# UX & UI Design Certificate Canonical URL: ## Overview Become proficient in user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design by focusing on creating intuitive, user-centered products. From conducting research to developing prototypes, you’ll learn how to design apps and websites that are functional, visually appealing, and enhanced with cutting-edge AI technologies. - **Learn UX & UI Design Principles:** Understand the principles of user-centered design, including best practices for usability and visual design. Learn how to create products that are both functional and visually appealing, balancing user needs with business goals. - **Design Prototypes & Digital Products:** Bring your ideas to life by designing interactive prototypes for websites, apps, and other digital products using Figma. You’ll build clickable prototypes to gather feedback from users, clients, and developers, ensuring your designs are ready for production. - **Conduct User Research & Testing:** Master the art of gathering insights through user research. Create user personas, conduct interviews, and run tests to identify potential issues. Use these insights to iterate and refine your designs for a seamless user experience. - **Integrate AI into UX/UI Workflows** : Explore how AI can enhance your design process. Learn to use AI tools for wireframing, prototyping, and visual design, as well as automating repetitive tasks. Gain hands-on experience in crafting effective prompts and generating AI-driven design content. - **AI-Driven User Research & Feedback:** Leverage AI to streamline user research, create proto-personas, and analyze user feedback. Use AI tools for sentiment analysis, usability enhancements, and refining user flows for better engagement. - **Career Preparation & Job-Ready Skills:** Receive one-on-one mentorship to help you refine your portfolio and resume, preparing you for job applications. Gain practical skills in building a portfolio website and presenting your best work. You can learn more about [project deliverables](https://www.nobledesktop.com/ux-ui-capstone-projects) and [see student project examples here](/ux-ui-design-capstone-student-projects). ## What you'll learn - Learn UX and UI design concepts and best practices - Design webpages, apps, and more - Conduct user research and analyze results - Build clickable prototypes and conduct user testing to gain feedback - Learn Figma for design and prototyping - Write case studies for your UX projects, create visual designs, build your portfolio website, and create your resume - Get 1-on-1 assistance with job preparation (help and feedback on developing your portfolio website and resume) ## Curriculum ### UI Fundamentals #### How & when to use common UI patterns - Menus - Tabs - Bottom tab bar - Buttons (including “Call to action” or CTA) - Accordion - Carousel - Breadcrumbs - Modals - Forms - etc. ### Learn Figma #### Create Visual Designs & Clickable Prototypes - Learn how to use Figma to create clickable prototypes to show users for testing, or for clients to see your work. - Design the UI (user interface of websites, apps, etc) in Figma. ### UX Design Concepts #### Intersection of Design, Technology, & Business - Through critical analysis understand how user experience as a field sits in the intersection of different areas of the product. - What is the difference between User Experience Design and User Interface Design? - Learn about heuristics and apply heuristic evaluation to websites. - Competitive Research #### Knowing Your User - Learn how to structure and conduct user interviews to better identify the needs and current behaviors of the user. - Understand how to engage the user to work through assumptions and preconceived notions that arise during the process. - Write down assumptions for your class project. #### User Research Through Interviews - Refine user interview questions. - Interview classmates for your project. #### Refining User Research and Creating Personas - Create user personas from the interviews to represent the goals and behaviors of the users within the system. - Develop user scenarios to show when and how the user engages with the system. #### Synthesis of User Research, Journey Maps, and User Flows - Continue to synthesize results of user research to find patterns. - Create a journey map for your project. - Think through the different features of the system by building user flows. - Take the written narrative to the next level through sketching and improvising using techniques such as storyboarding and bodystorming. #### Wireframing, Sketching, Prototyping - Practice a sketching session for an existing website or mobile application of your choice. Start with sketching on a whiteboard or your notebook. - Sketch wireframes for your class project. - Learn the power of prototyping and testing an idea. Understand different methods of prototyping and their levels of fidelity. - Discuss the motivation behind the prototyping, such as newly discovered user goals, business needs and improved functionality. #### Prototyping & User Testing - User testing methods and strategies. - Do’s and don’ts of user testing. - Do a user test on your project with a classmate. - Clearly list the assumptions and test your concepts. Work on multiple iterations of the prototype based on the test results. #### Iterating the Prototype and Further User Testing - Report conclusions based on user testing. - User testing reports. - Rework the prototype based on user testing conclusions. ### Case Studies #### Building Case Studies - Look at case study examples. - Finish your clickable prototype. - Using a compilation of user research, prototypes, photographs, and user research, build your case study. - Present class projects as case studies on-screen. ### Creative Briefs #### Getting to Know a Project: Creative Briefs - What is a Creative Brief? - What to Include in a Creative Brief ### Wireframing for UI Designers #### Wireframing - Why and How to Create Wireframes - Issues to Solve - Steps in Creating a Wireframe - Designing on a Grid System (like Bootstrap) - Get Critiques - Incorporate Feedback & Improve Your Designs #### Wireframe to Refined Design - Iterate & Refine - Understanding the Mobile Experience ### UI or Visual Design Concepts #### Learning from Existing Websites & Apps - What Works & What Does Not? #### Color - Color Harmonies - Creating Contrast with Color - Guidelines for Proper Color Usage #### Typography & Fonts - Display Text (Such as Headings) versus Body Text - Legibility - Type Trends - Typeface Selection & Pairing - Where to Get Web Fonts - Ideal Line Height - Column Width (Line Length) - Hyphenation & Justification #### Design Elements - Proximity - Similarity - Continuity #### Trends in Web & App Design - Analysis of Example Websites & Apps #### Design Patterns - Example Design Patterns #### Multiple Screen Sizes - Responsive Web Design - Mobile Considerations & Limitations - Discoverability Challenges - Mobile Navigation - Phone vs Tablet App Design #### Workflow: Idea to Design - Example Web & App Design Workflows ### The Business of UX & UI Design #### The UX & UI Design Industry - Getting into the business: strategies and ideas. - Resources ### Portfolio Website & Job Preparation #### Creating Your Portfolio Website - Examples of UX & UI portfolio websites - What you should include on your portfolio website - Get 1-on-1 feedback on your case studies & portfolio website #### Resume Development - What you should include on your resume - Get 1-on-1 feedback on your resume **Skills covered:** UX Design Principles, UI Design Principles, Figma, User Testing, Prototyping ## Schedule - Jul 15, 2026 – Jan 6, 2027 — NYC - Aug 3, 2026 – Sep 11, 2026 — NYC - Nov 2, 2026 – Dec 10, 2026 — NYC ## Instructors ### Michael Suen — Instructor Michael is an independent designer and creative director. For over a decade, he has run the design studio Weirdo, helping early-stage startups and enterprise companies alike clarify their unique value proposition and meaningfully engage their customers. Drawing on his experience as a certified Design Sprint facilitator and former startup co-founder, Michael has worked side-by-side with leaders at LinkedIn, Bose, KonMari, Lovevery, IntelyCare, Hazel Health, and more to launch new brands, products, and services. His projects have been featured in the likes of _TechCrunch_, _The_ _Wall Street Journal_, and _NPR_, and won awards at South by Southwest and Games for Change. Prior to his position at Noble Desktop, Michael served as an adjunct professor at the City University of New York, where he co-created the user experience curriculum for their workforce training program. He has also taught user experience design at General Assembly and lectured on playful design at MIT and Haverford College. In his former lives, Michael covered arts and culture as a journalist, shipped award-winning educational games as a digital producer, and participated in two successful startup exits as a founding designer (SwitchUp acquired by Optimal in 2018, VocaliD acquired by Veritone in 2022). Raised in Hong Kong and educated in Vermont, he now lives in Queens, NY. ### Christophe Drayton — Instructor Christophe is the instructor for the UX & UI Design Certificate, Figma Advanced, and Generative AI courses at Noble Desktop, and the founder and Chief Design Officer of Kaaiind, which specializes in Applied Artificial Intelligence in the Creative field. With over 20 years in Branding, UX Design, and Accessibility across Europe and the US, Christophe has positively impacted the digital experience of a large spectrum of companies, ranging from big data to startups, government entities to nonprofits, both in the private and public sectors. As an Educator, Christophe has led transformative and award-winning UX programs at Thinkful, the City University of New York (CUNY), and the Brooklyn Public Library, which have opened doors for underrepresented groups in tech who have secured roles at top companies like Google, Uber, Citi, and IBM. Most recently, he has developed innovative curricula about AI in the workplace for the University of Phoenix, LinkedIn Learning, and Coursera. Today, he focuses on developing Allie, one of the first AI-powered, patent-pending color-blind safe and WCAG-compliant design system generator, while concluding his 5-year fundamental research on color vision deficiencies in digital environments. Christophe believes in hands-on, practical application of human-centered strategy and ethical and inclusive design. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge to inspire and empower the next generation of designers, especially those entering the field through nontraditional paths. ## FAQ ### Will I need to do work outside of class? Yes, you should expect to spend about 5–10 hours outside of class each week. During class hours you’ll learn, work on projects, and get instructor feedback. Outside of class you’ll continue to work on your projects, portfolio website, and resume. Your instructor will then review your work during class time to give you feedback. We’ll guide you throughout the process, so it’s a good mix of learning and work both in the classroom and out. ### Who is the target audience for this course? - Individuals looking to start a career in UX design. - Those who want to learn from a live instructor and are OK doing some additional work outside of class hours. - People who want to be able to work during the day and learn at night. ## Reviews > I’ve since been hired at Fordham University as a UX designer. My favorite teachers knew about almost all of the issues we encountered, and gave us time to try and figure it out ourselves before revealing the solution. > > — Luka Anicic, UX Designer, Fordham University ## Pricing **Tuition:** $3495 Payment options: 0% interest financing available, pay-as-you-go installments, and GI Bill accepted.