UI Design Program

Become a UI designer
in under 9 months
Learn flexibly online
without having to quit your job
Work with expert mentors
and build your portfolio

Get a free
UI Design short course

Get a free
UI Design short course

Curious about this program?

Contact us to find out if it’s right for you

Career Advisor

“How would you like to get in touch?”

“I’m here to help you become a UI designer”

Alana, Senior Program Advisor

Curious about this program?

Contact us to find out if it’s right for you

Career Advisor

“How would you like to get in touch?”

“I’m here to help you become a UI designer”

Alana, Senior Program Advisor

Our graduates now have tech jobs all over the world

Apply for one of our 100 partial scholarships this month and get up to 18% off the career change program of your choice! Speak with one of our advisors to learn more 🙌

The UI Design Program

Your launchpad into a career in user interface design

Gain a rigorous education in user-centric design theory by wireframing, prototyping, and working with AI to create dynamic, branded interfaces—all with lifetime curriculum access

Build the technical skillset of every great designer, adopting tools for prototyping, vector graphic editing, and illustrating such as Figma, Adobe XD, Photoshop, Sketch, and more

Work with a team of active industry experts offering 1:1 mentorship on every assignment and project review, including a capstone project you’ll use to conquer your local job market

Find your industry passion through a specialization course, deciding between Animation for UI Designers, Frontend Development for Designers, or Voice User Interface Design

Earn real-world work experience with a stand-out portfolio and the chance to gain hands-on apprenticeship training with our partners: TechFleet, Democracylab & Digital Product School

Launch into the world of UI design and land the role you want with 1:1 career specialist guidance to build a competitive application package and job search strategy, all on our Career Support Center

 

Starting every two weeks

Learn online 30–40 hours/week for 5 months or 15–20 hours/week for up to 10 months

Top-quality mentorship

Our UI design mentors are seasoned industry experts with a 4.94/5 rating

Support from start to finish

Enjoy the Job Preparation Course with career coaching included

What makes UI design the right career?

Compassion is at the heart of design

UI designers work at an exciting crossroads. Their trained eye is used to compose a visual language of effective interactions between man and machine. They combine the hard skills of UX/UI design and prototyping with the soft skills of teamwork and empathizing with users.

UI designers are a permanent staple of tech

Despite AI’s arrival and Big Tech layoffs, UX/UI design positions continue to surge. LinkedIn featured UI designers as one of the top 15 most in-demand professions, with the U.S. national average salary at $77,832 per year, meaning demand in tech is only on the rise.

Work-life balance is baked in

Working remotely or hybrid is a top benefit of working in tech. UI design offers a career that is creative, flexible, and yes, cost-saving. Graduates go on to earn more, work on rewarding projects that solve real problems—and enjoy more time for loved ones and hobbies at home.

What makes CareerFoundry the right school?

We’re the proven path to professional success

Since 2013 we’ve helped 7000+ career changers move from diverse backgrounds like teaching, taxi driving, or opera singing to tech professionals. Our model of industry-driven curriculum, flexibly-paced learning, and expert mentorship ensure graduates land careers they love.

Learn on your schedule, backed by our Job Guarantee

Study flexibly by choosing your own timeline. Immerse yourself in the curriculum, and build your portfolio around your other commitments. Work with your advisor on job coaching and land your first role within six months of graduation or your money back—that’s the Job Guarantee.

Our graduates stand out with cutting-edge skill sets

We’re constantly evolving our curriculum to be industry relevant. That includes AI specialization courses, like Voice User Interface Design. Through research and working with industry experts, we ensure success—and our 90% graduate placement rate reflects that.

UI Design Program Curriculum

A rigorous and industry-relevant education built with beginners and upskillers in mind

Curriculum overview

Part-time
Flexible
Full-time
Intro to UI Design
approx.
1 month
UI Design Immersion
approx.
6 months
Specialization
approx.
2 months
Intro to UI Design
approx.
0.5 - 1 month
UI Design Immersion
approx.
3 - 6 months
Specialization
approx.
1 - 2 months
Intro to UI Design
approx.
0.5 months
UI Design Immersion
approx.
3 months
Specialization
approx.
1 month
info-icon

Completion times are approximations based on the progress of our current students and graduates

Intro to UI Design
UI Immersion
Specialization

This course will take you through ten tasks leading up to one main project: recreating screens for a travel app.

curriculum curriculum-box heading image
1.1 What Is UI?

Differentiate the responsibilities of a UI designer and a UX designer.

1.2 Introduction to Your Design Tool

Decide whether you'd like to use Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD as your tool of choice. Get a thorough overview of how to navigate your chosen tool, and its basic functions.

1.3 Working with Layers & Shapes

Learn how to create basic shapes in Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD, and use these shapes and layers to create the first screens of your app design.

1.4 Point Types & Boolean Operations

Use shapes to create icons for an app.

1.5 Visual Design Basics

Master the fundamentals of visual design by adding stylistic attributes, such as color, images, and shadow to make your app visually appealing.

1.6 Working with Text

Learn how to create typographic hierarchy as you explore how to style and format Text Layers in Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD.

1.7 Advanced Design Tool Features

Explore the different types of grids and masks you can use with Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD as a UI designer, and create a layout for your app icons.

1.8 Pixel Precision

Apply the principles of pixel precision to create pixel perfect UI elements that look polished and professional.

1.9 Previewing Your Work

Understand the importance of periodically previewing your work in the context it will be used. Learn how to preview your work by using different design preview tools.

1.10 Preparing Your Work for Handoff

Prototype your design in InVision, and get to know the process of preparing your design work for handoff to the developers.

This course provides a deeper dive into the daily practice and mindset of a professional UI designer. You’ll complete a total of five Achievements, consisting of several tasks each.

curriculum curriculum-box heading image
Achievement 1
Achievement 2
Achievement 3
Achievement 4
Achievement 5
Introduction to Design Principles

Use design theory, principles, patterns, mediums, and wireframes to design a mobile app from scratch. Here’s what you’ll learn:

Design Principles & Heuristics

Consistency in Design Patterns

Wireframes

Introduction to Grids

Layout Design & Spacing

UI Elements & Hierarchy

Symbols & Iconography

Evoking Emotion in UI

Text & Typography in UI

Using Color in UI

Platforms & Devices

User Experience Design Process

Incorporate basic principles of user experience (UX) such as conducting user research, creating user personas, and drawing user flows. Here’s what you’ll learn:

Design Processes

User Psychology

Conducting User Research

Creating User Personas

What Is Lean UX?

Gathering Requirements

User Flows & User Flow Diagrams

Exploratory Sketching & Rapid Prototyping

User Testing

Portfolio Preparation

User Interface Design Process

Develop a mood board, mockups, and the primary screens for your app. Here’s what you’ll learn:

Finding Inspiration

Building a Mood Board

Primary & Secondary Actions

A/B & Preference Testing

Responsive Design Patterns

Responsive Grids & Frameworks

Creating a Style Guide

Reviewing & Critiquing

The Feedback Loop

Mockups

Portfolio Preparation

Mobile App Design for iOS and Android

Wireframe, design, and prototype a complete mobile app of your choice for both iOS and Android. Here’s what you’ll learn:

Mobile Platforms: iOS

Mobile Platforms: Android

Mobile Design Patterns & Trends

Learning from Others

Basic App Structure

Sounds & Physical Feedback

Mobile Gestures

Building a Mobile App

Prototyping a Mobile App

Portfolio Preparation

Animation, Branding, & UI Design Portfolios

Explore advanced UI design skills, such as prototyping complex animations and interactivity, and consolidate your projects from throughout the program into a complete portfolio.

Reusing Common Components

Prototyping Animation

Building a Cohesive Brand

Less is More

Final Project Part 1

Final Project Part 2

What Makes a Good Portfolio?

Building Your Portfolio

To further develop your expertise, you’ll choose one of three specialization course options: Voice User Interface Design, Animation for UI Designers, or Frontend Development for Designers.

curriculum curriculum-box heading image
Voice User
Interface Design

Achievement 1

Achievement 2

Animation for UI Designers

Achievement 1

Achievement 2

Frontend Development for Designers

Achievement 1

Achievement 2

Introduction to Voice Design with Alexa

Explore the origins of voice, discover the unique user populations and use cases for voice, then get to know Amazon’s Alexa and build a skill for the interface.

Getting Started with Your Voice Design Course

History & Appeal of Voice

Use Cases for Voice

Personas for Voice

How Alexa Voice Interactions Work

Building Your First Skill

Working with AWS Lambda

Certifying Your Skill

Introduction to Voice Design with Alexa

Find out how to create user stories, dialogs, flows, and scripts, as well as how to test your designs. You’ll also explore some advanced topics.

User Needs & User Stories for Voice

Sample Dialogs

User Flows for Voice

Voice Scripts

Context & Memory in Voice Design

Usability Testing for Voice Interactions

Multimodal Interactions

Accessibility & Voice

Safety & Privacy for Voice Design

Intro to UI Animation and After Effects

Explore the principles and techniques behind the best UI animation, learn how to use Adobe After Effects, create animations and prepare them for presentation and handoff.

Intro to UI Animation

UI Animation: Principles and Techniques

Intro to Adobe After Effects

Preloader Animation

Icon Animation

Staging Animation

Presenting Animation

Preparing Animation for Handoff

Advanced UI Animation & Project Journey

Prepare a visual style guide, adapt your designs for additional breakpoints, and finalize the presentation mockups for your responsive mobile app.

UI Animation: The project Journey

Storyboarding

Effects in After Effects

Expressions in After Effects

3D Animation

Logo Animation

External Tools in After Effects

Final Presentation & Portfolio Review

Getting Started with HTML & CSS

Learn how to code with HTML and CSS, and debug and use JavaScript to add interactivity to a website. You’ll complete two projects (achievements) consisting of several tasks each.

Getting Started with Your Frontend Course

Internet & the Web

Starting with HTML

Coding with HTML

Using GitHub for Your Projects

CSS Basics

CSS Layouts

Advanced CSS for Designers

JavaScript & Your Portfolio Site

Discover JavaScript code, libraries, and plugins, then learn to set up efficient processes for testing, QA, and debugging. Explore hosting options and then present your website.

Introduction to JavaScript

Coding with JavaScript

JavaScript Libraries & Plugins

User Testing

Code Quality & Cross-Browser Testing

Portfolio Site Demo & Case Study

Intro to UI Design

This course will take you through ten tasks leading up to one main project: recreating screens for a travel app.

1.1 What Is UI?

1.2 Introduction to Your Design Tool

1.3 Working with Layers & Shapes

1.4 Point Types & Boolean Operations

1.5 Visual Design Basics

1.6 Working with Text

1.7 Advanced Design Tool Features

1.8 Pixel Precision

1.9 Previewing Your Work

1.10 Preparing Your Work for Handoff

UI Immersion

This course provides a deeper dive into the daily practice and mindset of a professional UI designer. You’ll complete a total of five Achievements, consisting of several task each.

Specialization

To further develop your expertise, you’ll choose one of three specialization course options: Voice User Interface Design, Animation for UI Designers, or Frontend Development for Designers.

Voice User Interface Design

Learn how to design voice user interfaces and develop three “skills” for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. You’ll complete a total of two projects (achievements) consisting of several tasks each.

Animation for UI Designers

Explore the essential skills for producing animated user experiences and put your designs into motion. You’ll complete two projects (achievements) consisting of several tasks each.

Frontend Development for Designers

Learn how to code with HTML and CSS, and debug and use JavaScript to add interactivity to a website. You’ll complete two projects (achievements) consisting of several tasks each.

The Future of Design and AI

It’s no secret that the tech industry evolves quickly. UI designers—like all professionals—need to stay up-to-date with automation, AI, and relevant new tooling. At CareerFoundry, it’s our job to ensure you’re a top hire with industry-relevant experience.

Stay ahead of the competition with our Voice User Interface Design specialization course, included in program costs and covering everything you need to know about designing interactions between voice assistants and their users.

As well as expanding our curriculum to help you supercharge your career and explore the power of AI, we’re also offering regular, live events hosted by industry experts teaching you how to utilize automation to maximize productivity.

future with AI
Create head-turning work with industry-standard tools
course-tools
A pillar of your design education is, of course, tooling. Attend free workshop events and become a CareerFoundry student to gain free trials and exclusive discounts. Whether immersed as a student, or still researching UI design, prepare to explore industry staples: Figma, Adobe XD, Photoshop, Sketch, and more.
Student perks

Get exclusive hands-on work experience

  • Gain real-world design experience and apply for one of our partner apprenticeships
  • Build a portfolio based on real-world projects, including an optional bonus project
  • Forge a stand-out applicant profile built on portfolio work, end-to-end capstone projects, industry exposure, and demonstrable expertise you can point top employers to
  • Build your soft skills on external work experience placements and partner with other designers, engineers, data scientists, developers, marketers, and product managers
The Tech Fleet apprenticeship exceeded all my expectations! CareerFoundry’s education really complements the practical experience, where you work in cross-functional teams and with real clients.

Anna Roe

CareerFoundry graduate

Success Stories

Our students go on to launch challenging new careers in the tech industry

Portfolio projects

Our graduates now work at...

UI Design Program admission criteria

What you need:

 

The motivation to transform your career

Even though you can study flexibly, the program requires some commitment as it takes a minimum of 15-20 hours per week to complete in 9 months.

An interest in UI design

If you are already reading books and blog posts about UI, that is a great sign. If you are unsure that UI is really for you, here are some great ways to explore it:

Written and spoken English skills at a level B2 or higher

A computer (macOS, Windows, or Linux) with a webcam, microphone, and an internet connection

What you don’t need:

 

A background in design or tech

This program is designed to take you from beginner to job-ready—regardless of your background. And now more than ever, employers see bootcamp graduates as excellent job candidates. A 2021 study by Career Karma found that companies as respected as Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are some of the largest employers of bootcamp graduates. The same study revealed that, in 2020, those same companies hired up to 120% more bootcamps graduates than they did in 2019!

Unlimited free time

You can study part-time at 15-20 hours per week to finish the program in 9 months; or complete the program in as little as 5 months by studying up to 30-40 hours per week. 

To learn all on your own

You can enjoy the flexibility of online learning with the accountability and one-on-one attention traditionally associated with brick-and-mortar institutions. Much like a college professor might inspire you to pursue a career in a certain field, your mentor, tutor, career specialist, and student advisor will keep you motivated and on track.

Price and payment options

Next start dates:

Pay upfront

Get 5% off your tuition when you make a one-time, upfront payment.

upfront, then for months

Pay monthly

Pay today to secure your place, and then per month for months.

€6900

€1500 upfront, then €450 for 12 months

Pay monthly

Pay €1500 today to secure your place, and then €450 per month for 12 months

€0

Only available for residents in Germany

Bildungsgutschein

Talk to your local job center to find out if you're eligible. You can download our application guide for step-by-step instructions.

$158*/month

$158* per month for 60 months

Pay less per month

Apply for an education loan with one of our partners (Ascent or Climb) and benefit from low monthly payments over an extended period.

*Installments depend on your approved interest rate.

$0 upfront

Pay later

Apply for deferred payment with one of our partners (Ascent or Climb) and only start paying for your program several months after completion.

Need a more flexible payment plan?

We can set up a custom payment plan that better suits your needs. Book a call with a program advisor to learn more.

Talk to your program advisor banner image banner image

FAQ

1.    Is UI design a secure career choice?

In short, yes. There’s a high demand for qualified UI designers in tech (and even in other sectors). "UI designer" ranks third on this list of the 19 most in-demand digital creative talent. Interestingly, the top spot on the list is occupied by "digital product designer"—a role that also incorporates UI design.

Curious about what salary you could earn? Check out our UI design salary guide.

2.    Do I need to take both the UX and UI programs to learn about both disciplines?

You only need to take one program. While UX and UI design are similar in many ways, and most designers do both kinds of work at some point in their careers (and there are many companies who hire for combined UX/UI roles), we’ve built our programs to support budding UX and UI designers separately.

If usability and function in digital product design are more interesting to you (key facets of UX design), take the UX Design Program. You can always opt for the UI design specialization at the end if you want to learn UI basics.

On the other hand, if the aesthetic and interaction side of digital product design appeals to you, take the UI Design Program—it covers UX design basics along the way!

Ultimately, which program you choose should depend on your interests and career goals. Make sure you understand the differences between UX and UI—including the skills and processes that are unique to each discipline, and how UX and UI designers work together.

If you’re still undecided, book a call with a program advisor! They can help you figure out which direction might best suit you.

3.    What are the prerequisites and requirements for the program?

This program is designed with the absolute beginner in mind. Meaning, there are no prerequisites or prior experience in design or tech required.

Regardless of age or background, we’ve built a learning experience to ensure your success. From the catered curriculum and hands-on exercises to one-on-one mentorship and support throughout.

What’s required*:

  • Motivation to transform your career
  • Interest in UI design
  • Written and spoken English proficiency at a B2 level or higher
  • A computer (macOS, Windows, or Linux) with a webcam, microphone, and an internet connection
*Note that you will be required to invest some independent study time into familiarizing yourself with the tools you’ll use throughout the program, and learning how to use them. It is estimated that you will need to spend an additional 1-2 hours per week of extracurricular study time becoming comfortable with them.
4.    Which tools will I use and what are the costs?

For Intro to UX Design, you’ll mainly use Marvel, in addition to others. For the immersive UX Design Program, you’ll mainly use Adobe XD, Figma, or Sketch (depending on your preference).

As a CareerFoundry student, you’ll qualify for free access to the Figma Professional Plan and a free 1-year student subscription to Sketch. Adobe XD comes with a 7-day free trial, but there will be costs involved thereafter.

You will also be using other tools to help you refine your designs. These tools will be available with a free trial or with a discount, which can be found on CareerFoundry’s Perks page. For further tool requirements related to specialization courses, please view their respective pages:

5.    What are the minimum system requirements?

As this varies widely, we recommend checking individual system requirements on the respective websites:

For further system requirements related to specialization courses, please view their respective pages:

6.    Is the program 100% online?

Yes, the program is entirely asynchronous and online—so you can study when and wherever you’d like so long as you can get online and stay on track for graduation.

But this doesn’t mean the learning experience is isolated or lonely! You’ll have regular contact with your mentor, tutor, student advisor, and career specialist—as well as full access to our active student community on Slack.

7.    How long does the program take to complete?

The program is flexibly-paced within a 9-month duration. There are three deadlines along the way that we’ve put in place to help keep you on track for graduation.

Expect to devote a minimum of 15-20 hours per week to graduate within that maximum time frame. This is considered part-time study, and matches the default pacing of the program. If you’d like to graduate in as little as five months, you can devote 30-40 hours per week to reach that goal.

8.    What’s included in the program tuition?

The UI Design Program offers you a complete career change package—from expert-authored curriculum and hands-on projects, to personalized mentorship and career coaching. Find out more here:

  • How it works: From curriculum details to your career change team, and beyond—here are the details.
  • Meet our mentors: Get to know who the CareerFoundry mentors are and how the dual-mentorship model works.
  • Career services: Everything you need to know about our personalized career coaching, Job Preparation course, Career Support Center, alumni community, and more.
  • Graduate outcomes: Here’s some of the work our graduates did in the program—and where they’re at today.
In addition to all of this, you can request read access to our program library—so you can study other corners of the tech world independently, with all the program materials included in your tuition! You can ask your student advisor about this once you start the program.
9.    Are there payment plans available?

Yes, we offer two payment options. You can save 5% of your total tuition by paying it up front. Alternatively, you can pay a set amount up front to reserve your place in the program, and the remainder in 10 monthly payments (regardless of when you graduate from the program).

Still not feasible for you? Book a call with a program advisor to see if you’re eligible for a customized payment plan.

10.    Does CareerFoundry offer full or partial scholarships?

While we do offer an ongoing tuition reduction to active U.S. military personnel and veterans, as well as periodic, partial scholarships/tuition reductions, we do not offer any full scholarships or funds at this time.

If you’d like to learn more about any of these offers, please reach out to a program advisor.

11.    What’s the refund policy if I change my mind?

If you’re not happy with the program in the first 14 days from the start date, you can simply cancel for a full refund.

If you are 60% or less of the way through the program duration (not including any extensions) and need to cancel for any reason, you may be eligible for a prorated refund. For more information, see our full terms and conditions.

12.    Do I get a certificate at the end?

You will receive a signed CareerFoundry certificate when you complete the program. This will make it easy for you to share your new qualification on LinkedIn and with potential employers or clients.

13.    Is the program accredited and what does ZFU-approved mean?

While the program is not university accredited, it does undergo a rigorous quality assurance and certification process with the ZFU (Staatliche Zentralstelle für Fernunterricht)—the state body for distance learning in Germany.

This process ensures that the program meets a high stand for an excellent and effective learning experience.

On successful completion of this certification process, the program is assigned a unique approval number (7330218) which can be checked against a public register.

14.    Are there eligibility requirements for the job guarantee?

There are conditions that graduates need to meet in order to be eligible for the job guarantee. We’re transparent about these requirements because we want them to be easy for you to follow and because we know they genuinely help graduates succeed in their job search.

You’re eligible for the job guarantee when:

  • You’ve successfully completed 100% of your CareerFoundry program as well as our free Job Preparation course.
  • You’re applying to at least five relevant jobs a week.
  • You live in a metropolitan area with a population above 200K people in any of the following countries: USA, Canada, European Union or EFTA countries, UK, Australia, or New Zealand (or you’re willing to relocate).
  • And when you meet other qualifying criteria. Please read the full terms and conditions.
If you have any questions about the job guarantee or the eligibility criteria, simply book a call with a program advisor—they’re happy to help!
15.    What kind of job can I get after the program?

Based on the program’s comprehensive curriculum, you’ll be ready to apply for and step into a junior UI design role or mid-level UI design position. You'll also be able to apply for UI/UX roles.

Keep in mind that many job ads for UI designers ask for 2+ years of experience, but it is often part of their "wishlist" rather than a requirement.

If you have transferable skills from your previous career, it’s possible to land a more senior role. Your dedicated career specialist (during the Job Preparation Course) will help you understand your transferable skills and craft the right narrative to present in your job application materials.

back
back

How would you like us to contact you?

Book a time to speak with a program advisor

Send us a message

Thank you!

Our program advisor will be in touch with you shortly.