'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
The best UX bootcamps: Start your career in UX/UI design
UX bootcamps prepare students for in-demand roles in web and software development.
UX bootcamps offer condensed, practical training in website and application user experience design and development. They explore designing and planning strategies, prototyping, and methods for testing and improving designs. Graduates have the skills to work in back-end and front-end development, interface design, and webmaster positions.
This page explores what UX bootcamps offer and highlights some of the best programs available.
SEE: Front-end vs. back-end development: What's the difference?
Our 8 favorite UX design bootcamps
The following list details some of the United States' most popular UX bootcamps accepting registrations in 2022. These bootcamps aim to prepare aspiring professionals to immediately enter the field.
This list is presented in alphabetical order.
- Cost: $7,505-$7,900
- Format: Online, full-time, part-time, or self-paced
- Length: 6-10 months
- CIRR member: No
This program covers the foundations, end-to-end design, testing, and user information to prepare students for UX designer careers.
CareerFoundry offers specializations in UI, voice user interface design, and front-end development. Learners can work at their own pace and build a portfolio as they go, accessing advisors, mentors, and tutors.
Founded in 2013, CareerFoundry employs more than 600 mentors. The organization develops its own curriculums and runs programs through its online platform.
CareerFoundry's job placement assistance
CareerFoundry employs more than 80 career specialists to help students find employment after their program. While 96% find employment within 180 days, graduates can receive a refund if they are not employed within six months.
Pros
- Comprehensive curriculum that is developed in-house
- Six-month job guarantee and dedicated job placement services
Cons
- Better suited for learners with some coding/web development experience
- Cost: $7,249-$9,677
- Format: Online, full-time or part-time
- Length: 14-28 weeks
- CIRR member: No
This bootcamp provides students with more than 480 hours of design training and 100 hours of practical work. The program features one-on-one mentor calls, group discussions, and at least four capstone projects for a portfolio.
For admission, applicants need to complete a four- to eight-week foundations course.
DesignLab was founded in 2012. The organization employs more than 400 industry professionals as mentors.
DesignLab's job placement assistance
DesignLab offers 26 weeks of career services assistance. Students receive up to 26 career coaching sessions, and the average graduate takes 116 days to find employment.
Pros
- Structured experience
- Three separate design portfolio projects
Cons
- Might appeal less to learners more used to asynchronous learning
- Fast-paced learning experience
- Cost: $4,500-$7,900
- Format: Online and on-campus, part-time
- Length: 16 weeks
- CIRR member: No
DevMountain's UX design bootcamp trains students to design websites and applications through instruction and practical assignments.
In this program, students learn visual design and information architecture, along with Agile management methodologies. For admission, prospective students need to complete a consultation and skills review.
Founded in 2013, DevMountain specializes in teaching professional tech skills. Partnered with Strayer University, DevMountain has campuses in Utah and Texas.
DevMountain's job placement assistance
DevMountain provides career advice and interview preparation lessons. They also encourage and accommodate networking with partner organizations.
Pros
- Strong instructor support and required bootcamp prep courses
- Structured learning experience driven by practical projects and shorter assignments
Cons
- No accelerated option
- Fairly fast-paced for a part-time bootcamp
- Cost: $16,900
- Format: Online and on-campus, full-time, part-time, and self-paced
- Length: 15-60 weeks
- CIRR member: No
This product design bootcamp features multiple start dates and delivery methods. It teaches students user experience design methods and practices. Learners also study market research strategies, interaction patterns, and implementing feedback.
Prospective students need to complete a critical thinking assessment before admission.
Since 2012, Flatiron has been teaching tech skills to aspiring designers and engineers. In 2015, the organization introduced online learning and expanded its offerings to campuses in Austin, Chicago, New York, and more.
Flatiron's job placement assistance
Flatiron offers one-on-one career coaching for students and job search support. Learners also have access to an employer network made up of professional industry partners.
Pros
- Full-time bootcamp is a fast-paced and immersive experience
- Rigorous, comprehensive curriculum that touches on UI as well as UX
Cons
- Fairly pricey compared with competing bootcamps
- Competitive admissions process
- Cost: $15,950
- Format: Online, full-time and part-time
- Length: 12-24 weeks
- CIRR member: No
The UX Design Immersive and Flex bootcamps teach students UX and UI foundations, prototyping methods, and usability testing practices. Learners master design and development stages and work on portfolio projects. The studies include end-to-end UX processes, design critique implementations, and presentations.
General Assembly has graduated more than 70,000 alumni from over world 30 campuses since 2011.
General Assembly's job placement assistance
General Assembly offers its students career coaching and interview tactics. The organization also allows learners to use its industry connections to improve their employment chances.
Pros
- Rigorous curriculum is developed in-house
- Good balance of flexibility and structure
- Large community of alumni can provide dedicated support
Cons
- More expensive than competing UX bootcamps
- No official job guarantee
SEE: Best UI/UX bootcamps
- Cost: $3,450-$3,750
- Format: Online, part-time
- Length: 10 weeks
- CIRR member: No
Connecting students with designers in live, practical sessions, this bootcamp covers research, ideation, prototyping and testing, and mapping.
The program familiarizes learners with new and useful tools and technologies in the field, along with best practices. Classes include group discussions, assignments, and weekly events and tasks.
Starting in 2019, Memorisely has grown quickly, graduating more than 2,200 students and uniting a community of over 95,000 designers. The organization and its students work remotely from more than 100 countries.
Memorisely's job placement assistance
Memorisely helps students identify and apply for their dream jobs while in the bootcamp. Learners can also access the Memorisely job board for more career ideas.
Pros
- Interactive, collaborative learning platform with small class sizes
- Much less expensive than the competition
- Bootcamp also covers UI
Cons
- No job guarantee
- Limited career support and instructor guidance
- Cost: $7,900-$14,500
- Format: Online, part-time and self-paced
- Length: Six months
- CIRR member: No
This bootcamp uses one-on-one mentoring, hands-on projects, and more than 350 hours of training to prepare students for design careers.
The training explores design thinking, synthesis and presentation, and ideating. Learners explore methods for solving customer problems, meeting tight deadlines, researching, and testing for improvements.
Founded in 2013, the organization has graduated thousands of learners from its foundational and career training programs for technology-based professions.
Springboard's job placement assistance
Springboard offers individual career coaching for up to six months after completing the bootcamp. The coaching includes practice interviews, job search strategies, and resume and portfolio assistance.
Pros
- Unlimited one-on-one mentoring
- Six-month job guarantee and solid career support
- Comprehensive curriculum
Cons
- Difficult admissions process
- High weekly time commitment
SEE: The 10 best coding bootcamps: Reputable coding camps compared
- Cost: $9,500-$19,053
- Format: Online, full-time, part-time, and self-paced
- Length: Five to six months
- CIRR member: No
Thinkful's bootcamp provides training in fundamentals, visual design, and meeting client design needs.
The courses may include live mentoring sessions, lectures and workshops, or self-paced lessons. Students develop skills in wireframe prototyping, user research, and information architecture.
Founded in 2012 with headquarters in New York, Thinkful employs nearly 300 mentors and more than 600 employees. The organization features several online tech-related programs that prepare students for new careers in a matter of months.
Thinkful's job placement assistance
Thinkful mentors offer students career advice and insight, including resume and LinkedIn profile support, interview practices, and salary tips. Learners can also access Thinkful's job board.
Pros
- Slower pace that caters to beginners looking to make a career pivot
- Dedicated career support and job guarantee
- Comprehensive curriculum that also covers UI
Cons
- While designed for beginners, still relatively challenging
How do these UX bootcamps compare?
Bootcamp | Price | Length | Available formats |
CareerFoundry UX Design | $7,505-$7,900 | 6-10 months | Online, full-time, part-time, or self-paced |
DesignLab UX Academy | $7,249-$9,677 | 15-28 weeks | Online, full-time or part-time |
DevMountain UX Design | $4,500-$7,900 | 16 weeks | Online and on-campus, part-time |
Flatiron Product Design (UX/UI) | $16,900 | 15-60 weeks | Online and on-campus, full-time, part-time, and self-paced |
General Assembly UX Design Immersive | $15,950 | 12-24 weeks | Online and on-campus, full-time and part-time |
Memorisely UX/UI Design | $3,450-$3,750 | 10 weeks | Online, part-time |
Springboard UX Bootcamp | 7,900-$14,500 | Six months | Online, part-time and self-paced |
Thinkful UX/UI Bootcamp | $9,500-$19,053 | 5-6 months | Online, full-time, part-time, and self-paced |
Which UX design bootcamp is right for you?
Different bootcamps serve different learners' professional needs. Factors that can influence your bootcamp learning experience include:
- Amount of career support provided
- Whether the pace caters more to beginners or intermediate coders
- Whether the program opts for flexibility or firmer structure
Choose your UX bootcamp based on your needs as a professional. For instance, if you are starting out as a coder, you might be better suited to take Thinkful's bootcamp, which caters strongly to beginners.
You should also evaluate the bootcamp organization and program. Company reviews and student outcomes provided by the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR) can reveal valuable information.
Choose this… | If you want… |
CareerFoundry UX Design | A rigorous, in-house developed curriculum |
DesignLab UX Design | A firmly structured learning experience |
DevMountain UX Design | A learning experience that eases you in with mandatory prep courses |
Flatiron Product Design (UX/UI) | An intensive, accelerated learning experience |
General Assembly UX Design Immersive | A dedicated alumni community |
Interaction Design Foundation UX Fundamentals | An inexpensive bootcamp with customizable courses |
Memorisely UX/UI Design | An intuitive, interactive classroom interface |
Springboard UX Bootcamp | A learning experience with dedicated instructor support |
Thinkful UX/UI Bootcamp | A challenging bootcamp still suitable for beginners |
How did we choose these programs?
To identify the best UX bootcamps, we assessed schools on the following criteria: Programmatic quality, diverse scheduling options, institutional reputation, and affordability.
What is a UX design bootcamp?
UX bootcamps feature different types of training and scopes. They may run in-person or online lectures, live class discussions, one-on-one mentorship sessions, and self-paced study, along with group work, hands-on assignments, and capstone projects.
Programs can take students between 1-12 months to complete and feature full-time or part-time schedules.
Bootcamps usually come from independent industry organizations or through university affiliations. Compared to general coding bootcamps, UX bootcamps focus on web and application design. Many of these programs have both user experience and user interface design components.
Are UX bootcamps worth it?
Yes. UX bootcamps are often worth it and can lead to some very rewarding and in-demand careers, such as web developer positions. Even the top tech companies hire coding bootcamp graduates.
How much does a UX Design Bootcamp cost?
The cost of a UX bootcamps varies considerably by program, coming in anywhere from $2,000-$20,000. In addition to program costs, prospective students need to be prepared for the cost of application fees, materials, and testing fees.
To accommodate more learners, many bootcamps offer financing options, such as upfront payments, payment plans, loans, deferred tuition, and income-sharing agreements.
Some bootcamps even provide job guarantees, along with no upfront payments or even tuition refunds if students cannot secure employment.
What is a UX designer salary?
Web developers earned median annual wages of $77,200 in 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, UX designer salaries depend on the organization, the professional's experience, and the location.