The Top Online Bootcamps for UX Design in 2022
When it comes to UX design, the supply of qualified UX designers hasn’t quite caught up with the demand. Thanks to this discrepancy, salaries in the field are constantly rising. It’s safe to say that there hasn’t been a better time to be a UX designer. But what does it take to become a UX designer today?
While you need a strong portfolio, up-to-date technical skills and firm fundamentals in UX design and HCI, most recruiters in the field don’t expect a college degree. If your goal for 2022 is to build a career in UX design, then you can save money and time by acquiring the credentials you need through online courses and online bootcamps instead of going back to school!
Here, we’ll explore the top online UX bootcamps on offer in 2022 so you can find the one that suits you best. If you’re interested in the top UX courses to learn from, then we recommend reading more about them in our earlier piece here.
First, let’s consider how UX design bootcamps differ from conventional UX design courses. Typically, a UX bootcamp will concentrate on helping you develop practical, job-ready skills, while UX courses focus more on theory and concepts. If you’ve already ventured into UX design through courses and self-paced study, a bootcamp can be a great way to put your knowledge into practice and develop real-world skills quickly.
In fact, that’s exactly why after 19 years of educating over 120,000 graduates, we at the Interaction Design Foundation launched a series of online bootcamps designed to help you get a new job in UX design or related fields. When I was working on these bootcamps, I explored a range of other UX bootcamps extensively. Here, I’ve documented everything I learned about the best bootcamps available today. I hope this helps you compare your options at a glance and find one that’s perfect for you to start with this year!
General Assembly’s bootcamps are well known in the industry. In addition to their offline bootcamps at various cities around the world, they offer an online version too.
Participants will learn full-time for 8 hours a day, Monday to Friday. On completing it, you will earn a certificate and also gain access to General Assembly’s alumni network and its events.
The program does mention interaction with instructors, but it’s unclear whether you’ll have a dedicated mentor. At a price of nearly $15,000 it is certainly one of the most expensive bootcamps in the market.
What students say:
“I made some really great connections and learned so much from GA. It’s the extra push I needed to get into UX/UI over traditional visual design. I’m ecstatic to have a credible portfolio piece molded by feedback from my peers and teachers. My instructor even helped me negotiate a new contract as a UI designer!”
— Meg, UI Designer, RAIN
Quick facts:
• Price: USD 14950
• Duration: 12 weeks, full-time, 8 hours a day (40 hours/week)
• Mentorship: No dedicated mentor, but instructors offer feedback.
• Employment Assistance: Career services are available through a career coach, but there is no explicit job guarantee.
• Link: https://generalassemb.ly/education/user-experience-design-remote-online
2. Interaction Design Foundation Bootcamps
I’m the co-founder of the Interaction Design Foundation, a non-profit committed to providing Ivy League-level design education at the lowest price possible. Fun fact: we’re also the world’s largest online design school with over 120,000 graduates!
In keeping with our mission, each of our UX bootcamps is priced at just $2592 ($2400 for our existing members), which is 80% lower than the average price of bootcamps in the industry. And as a fully-online, part-time bootcamp (8–10 hours/week), you can improve your career from anywhere in the world, even if you have a full-time job.
If you’re new to the field, you can get started with our bootcamps in UX Fundamentals, User Research and Design Thinking. In fact, the Design Thinking bootcamp is also great for anybody who wants to master problem-solving skills for any line of work, not just UX.
These bootcamps don’t require any prior knowledge of UX so they’re perfect even for complete beginners. If you already know UX and just needs a bit of help with your portfolio and career plan, then the UX Portfolio and Career bootcamp is a fully-practical (zero theory) option that gives you 1:1 mentorship, peer reviews and interactions with a design recruiter. You’ll focus purely on building your portfolio and applying to real UX jobs in this bootcamp.
Along with any bootcamp, you’ll get a year of unlimited access to Interaction Design Foundation’s courses and global network of designers.
By itself, each bootcamp prepares you for job-ready skills. But if you’re really committed to a UX career, you can also opt for a UX Certification with Job Guarantee by taking 3 beginner-level bootcamps. In other words, within a year, you can get certified as a UX designer and be covered by a job guarantee, which gives you the benefits of a university program for a fraction of the time and cost involved!
What students say:
“I landed my first interview a month after the bootcamp and my first full time job 5 months later!”
— Elissandra, Designer at Prudential Financial
Quick facts:
• Price: USD 2592 (USD 2400 if you’re already a member); monthly payment plans available
• Duration: 12 weeks, part-time with 8–10 hours/week time commitment
• Mentorship: Dedicated expert mentor in all bootcamps + live classes with an instructor in beginner-level bootcamps
• Employment Assistance: Job guarantee available
• Link: https://www.interaction-design.org/bootcamps (P.S. Because you’re a reader of UX Planet, you can get a USD 200 discount on any IxDF bootcamp!)
Mento Design Academy is a UX & UI Bootcamp built by a multidisciplinary team of designers with experience at companies such as Adobe, Google, Fitbit, UiPath and many others. Mento tries to differentiate from bigger bootcamps by offering a boutique experience, a learning journey that is most focused around the mentoring relationship and support in building a solid network in the design industry. Community and network are in their DNA, given that it was founded by Ioana Teleanu — UX Goodies, who is very active in building design communities.
The program will match you with a personal mentor, you’ll get access to a curriculum that was created by designers to match the requirements and needs of a real life job, and you’ll get access to a supportive community and a strong network. Throughout the bootcamp you’ll work on building a portfolio with 2–3 real projects, and after graduation you get career support and you’ll be introduced to a network of design recruiters and hiring managers.
While Mento is cheaper than most bootcamps, it still comes at the considerable price of 949$ / month — typically lasting for 6 months, at a weekly time investment of 15–20 hours.
What students say:
“I’m really glad I ended up selecting this bootcamp among the many choices I had at my disposal. There are (4) primary reasons Mento stands out among other bootcamps: 1) The bootcamp structure is based on a mentorship relationship opposed to simply a teacher/student dynamic. Because of this, students develop a much closer and productive relationship that is more conducive to growth and development. 2) Opposed to being a cookie cutter, do x y and z type of experience, Mento prioritizes critical thinking and applying true user centered design as an overarching philosophy. 3) Unlike other bootcamps, the greatness doesn’t end after you complete all the assignments. One of the major reasons I chose Mento is because they offer support and guidance when you actually start the job search. Instead of being left out drifting in an open sea of applications, you’ll have experienced professionals coaching you along the way. . 4) Lastly, the professionals who curated this program, namely Radu Vucea (my mentor!) and Ioana Teleanu, are industry rockstars who have spanned the gamut of content creation, corporate, startup, hiring, recruitment, and now entrepreneurship.”
— Todd McCauley, Product Design at Lowe’s Companies Inc.
Quick facts:
• Price: USD 5694 (949$ per month, 6 months — can vary depending on how early you finish)
• Duration: 5–9 months
• Mentorship: Dedicated personal mentor, weekly 1:1 meetings
• Employment Assistance: Career support and coaching, introduction to UX recruiting agencies, access to an expansive network and design community
• Link: https://www.mentodesign.academy/
4. Become a UX Designer Bootcamp by CareerFoundry
CareerFoundry’s bootcamps have been around for years and gained popularity globally, in no small part thanks to their job guarantee and self-paced structure.
However, the job guarantee does come with many conditions — it also excludes all countries outside the USA, the UK, Canada, the EU, Australia and New Zealand, and it does not cover remote and freelance work.
The program includes a personal mentor, help from their career services team, a tutor for day-to-day learning and a certificate for completion. At almost $7000, it is a considerable investment. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a mentored UX program that you can take at your own pace for the better part of a year, then CareerFoundry is a safe bet!
What students say:
“Doing the course is one thing, but the real challenge is taking everything you’ve learned on the course and applying it to a new career. There’s a lot more to it, and the job prep course really gets you ready for that.”
— Alexander, UX Designer at Mediaworx
Quick facts:
• Price: USD 6900 (USD 6555 if you pay in full up-front)
• Duration: 10 months
• Mentorship: Career advice from a mentor and academic feedback from a tutor
• Employment Assistance: Career coaching and conditional job guarantee available in USA, UK, Canada, EU, Australia and New Zealand
• Link: https://careerfoundry.com/en/courses/become-a-ux-designer/
5. Become a UX Designer Bootcamp by Springboard
Springboard is renowned for its bootcamps in many areas of tech and design — outside of this UX design bootcamp, Springboard also offers bootcamps in data science, software engineering, machine learning and data analytics.
Mentorship is at the core of the program, and you get unlimited calls with your mentor each week. There is also a job guarantee advertised; however, the conditions relevant to this guarantee are not provided before you sign up. From other websites and articles such as interviews with the founder and student reviews, it appears that — as with CareerFoundry — students have to fulfill certain criteria, including checking in with a career counselor and applying to a minimum number of jobs each week. But some of the career-oriented benefits include help with resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles, along with interview prep.
The curriculum of the bootcamp is among the most extensive in the industry, but to enroll, you need prior professional or academic experience in either design or development. So, if you’re new to UX design, this bootcamp is not for you.
While the price tag is at the higher end of the spectrum, it’s a worthwhile investment if your chief requirement is mentorship and guidance, as the Springboard bootcamp offers an unmatched level of personalized assistance.
If you are interested in becoming a UI/UX designer, Springboard offers a course for UI/UX that also comes with a job guarantee
What students say:
“Towards the end of Springboard, I started looking for jobs. The projects I did during Springboard helped me get attention and my mentor provided crucial pointers on interviewing for design jobs and presenting the work I’d done.”
— Timothy, Designer at TripElephant
Quick facts:
• Price: USD 7794 (USD 6900 if you pay in full up-front)
• Duration: 6 months
• Mentorship: Dedicated mentor available
• Employment Assistance: Career guidance and job guarantee (conditions unknown)
• Link: https://www.springboard.com/workshops/ux-career-track/
6. UX / UI Design Bootcamp by Thinkful (formerly, Bloc)
With Thinkful, you can benefit from guidance and support from real, experienced designers who also offer live teaching sessions. The Bloc team also guarantees career support, a job network as well as meetups and collaboration opportunities where you can network with other designers.
While the price tag for the full-time bootcamp is priced at $12,150, you can opt for the part-time version at $7,900. Plus, Thinkful offers flexible payment plans, and discounts to self identifying women, non-binary individuals, and military veterans.
What students say:
“I don’t think I would have gotten the job I have without that year of Thinkful. I think it opened many future opportunities for me.”
— Steven, Web Designer at Red Ventures
Quick facts:
• Price: USD 7900 (USD 12,150 for full-time bootcamp)
• Duration: 6 months (5 months full-time)
• Mentorship: Mentor available for a weekly session.
• Employment Assistance: Career services and 6 months job guarantee (terms unknown)
• Link: https://www.thinkful.com/bootcamp/ux-ui/
7. Online UX/UI Design Bootcamp By Flatiron
At over $16000, Flatiron’s bootcamp is definitely among the most expensive out there. Even so, the program comes with various phased payment plans as well as deferred tuition where you can pay the bootcamp fees (plus interest) each month once you start earning over $3300 per month.
You can take the bootcamp either full-time or part-time; a full-time program takes 6 months to complete, while the part-time program takes 11 months. You can choose to specialize in either UX or UI. Whichever you select, you’ll follow a 5-phase curriculum with group projects, real client work and portfolio preparation.
While the bootcamp does not come with a dedicated mentor, there is a dedicated career coach available to help with your resume and job interviews. The bootcamp includes a job guarantee, but it applies only if you are in select cities in the US or in London, England. The guarantee also comes with various terms and conditions — including one stipulating that you need to publish a blog post or vlog each week and attend 3 interviews per week.
If you can afford the price tag and if you have 6–11 months to commit to the bootcamp, then Flatiron could be your ideal gateway to a new career opportunity in UX design.
Quick facts:
• Price: USD 16368 (USD 15000 if you pay in full up-front)
• Duration: 6 months full-time or 11 months part-time
• Mentorship: No dedicated mentor
• Employment Assistance: Dedicated career coach and employer network
• Link: https://flatironschool.com/career-courses/ux-ui-design-bootcamp/online/north-america#overview
DesignLab is home to an award-winning web design bootcamp, so their UX version is definitely worth considering.
The bootcamp is mentor-led and allows you to enroll either full-time or part-time for 5 or 7 months, respectively. The most attractive feature of the bootcamp is that it comes with up to 6 months of career coaching (which is included in the cost), and you can use the help of a career coach to find the right opportunities and improve your interview skills.
What’s interesting about this bootcamp is that it’s geared completely towards beginners. The first 4 weeks of the bootcamp involve a foundation course with an expert mentor, which will teach you visual design and UI design principles. While this portion of the program costs a separate $499, you also get a $500 credit if you progress to the next stage, which means that you get the foundation course effectively for free.
DesignLab offers a custom coursework submission platform, and you will receive assured written feedback from your mentor for every iteration. Moreover, you’ll have one-on-one calls with your mentor weekly. If you’re interested in gaining feedback from a larger audience, DesignLab also offers Group Crits where you can present your work to fellow students and get their input.
If you’re new to UX design, then the DesignLab program can be very helpful to kickstart your UX career and build valuable connections via their Slack and alumni communities. What’s more — if you’re from most major cities in the US, or from Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Toronto or Vancouver, then you may be eligible for their 6-month job guarantee (with conditions, of course).
What students say:
“I learned sketching, wireframing, prototyping, UI kits, personas, and user flows. These are all key skills for my work.”
— Celeste North, UX Designer at Backbase
Quick facts:
• Price: USD 7149 (USD 6749 if you pay upfront)
• Duration: 5 months full-time, 7 months part-time
• Mentorship: Dedicated mentor available
• Employment Assistance: Career coaching up to 6 months and job guarantee in select locations
• Link: https://trydesignlab.com/ux-academy/
And with that, our roundup of top online UX bootcamps in 2022 comes to an end. If your goal for 2022 is to start a UX career — or take a big step in your existing UX role — then you can benefit greatly from the mentorship and education you can receive and connections you can make from any of these bootcamps! Before we sign off, here’s a quick at-a-glance comparison of the programs we covered here. Good luck with your UX career goals for 2022!
