certificate program receive 1-on-1 mentoring from professional UX Designers, who review their portfolio, guide them in creating their resumes, and provide expert advice on their job search. Noble students may also retake any class for free within 1 year of completing their original course.
Students at Noble say they “felt empowered” by their studies there. The “top-notch instructors” at Noble “really make learning fun,” such that it was “possible to learn without any stress.”
#3: Flatiron School—Learn UX/UI Design
Flatiron School’s Learn UX/UI Design course focuses on inclusive and ethical approaches to design. The course starts with user research, which is foundational to UX design. Students design strong research questions and then choose the research method (quantitative or qualitative) that will be the best fit to answer the question. Next, they study user interface (UI) design fundamentals. These include color, typography, visual composition, interaction, animation, innovation, and ideation.
Students learn how to do responsive design, that is, web technology design that is functional across different types and sizes of devices. They also explore information architecture, the science of website structure and navigation. After learning these concepts and tools, students start to design mobile apps. They then create clickable prototypes of those designs for user testing. At the end of the course, students do a capstone project in their specialty of choice, whether UI design, UX design, or UX research.
A significant priority for Flatiron is making sure graduates know how to operate as UX Designers in the business world. The course therefore covers product strategy, the product lifestyle, and the Agile project management methodology. Students also study communication design strategies so that they can present effectively to stakeholders.
Key Information
This full-time bootcamp is 15 weeks long at 40 hours a week. There are no prerequisites for this course. Tuition costs $16,900, due upfront or in 12 installments of $1400 each, with a $99 deposit at registration. The school offers scholarships for women and students from underrepresented communities.
More Details
After registering, students gain access to a pre-work curriculum to help them prepare for the course. Once they’ve finished, they have 180 days of career services available to them. These include job search mentoring, resume reviews, and mock interviews.
Flatiron students say that the program is an “amazing experience,” with a “very thorough” curriculum and instructors who are “always ready and available to help.”
NYC Industries That Use UX Design
There is growing demand for UX Designers by companies in the tech space and in other industries as well. In New York City, the top industries include financial services, health care, and educational services, all of which provide jobs for UX Designers. Banks and investment firms, doctors and insurance companies, school systems and teachers can all benefit from websites and apps that serve their needs and those of their customers. UX Designers can help these businesses figure out what they need and create designs that will provide it.
UX Design Jobs & Salaries in NYC
The average UX Designer’s salary in New York City is $110,359 a year. However, senior designers make an average of $145, 737 annually, and the highest-paying UX jobs there offer salaries up to $232,000 a year.
