High School

In high school take courses in programming, graphic and Web design, marketing, psychology, English, speech, business, and social studies.

Postsecondary Education

User experience designers must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree to enter the field. Designers have degrees in human-computer interaction, graphic design, Web design, industrial design, communication, psychology, engineering psychology, human factors/ergonomics, or marketing. Some colleges and universities offer specializations in human-computer interaction, information design, user interface design, and user experience research and design.

Other Education or Training

It’s important that user experience designers keep their skills up to date throughout their careers. Webinars, workshops, seminars, and classes are provided by professional associations and tech companies. For example, the User Experience Professionals Association offers webinars such as UX Doesn’t Happen on a Screen, It’s in the Mind; Psychology 101: Revisiting the Basics of Human Behavior to Optimize User Experience Design; and Using Automated Testing Tools to Empower Your UX Research. The Nielsen Norman Group, a provider of user experience consulting services, offers courses on topics such as human-computer interaction, information architecture, user behavior, user testing, and Web usability. General Assembly, a global education company, provides courses on design, coding, and digital marketing. The Association for Computing Machinery, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and IEEE Computer Society also provide continuing education opportunities.

Certification

A growing number of colleges and universities—including Bentley University, California State University at Fullerton, University of California at San Diego, San Francisco State University, University of Baltimore, University of Washington, and Southern Methodist University—provide undergraduate and graduate certificates in user experience design and related fields. Contact schools in your area to learn about available programs.

Certification or Licensing

Human Factors International, which bills itself as “the world’s largest company specializing in user experience design,” offers the certified usability analyst credential to those who complete four courses and pass an examination. It offers certification courses in cities throughout the United States and the world. Visit https://www.humanfactors.com for more information. The Nielsen Norman Group offers the certified user experience designation to those who meet the training and exam requirements. Visit https://www.nngroup.com/ux-certification to learn more. 

The completion of an internship or co-operative educational experience at a firm that employs user experience designers is required for entry-level positions.

User experience designers must have excellent design skills, but they also need a good understanding of psychology and marketing. The ability to communicate effectively and work well with others are also important because UX designers frequently work as a member of a team and interact with a wide range of people—from fellow UX designers, to programmers, clients, and top executives. Other key traits include creativity; the ability to multitask; problem-solving, time-management, and organizational skills; and pragmatism when it comes to design decisions (i.e., knowing how to balance good design with budgetary and time constraints). Finally, UX designers should have knowledge of Apache Hadoop, MongoDB, NoSQL, Oracle Java, Python, Linus, UNIX, JavaScript, Hypertext Preprocessor, as well as other software.