UX design bootcamps allow you to quickly learn the skills and make the connections needed to succeed in this industry. But there are many different options available, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages — to help you make the right choice for your specific needs, we’ve reviewed the top seven UX design bootcamps in detail below.
- Springboard — UX Design Bootcamp — Top Pick
- General Assembly — UX Design Bootcamp — Best Alumni Network
- Designlab — UX Academy — Most Rigorous Curriculum
- BrainStation — UX Design Bootcamp Online — Best Career Services
- Devmountain — UX Design Online Bootcamp — Best Part-Time Option
- Ironhack — Remote UX/UI Design Bootcamp — Most Beginner-Friendly Program
- Interaction Design Foundation — UX Courses — Most Affordable
Our Ranking Criteria
UX design bootcamps can be quite expensive, so you’ll want to pick one of the best courses available to make the most of your investment. After reviewing dozens of UX/UI design bootcamps, we used the following criteria to help us determine which options are most worth their tuition fees.
Basic Ranking Criteria
Before signing up for any kind of course, there are a few key details that you should check on first. For example, knowing if the class offers both full-time and part-time options is important, especially if you already have a busy schedule. We took note of the following four points for each course covered in this guide:
Time to complete. A short, full-time course will allow you to advance your career quickly. But if you’re willing to wait, courses that take longer to complete generally offer more schedule flexibility or cover more advanced topics.
Prerequisites required. Beginners will need to find a course that’s open to everyone. Conversely, if you already have some experience, a UX design bootcamp that requires prerequisites will allow you to avoid coursework that goes over subjects you already know.
Flexible schedule. Students with tight schedules due to work or family commitments should look for a course that offers part-time or self-directed options.
Certificate of completion. Many UX design bootcamps will provide you with a certificate of completion once you graduate from their course, which you can use to immediately improve your resume.
Advanced Ranking Criteria
The basic ranking criteria listed above apply to all online courses. We also considered factors that are specifically related to the UX/UI design industry, such as:
- The course covers all the skills that you’ll need to possess for your day-to-day work as a UX designer, including wireframing, prototyping, user research, and usability testing
- The course teaches you how to build a portfolio of past projects and showcase your skills to potential employers
- The course maintains an alumni network that you can utilize for career advice and job opportunities in the UX design industry
- The course offers career coaching services that can help you learn how to prepare for interviews and negotiate your salary
- Former graduates of the course have landed UX design jobs at top companies such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft
- A high percentage of bootcamp graduates have been able to land a UX design job within six months of completing the course
- Online courses offer features such as live video lectures and chatrooms to help you connect with your instructors and fellow students
7 Best UX Design Bootcamps
Springboard
UX Design Bootcamp
Intelligent Award: Top Pick
One of the best reasons to choose Springboard’s UX Design Bootcamp is that you’ll get unlimited access to a personal mentor. In addition to your weekly meeting with this industry expert, you can call them for advice and feedback as often as you want. Springboard will also help you prove your UX design skills to potential employers. This course includes hands-on experience that you can add to your portfolio as well as a capstone project and industry design project. And if you cannot land a UX design job within six months of completing this course, Springboard will give you your money back.
- Price: $11,900
- Time to complete: 6 months
- Prerequisites required: Yes
- Flexible schedule: No
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? This is a great course for those who already have worked in the industry and are looking to advance their careers. But if you’re completely new to the field, you won’t be able to meet Springboard’s requirements of at least one year of documented professional UX experience.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Unlimited access to a personal mentor | Not beginner-friendly |
| Affordable pricing |
General Assembly
UX Design Bootcamp
Intelligent Award: Best Alumni Network
General Assembly’s alumni network of over 90,000 graduates can provide you with many career opportunities. The course will also help you launch your career, as you’ll learn valuable skills such as wireframing, prototyping, user research, and usability testing. By the time you graduate, you’ll have a professional-grade portfolio of solo, group, and client projects (plus a certificate of participation) to share with employers.
- Price: $16,450
- Time to complete: 12 weeks
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: No
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? With their career services and lack of prerequisites, General Assembly is an excellent choice for those who are completely new to the UX industry.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Beginner-friendly | Relatively expensive |
| Strong alumni network |
Interested in a degree instead?
Learn more about online degrees, their start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
Designlab
UX Academy
Intelligent Award: Most Rigorous Curriculum
Designlab’s UX Academy has an excellent system for teaching students how to be professional UX designers. They’ll start you with a course on the fundamentals — for up to eight weeks, you’ll learn about the basics of design principles, visual design, and UI design. Then, you’ll move on to the main UX Academy curriculum, which includes over 480 hours of UX design coursework and projects (if you have UX design experience, you can skip to this second step). The course ends with a career services module to help you find job opportunities, build your portfolio, and improve your interview skills.
- Price: $7,249
- Time to complete: 6 to 10 months
- Prerequisites required: Yes
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? This Designlab course is an excellent choice for anyone interested in UX design — there’s a module on the basics that’s helpful for beginners, and if you already have some experience in the industry you can skip right to more advanced topics.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Comprehensive curriculum | Takes at least three months to complete |
| Affordable pricing |
BrainStation
UX Design Bootcamp Online
Intelligent Award: Best Career Services
By the time you complete BrainStation’s UX Design Bootcamp Online course, you’ll have all the skills you need to work in this industry, as well as a portfolio of completed projects that will help you get hired. BrainStation also offers robust career services, including workshops and 1:1 sessions with career coaches to help you write your resume, develop your LinkedIn profile, and impress potential employers in interviews.
- Price: $16,500
- Time to complete: Full-time: 4 months, Part-time: 9 months
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: No
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? If you can afford it, BrainStation’s comprehensive curriculum and professional development services make it a strong option for anyone seeking work as a UX designer.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Comprehensive curriculum | Relatively expensive |
| Help with professional development |
Devmountain
UX Design Online Bootcamp
Intelligent Award: Best Part-Time Option
With 16 weeks of part-time coursework, Devmountain’s UX Design Online Bootcamp will teach you about various topics, including UX research, prototyping, information architecture, and how to design websites and applications. Classes meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 pm to 9 pm MT and on Saturdays from 9 am to 2 pm MT.
- Price: $9,900
- Time to complete: 16 weeks
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: No
- Includes verified certificate of participation: No
Who should take this course? Devmountain is an excellent option for busy students who don’t have enough room in their schedule for a full-time program.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Expert instructors | No self-directed option |
| Affordable pricing |
Ironhack
Remote UX/UI Design Bootcamp
Intelligent Award: Most Beginner-Friendly Program
Ironhack’s Remote UX/UI Design Bootcamp is very flexible — if you’d like to complete the bootcamp and get on with your career as quickly as possible, the course can be completed in as little as nine weeks. Conversely, if you cannot take on a full-time workload, a part-time version of the course meets three times per week for 24 weeks. After completing 40 hours of prework on UX/UI design basics, you’ll learn how to understand user experience, design user interfaces, and implement your designs in real life. It should also be noted that this course is particularly beginner-friendly, as you get to start with the fundamentals before slowly working your way up through more complicated subjects.
- Price: €7,500
- Time to complete: 9 to 24 weeks
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: No
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? With their flexible scheduling and a comprehensive curriculum, Ironhack is an excellent course for all aspiring UX designers.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Full-time and part-time options | No self-directed option |
| Can be completed in just nine weeks | |
| Beginner-friendly |
Interaction Design Foundation
UX Courses
Intelligent Award: Most Affordable
While the other organizations covered in this guide offer a variety of courses in addition to their UX design bootcamps, the Interaction Design Foundation focuses solely on UX design. They actually offer multiple UX design bootcamps, including User Experience: The Beginner’s Guide, Build a Standout UX/UI Portfolio: Land Your Dream Job, and AI for Designers. Indeed, Interaction Design Foundation offers something for everyone, no matter where you’re in your career. They’re also the most affordable option in this guide by a wide margin.
- Price: Starts at $22/month
- Time to complete: Varies by course
- Prerequisites required: No
- Flexible schedule: Yes
- Includes verified certificate of participation: Yes
Who should take this course? Considering its low prices, Interaction Design Foundation is strongly recommended for anyone who is concerned about their budget.
| What we like | What we don’t like |
| Exceptionally low prices | Not as comprehensive as most other courses |
| Multiple UX bootcamps available |
UX Design Bootcamp Comparison Chart
| Course | Price | Features |
| Springboard — UX Design Bootcamp — Top Pick | $11,900 | X No prerequisites required
X Flexible schedule ✓ Certificate of participation |
| General Assembly — UX Design Bootcamp — Best Alumni Network | $16,450 | ✓ No prerequisites required
X Flexible schedule ✓ Certificate of participation |
| Designlab — UX Academy — Most Rigorous Curriculum | $7,249 | X No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule ✓ Certificate of participation |
| BrainStation — UX Design Bootcamp Online — Best Job Placement Rate | $16,500 | ✓ No prerequisites required
X Flexible schedule ✓ Certificate of participation |
| Devmountain — UX Design Online Bootcamp — Best Part-Time Option | $9,900 | ✓ No prerequisites required
X Flexible schedule X Certificate of participation |
| Ironhack — Remote UX/UI Design Bootcamp — Most Beginner-Friendly Program | €7,500 | ✓ No prerequisites required
X Flexible schedule ✓ Certificate of participation |
| Interaction Design Foundation — UX Courses — Most Affordable | Starts at $22/month | ✓ No prerequisites required
✓ Flexible schedule ✓ Certificate of participation |
Tips for Succeeding in a UX Design Bootcamp
1. Consider the cost
How much do software development bootcamps cost?
Most software development bootcamps cost between $6,000 to $12,000. There are some exceptions, though — the most affordable course covered in this guide is just $22 per month, while the most expensive courses will cost you around $16,000.
Will my employer pay for me to take the course?
Some employers will at least partially pay for their workers to take third-party training courses such as UX design bootcamps. Before paying for a course out of your pocket, check with your supervisor or HR department to see if such a program exists at your workplace.
2. Get your tech squared away
In terms of equipment, you’ll at least need a desktop or laptop computer capable of watching embedded videos on the web. Depending on the interactive components of the course, you may need a webcam and microphone as well.
3. Use the right study resources
Some courses will start with the fundamentals of UX design, but other programs will expect you to know this already. If you’d like to learn about these fundamentals yourself, we recommend the following books: Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler; Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited by Steve Krug; and Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design by Jenifer Tidwell, Charles Brewer, and Aynne Valencia.
Frequently Asked Questions About UX Design Bootcamps
What jobs can you get after completing a UX design bootcamp?
There will be various jobs available to you once you complete a UX design bootcamp, including user researcher, usability analyst, information architect, interactive designer, and visual designer.
Are there free online UX design bootcamps?
There are free resources available online for learning about UX design, but you’ll need to pay for the level of comprehensive training that you get with a UX design bootcamp.
How long is the average UX design bootcamp?
Some UX design bootcamps can be completed in just nine weeks, while others take six months. Generally, most of these courses are about 12 to 16 weeks long.
Is a UX design bootcamp worth it?
The value of a UX design bootcamp will depend on the current stage of your career. If you’re working as an entry-level UX designer, an advanced course is an excellent way to take your skill set (and earning potential) to the next level. If you’ve only recently decided to pursue this career, the education and support provided by a beginner-friendly course will certainly help you land your first UX design job.