Best UI/UX Design Sites and Resources That Level-up Know-how

The most successful online businesses today have mastered the art of UI (user interface) and user experience (UX) designs.

As websites and apps facilitate easy, predictable navigation and eliminate any complexity or confusion, these tools establish a positive brand experience for users, which translate to business goals achieved: new customers, better engagement and retention, and more sales.

For online businesses to stay ahead of the times and the competition, our team of UX designers believes that learning and upskilling constantly in the area of UI/UX is a must. With this, we compiled different UI/UX design sites, courses, and resources to help you in your efforts to continue learning in this field.

Grow as a UX designer with these resources

The UI/UX resources listed down below are divided into courses and programs, news sites and blogs, and books. The courses and programs will give you a primer on anything and everything about UI/UX. If you need a good foundation on concepts or a refresher, this is where you should go.

The news sites and blogs, on the other hand, are helpful in keeping abreast with the latest trends and best practices in the industry. Meanwhile, the books are most beneficial if you want to focus on specific topics or applications of UI/UX concepts or get meaningful insights straight from design experts.

UX and UI Design courses and programs

Most of the curriculum listed below have a self-paced format. Those that have a fixed schedule provide access to class lectures for students who miss the class. The self-paced and flexible format of courses make it easy to include studying in your daily schedule. However, to maximize learning, we recommend setting a fixed time of the day to study. Stick to a consistent learning schedule to build expertise over time.

With that in mind, these are the UX/UI design courses and programs worth considering in your learning journey:

1. Google UX Design Certificate

This is an excellent program for those who want to be familiar with the UI design process, as it tackles understanding the users, identifying pain points and crafting solutions, setting up wireframes and prototypes, and experimenting on designs.

Learn how to use UX concepts, such as user-centered design, accessibility, and equity-focused design, in your projects. Even those who don’t have prior experience on UX/UI can take up this course and apply UI design for websites. As a preparation for the course, refer to this beginner’s guide on UX design.

• How much is the course? Free
• Is there a certification? Yes
• How long will the course take to complete? 6 months for 7 courses (suggested pace is 10 hours a week)

2. The UX Design Institute Professional Certificate in UI Design

This course features an introduction to UI design, where you’ll learn the importance of a good UI and the role of the UI designer. Other topics in the module center on specific UI elements, including brand and personality, typography, colors and shapes, and imagery. You’ll also have the opportunity to make your own UI portfolio and create website UI design samples. This course is ideal for those who have a design background.

• How much is the course? $1,750
• Is there a certification? Yes
• How long will the course take to complete? 12 weeks (suggested pace is 3 hours per week)

3. Interaction Design Foundation UI Design Courses

In this course, you’ll focus on user interface design patterns, “blueprints” that designers use to create effective interfaces and solve common design problems. The topics include adding structure to designs with visual frameworks, using titled sections to help users skim content, and applying breadcrumbs to enable retracing of steps. This is open to those starting out in UI website design.

• How much is the course? Free for members
• Is there a certification? Yes
• How long will the course take to complete? 7 weeks

4. Complete App Designer Course: UX, UI and Design Thinking

If you’re a UX/UI designer who wants to create user-friendly mobile apps, this is a suitable course for you because it will take you through the step-by-step process of app development for both iOS and Android. In particular, you’ll be equipped to make user flow diagrams, wireframes, mockups, and animated prototypes. You can take this course even without pre-knowledge.

• How much is the course? $119.99
• Is there a certification? Yes
• How long will the course take to complete? 3 hours

5. UX Academy’s Beginner UX Design Course

Another excellent course for those who are just starting out in UI design for websites, this course from the UX Academy tackles the different models and approaches to user-centered design. It dedicates one entire workshop to discovery, which involves gathering project requirements and analyzing competitors, as well as ideation, discussing persona creation, storytelling, and flow diagrams.

• How much is the course? £1250 (full course)
• Is there a certification? Yes
• How long will the course take to complete? 8 weeks

UX and UI design news sites and blogs

UX/UI design news sites and blogs are your go-to resource for checking what’s new in the industry. Maximize the insights you pick from these platforms by sharing it with like-minded individuals and applying best practices in your own website or app development process.

While there are many UX and UI design news sites and blogs, these are our top picks:

1. The Nielsen Norman Group

This UX/UI website covers a range of usability articles, from navigation and user testing to research methods and heuristic analysis. It also features content that uses psychology concepts to explain user behavior and inspire better UX.

One more benefit in using this website for upskilling is that they have study guides, where you can find topic-specific articles compiling links to previously published content. You’ll find study guides for personas, mobile UX, UX writing, service design, among many others. If you need research-based resources as you design UI websites, this is the place to go to.

• What are the topics covered? Agile, design process, ecommerce, intranets, navigation, psychology and UX, research methods, study guides, user testing, web usability, writing for the web
• Does the website have a newsletter? Yes

2. UIUX Trend

If you want to dive deep into the UX of specific social media platforms and mobile devices, this is the best UI website for you. The website produces different UX reviews for these tools. You’ll even find assessments on government websites. Similarly, the website has content on different UX/UI trends, including on web design and content strategy.

• What are the topics covered? What is UX, UI/UX design, UX research, UX strategy, latest tech
• Does the website have a newsletter? Yes

3. WIRED

This online magazine, known for discussing emerging technologies that affect culture, economy, and politics, promotes UX/UI content as well. Some of the content that stand out in this section are those focusing on gears, discussing new features on devices that promote better UX. If you want to stay updated with advanced capabilities of certain technologies for inspiration on your UI website development projects, make it a habit to visit Wired frequently.

• What are the topics covered? UI/UX design, latest UI features, and artificial intelligence,
• Does the website have a newsletter? Yes, the Gadget Lab is a twice-weekly newsletter that highlight gear news, how-to guides, and recommendations

4. UX Magazine

UX Magazine features a wide range of UX/UI topics, so you’re likely to find content on niche subject matters. For instance, it has a dedicated section for the web application framework Ruby on Rails. The articles range from interviews with industry thought leaders to best practices. If you want a deep dive into specific design topics, explore this UI/UX design site.

• What are the topics covered? 3D graphics and interfaces, accessibility, adobe, analytics and tracking, empathy, mobile applications, patents and closed systems, information design and architecture, and more
• Does the website have a newsletter? Yes, when you have a membership

5. 99Designs

A go-to reference for anything and everything about design, 99 Designs contains design-related content for different uses and purposes: improving brand identity, finding inspiration for UI websites, and learning the impact of design to specific businesses.

The Our Designers category is among its standout features, as it compiles stories of real-life designers. Meanwhile, the Case Studies section is a great resource for exploring specific applications of design.

• What are the topics covered? Design inspiration, packaging and label, web and digital design, logo and branding, marketing and advertising, and case studies
• Does the website have a newsletter? Yes

UX and UI design books

Expand your knowledge on UX/UI through books. The ones recommended below are easily accessible since they can be ordered online. To maximize learning from these resources, we highly recommend keeping a journal and taking down notes.

1. ‘Think Like a UX Researcher: How to Observe Users, Influence Design, and Shape Business Strategy’

Since being a UX/UI designer involves a specific kind of thought process, it makes sense to refer to resources that focus on improving design thinking. In this book, you’ll learn how to conduct UX research and empathize with the users, analyze data, and help team members envision what you want to create.

The questions at the end of the book will help you reflect on your thinking process and improve your own UI website development process.

Is there an ebook version available? Yes, it’s available on Audible and Google Play, among other online stores

How much is a physical and digital copy? The paperback copy is $50.71, while the digital copy is $48 to $55.

2. ‘A Project Guide to UX Design: For User Experience Designers in the Field or in the Making’

In this book, you’ll learn how to apply UX principles right from the beginning of the project until its completion. It tackles several project management practices, from creating project objectives with the team and determining the project scope to rolling out products and implementing quality assurance.

This book is ideal for those starting out in the app or website UI design field and those wanting to enhance existing processes. Before reading this book, read this guide on jumpstarting a UX design project to have a good overview of the topic.

Is there an ebook version available? Yes, it’s available on Audible and Google Play, among other online stores

How much is a physical and digital copy? The paperback copy is $13.99 to $78.10, while the digital copy is $11 to $17.27.

3. ‘UX Strategy: How to Devise Innovative Digital Products That People Want’

Aside from the basics of app and website UI design, this book gives access to several case studies, including Airbnb, detailing the process of specific applications of UX/UI concepts. You’ll read interviews with UX strategists from a range of work settings, startup, agency, and enterprise, which give you models to follow for your own specific business context. The UX/UI concepts covered here include competitive analysis, user research, and funnel thinking.

Is there an ebook version available? Yes, it’s available on Audible, among other online stores

How much is a physical and digital copy? The paperback copy is $21.99, while the digital copy is $10.09 to $20.89.

4. ‘Laws of UX: Design Principles for Persuasive and Ethical Product’

The “laws” of UX, developed by the author of this book, emerge from their analysis of relevant psychology principles. Here, you’ll learn the reason people use apps and websites the way they do. It’s an easy read since every “law” mentioned includes real-life design examples. That said, if you want your design process to be more user-centric, dive deep into psychology principles in this book.

Is there an ebook version available? Yes, it’s available on Audible and Google Play, among other online stores

How much is a physical and digital copy? The paperback copy is $23, while the digital copy is $13 to $21.85.

5. ‘101 UX Principles: A Definitive Design Guide’

If you need an introduction or a refresher to UX, this book is an excellent resource because it covers all the basics of UI website development, from terminology to best practices for typography to strategies for creating interfaces that cater to people with visual or motion impairments. It also outlines the most popular UX fails and recommends effective solutions drawn from the experience of the author.

Is there an ebook version available? Yes, it’s available on Audible and Google Play, among other online stores

How much is a physical and digital copy? The paperback copy is $39.99, while the digital copy is $37.49.

Key takeaways

In the ever-changing digital world, it’s important to continue learning about UX/UI to keep up with the latest developments. As you commit to becoming an expert in the field, take note of these action points:

• Set a goal for learning. It will be difficult to show up to classes and finish a book when you’re not committed to seeing it through. The best way to motivate yourself is to have a goal in mind. If you set yourself up to master accessible design or be better at prototyping, it will be easier to align habits.
• Explore different topics and types of media. Dive deep into specific aspects of UX/UI after having a good overview of the field. Try to mix the types of resources, going for books, YouTube tutorials, and whitepapers, so the variety can keep you engaged with the subjects.
• Share learnings with people. One of the best ways to test if you really learned something is to teach it. That said, talk about your insights to other people. If possible, join a group of designers, so you’ll have a network of colleagues to share learnings with.

For UX/UI designers, learning never stops. It’s the key to introducing innovative digital products that people want to use. Talk to us about your own journey of lifelong learning. Reach out via Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

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