User interface (UI) design is an exciting, creative field — and it’s a great skill to have in today’s increasingly digital world.
If you’re interested in adding user interface design to your skill set, a UI design course is an excellent place to start. Whether you’re a novice or mid-level designer, and no matter your budget or availability, there’s a UI design course out there for everyone.
To help you find yours, we’ve run a comparison of the best UI design courses. Here are our top picks for learning UI design in 2023.
1. The UX Design Institute Professional Certificate in UI Design
The UX Design Institute offers a university credit-rated UI design course, leaving you with a professional qualification which will be recognised by employers in the field.
The online course takes 12 weeks to complete, requiring around 3 hours of study time each week. The course is entirely flexible, so you can learn at your own pace whenever it suits you.
The curriculum is geared towards graphic designers and digital designers who want to upskill in UI design, UI designers who want to further hone their craft, as well as UX professionals who want to become more well-rounded product designers.
At €1,850, the UX Design Institute offers one of the most affordable options on the market without compromising on quality. You’ll get a university-backed curriculum and a formal qualification in the space of 3 months.
Course highlights:
- Flexible, online university credit-rated UI design course
- Takes 12 weeks to complete with around 3 hours of study each week
- Costs €1,850 with the early bird discount
- Ideal for designers who want to upskill
2. Springboard UX/UI Design Career Track
Another online tech school, Springboard offers several options for those interested in learning UI design.
The Introduction to Design Course takes 4 weeks to complete, covering foundational skills in UX/UI design and giving a glimpse into what the life of a designer looks like. At $349, this is a great introduction if you’re new to UI design and want to learn the basics.
The UI/UX Design Career Track is a more comprehensive 9-month bootcamp, teaching UI design skills in depth and preparing students to get their first design job. The course costs $14,310 (or $11,900 if you pay upfront).
Throughout the course, you’ll be mentored by an expert, collaborate directly with a real client for 4 weeks on a practical project and create a design portfolio. The course also offers a job guarantee, so if you don’t get a job within 6 months of completion, you can apply for a refund.
Course highlights:
- Learn design fundamentals with a 4-week course at $349
- Prepare for a job as a UI designer with the UI/UX Design Career Track at $14,310
- Expert mentorship
- Flexible online learning
- Project work in collaboration with a real client
3. Designlab UI Design Course
If you’ve already got some design experience but want to develop your expertise in UI and visual design, consider the Designlab UI Design course for mid-level designers.
Throughout this 4-week course, you’ll work together with a professional mentor to learn how to identify modern design patterns and implement them into your own work.
Each week, students have a set of curriculum and projects that they can work through at their own pace, requiring around 10-15 hours per week (plus a weekly call with your mentor). You’ll move through UI fundamentals and modern UI trends, mastering key concepts such as colour, typography and responsive design.
Course highlights:
- 4-week online course for mid-level designers
- 10-15 hours of study per week, at your own pace
- Weekly mentor calls
- $399 with discounts available
4. Skillshare UI Design Courses
Perhaps you don’t want to sign up for a long-term intensive course but just want to dabble in different areas of UI design. If so, it’s worth browsing Skillshare’s extensive library of on-demand UI design courses.
Skillshare costs $36 per month (or less if you pay the annual subscription fee upfront). Once you’re a member, you have access to thousands of online courses, with an entire category dedicated to UX and UI design. Some of the most popular courses for learning UI design include UI Design Essentials in Figma, the Adobe Illustrator CC Masterclass and this Intro to UI Design Principles.
Skillshare is a great option if you want to learn different UI design tools and principles without committing to a long-term study program.
Course highlights:
- Access to thousands of online courses with Skillshare membership at $36 per month
- Explore different areas of UI design at your own pace
- Follow practical tutorials to learn essential UI tools
5. Thinkful UX/UI Design Bootcamp
Thinkful is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) provider specialising in tech skills. Their online UX/UI Design Bootcamp takes between 5 and 6 months to complete, depending on which mode of study you choose.
There are two ways to study UI design with Thinkful: full-time with a cohort over the course of 5 months or independently on a part-time basis over the course of 6 months.
The full-time option costs $12,500 and includes the support of dedicated learning assistants. Students are required to attend daily live online lectures, workshops and video mentor sessions Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm.
The part-time route costs $9,500 and includes self-paced lessons which require between 20-25 hours of study per week. Rather than dedicated learning assistance, part-time students can make the most of optional office hours with an industry expert.
For students who aren’t in a position to pay upfront, Thinkful offers a variety of alternatives such as deferred tuition (where you only pay for the course once you’ve got a job and are earning over $40,000 per year), monthly instalments and deferred tuition plus a loan to cover your living expenses.
Course highlights:
- Fully online UX/UI course
- Takes 5 months to complete full-time or 6 months to complete part-time
- Full-time route costs $12,500
- Part-time route costs $9,500
- Flexible payment options available
6. Learn UI Design Online Video Course
Learn UI Design is an entirely video-based course comprising over 35 hours of video lessons. Follow along as a UI design expert gives live demos of the craft in action, from designing layouts and colour schemes to creating icons and more.
Erik Kennedy, the course creator, says: “I’ve designed these videos to be like watching over my shoulder as I share the frameworks, tips and tricks that have helped me design UI for companies of every size”.
The Learn UI Design course includes access to three core components: lessons in the form of video tutorials, a community Slack channel where you can get feedback on your own designs and what’s known as the “Redesign vault”, where Erik redesigns project work submitted by students.
The course price is somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 (unfortunately, the exact price isn’t advertised online).
Course highlights:
- Fully online, over 35 hours of video lessons
- Access to the Slack community
- A good option for beginners who want to learn at a flexible pace
- Price somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 (exact price unknown)
7. CareerFoundry UI Design Program
The CareerFoundry UI Design Program is another fully online option, offering a comprehensive learning experience for those hoping to get a job as a UI designer.
The course takes around 9 months to complete, focusing on the most important skills and tools you’ll need in order to work in the design industry. At just over €6,000, it’s more expensive than some of the other UI design courses available. However, included in the price is expert mentorship, career coaching and a job guarantee, which means that you could get your money back if you don’t find a job after completion.
You can work through the course at a flexible pace, tackling practical exercises and building your design portfolio along the way.
Course highlights:
- Takes around 9 months to complete
- Costs between €6,175 and €6,500 (depending on if you pay upfront or in monthly instalments)
- Includes a project-based curriculum and mentorship
- Students may be eligible for a refund if they don’t find a job after the course
8. Interaction Design Foundation UI Design Courses
The Interaction Design Foundation is best known for their UX content, but they’ve also got multiple courses for learning UI design, too.
Aspiring UI designers can choose from 12 courses in total, spanning foundation courses on design thinking and visual design, beginner courses covering UI design patterns and UX design, through to intermediate courses on key topics such as designing for accessibility and interaction design for usability, as well as advanced courses looking at more complex concepts such as affordances, brain science and augmented and virtual reality.
All courses are online and self-paced, and you can access all course content for a flat fee of €15 per month. The Interaction Design Foundation is another great option if you want to learn UI design flexibly and affordably from a reputable provider.
Course highlights:
- Access all Interaction Design Foundation courses for a flat membership fee of €15 per month
- 12 UI design courses in total, broken down into foundation, beginner, intermediate and advanced topics
- Entirely self-paced for flexible, independent learning
- Gain a certificate of completion at the end
9. Experience Haus UI Design With Figma Course
Experience Haus is a design training academy based in London. They’ve got a variety of in-person and online courses covering a range of design topics, including user interface design.
The UI Design with Figma course has been created for anyone looking to advance or refresh their UI design skills. The course spans 8 weeks and is available either online or in-person at their studio in Shoreditch. Students work on a live client brief, resulting in a portfolio-ready case study, with the syllabus covering everything from visual design fundamentals to design systems, components, instances, prototyping and more.
The course costs £1,450 and is taught via small, interactive classes led by industry experts.
Course highlights:
- 8 week UI design course, available in person or online
- Costs £1,450
- Work on a live client brief
- Follows a learning-by-doing approach
- Led by industry experts
What else can you do to learn UI design?
In addition to a UI design course, you can improve your user interface design skills by watching free YouTube tutorials, practising with different tools and reading industry blogs. Check out our complete guide on how to become a better UI designer, master key terminology with our UI design glossary or start from the very beginning with our introductory guides explaining exactly what UI design is and what a UI designer does.
