A successful, fulfilling career as a user experience (UX) professional involves regular, ongoing development. Whether that’s adding a new analysis approach to your toolkit or wrapping your brain around generative AI, a “good” UX pro—whether you’re in research or design, for instance, is always learning.
In fact, according to our 2024 State of User Research report, over 20% of UX researchers reported learning “on the job,” 7% via a UX-specific bootcamp, and 17% from self-teaching. One form this learning can take is through courses and trainings.
But which one is right for you and how do you know?
Read on for questions to ask yourself before starting a UX course and a big list of verified and well-reviewed options for the seasoned research professional and the newbie alike.
🎙️Podcast: LinkedIn’s Director of UX Research on UX career paths.
Things to consider when choosing a UX course
The amount of UX-related educational offerings continues to grow—there are always more options than any one person could (or should) undertake. Because of this, it is important to reflect on a few questions that can help point you toward the best option.
“What is my learning style?”
Research consistently finds that each of us has a preferred mode or “style” of learning, and that educational content matching or catered toward our style increases achievement. Although finding a perfect match is unlikely, you can look for courses that meet the most important elements of your learning style.
Here are some questions to get you started:
- Do I prefer learning synchronously (live) or asynchronously (self-paced)?
- How much one-on-one time would I want (or need) to feel confident?
- Am I interested in a survey of concepts or a project-based approach?
- What forms of instruction resonate with me? Videos? Written materials?
Knowing a few of the “must-haves” related to your learning style will help in the selection process.
“What are my goals?”
UX courses vary in their focus, breadth, and depth of topics. Knowing what you want (or need) from a course, training, or certification will go a long way toward maximizing the investment—in time and potentially money—made in any one educational offering.
For instance, it’s worth asking:
- Are you switching careers and therefore need a complete foundation?
- Maybe you want to improve an existing skillset or add a new area of expertise?
- Do you want to sharpen your skills in a single approach or tool?
After you’ve identified your learning goal, compare that to the learning objectives or outcomes offered by the course. Check the schedule and topics—do they align with your outcomes? Again, no course will map perfectly, but having a grasp of what you want out of it will not only help with selection, it can fuel your motivation during the course.
“How are my resources right now?”
Most training courses require more of students than reading a blog or listening to a podcast, as educational as those may be. Reflecting on your own resources goes a long way toward supporting your long-term goals (see above).
“Resources” can mean many things, like:
- Time - How many hours per week can I “give” to a course?
- Money - Do I have the budget for a course? If so, how much?
- Energy - What else do I have commanding my attention?
Your answers can reveal if you want a full-time or part-time course, a free or paid option, and something that’s self-paced vs. live and ongoing.
With answers to these questions, you’re ready to make the best choice among the many great UX research trainings, certifications, and bootcamps.
Building a UX portfolio? Here are 20 examples to get yours noticed.
11 paid UX research courses
1. Interaction Design Foundation’s User Research - Methods and Best Practices
A self-paced course with optional in-person meetups lasting an estimated eight weeks. Covers where research fits into the design process, qualitative basics, usability tests, and communicating results. Pricing is free for IDF members; a membership is $22/month.
2. Designership’s Practical UX Research & Strategy
An on-demand, online, self-paced course tailored for designers and product managers to learn the fundamentals of user research methods and how they can improve your business mindset. Price is $650.
3. NN/g’s Certifications
Offers two customizable certifications with over 50 courses to choose from. Courses focus on three areas: interaction, research, and management. Pricing ranges from $5,800 to $17,300.
4. UX Design Institute Certificate in User Research
A self-paced, online course with live support and check-ins. Offers eight modules focusing on the core skills of UX research. Price is $2,150 as of this writing.
5. CuriosityTank
Offers on-demand and live courses on the complete process of conducting user research, from creating a project plan through synthesis and results presentation. Prices range from $349 to $4,545.
6. LinkedIn Learning’s UX Foundations: Research
A self-paced online course with six modules, each covering a different step in the UX research process, from method consideration and planning to analysis and presentation. Price is $39.99 or free with a LinkedIn Premium subscription.
7. Experience Haus’s Mastering User Research
A live, online, part-time course spanning 10 weeks exploring the basics of design thinking, methodologies, theory, and even industry tools to conduct user research. Price is $1,500 with rolling start dates.
8. Memorisely’s UX Research Bootcamp
A cohort-based live bootcamp combining co-working, case studies, AI-tools, and expert feedback on the foundations of UX research. Price is $875 as of this writing.
9. Missing Foundations of UX Research
A three-week, cohort-based course led by Noam Segal diving into topics like partnership creation, storytelling, and alternative thinking. Includes active support and mentoring. Price is $550.
10. User Research Academy
Offers self-paced courses in foundational user research practices and UX research job-seeking skills (e.g., building a case study or acing the whiteboard challenge). Price ranges from $80 to $180.
11. uxcel
An online, self-paced course with 12 units focusing on the foundations of UX design and core research skills. Price is $196.
8 free UX research courses
All of these courses are online and self-directed. Most use videos as the primary delivery vehicle for lessons and include activities to reinforce concepts and learning. Some are only a few days, while others are months-long. Reference your learning goals when choosing one.
- University of Michigan’s User Experience Research and Design
- Google’s Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts
- University of Minnesota’s User Research and Design
- University of Amsterdam’s Qualitative Research Methods
- UC San Diego’s User Experience: Research & Prototyping
- Ideate Labs’s Introduction to UX Research & Design Thinking
- Susan Weinschenk’s User Experience (UX) Fundamentals
- Codeacademy’s Learn User Research: Generative
8 research courses for non-researchers
For those outside of research roles—especially designers and product folks—engage in research activities. Things like evaluative studies and customer conversations are part of most product development processes. As a result, there are several course options geared toward design and product that include UX research foundations. Here are a few of them.
1. User Interviews’s Research 101 for Non-Researchers
A free, online, cohort-based course covering the fundamentals of user research for designers, product managers, marketers, and more. The course lasts four weeks and covers question design, recruitment, and analysis.
2. CareerFoundry’s Intro to UX Design Course
Fully-online and lasting about one month, this project-based course surveys everything from design thinking and information architecture to persona building and usability testing. Price is $690 with rolling start dates.
3. Designlab’s Data-Driven Design
A six-week, cohort-based hybrid course for mid-level and senior designers to learn how to collect and use data to strengthen their project work. Price is $999.
4. General Assembly’s UX Design Short Course
Offered in part-time evening or one-week accelerated formats, this course is a live format for learning foundational principles, including user research. Price is $4,500 with rolling start dates.
5. Rob Sutcliffe’s Master Digital Product Design: UX Research & UI Design
A self-paced course for product designers, offering the foundations of user experience, design thinking, and evaluative research methods. Includes modules on creativity. Price is $174.99.
6. Product Institute’s User Research Course
This self-paced online course is tailored for busy PMs interested in learning the complete user research lifecycle, including evaluative and generative approaches. Price is $349.
7. Reforge’s Effective Customer Conversations
A two-week live digital course for non-researchers who want to build better products based on customer feedback. Explores frameworks for customer conversations and how to make sense of them. Price is $750; available on-demand with a Reforge membership.
8. UX Research for Product Managers and Designers
A cohort-based online course offering office hours and collaboration opportunities. Explores research plans and moderated best practices. Price is $450 with rolling start dates.
More resources for career growth
Courses and trainings are just one facet of your professional growth and development.
Here are other resources worth checking out to keep learning:
.png)
.webp)
