UX Research Training Courses, Certifications, and Bootcamps (2023)

Published:

July 14, 2023

Last Updated:

August 31, 2023

Building a career in UX research doesn’t happen overnight—and you won’t become an expert with a single UX research bootcamp or course.

Researchers learn how to do research in various different ways; according to the User Interviews 2023 State of User Research report, researchers primarily acquire their UX research knowledge through formal university education (42% of UXRs) or on-the-job training (59% of ReOps Specialists and 40% of PWDRs).

People like product managers or designers who do research are most likely (14%) to have used UX bootcamps as their primary method of learning. UX research training courses aren’t the most common primary method of skill development among dedicated User Researchers.

✨ However, our key takeaway from the report is that the biggest factor in how confident a researcher feels in their skills is simply time and experience. And regardless of researchers’ primary method of learning, they typically supplement their initial training with a mix of formal education, on-the-job learning, self-learning, or UX research training courses.

Everyone needs to start somewhere. Whether you decide to primarily learn through formal education or UX bootcamps, you’re not limited to a single learning approach as you build expertise.

✨ Becoming a great user researcher requires a healthy balance of your theoretical, practical, and technical knowledge over time.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best UX research bootcamps, certifications, and courses to help you fill in those theoretical knowledge gaps—or to simply get started with your education.

You’ll find:

Entry-level user research bootcamps, certifications, and courses
Intermediate and advanced UX research training courses
Design-focused courses
Additional resources for building a career in user research

21 UX research training courses, bootcamps, and certifications

Not every UX research bootcamp is created equal.

You can choose from a variety of online courses that range in:

Experience level
Duration, frequency, and time commitment
Cost
Learning format
UX discipline (research, design, ReOps, strategy, etc.)

Define the kind of UX research bootcamp that aligns with your career goals and browse through this curated list of courses, bootcamps, and certifications to help you make your decision.

Beginner/entry-level UX research bootcamps and courses

1. UX and User Research Course by DesignLab

This online UX research course is perfect for working professionals who want to learn the ins and outs of UX research. You’ll learn how to iterate on research findings with an actual product, how to approach the design ideation and prototyping process, and more!

2. Memorisely UX Research Bootcamp

This is a live, global UX research bootcamp to help you learn the skills of a UX Researcher. You’ll learn about research interviews, usability testing, data synthesis, and all the basics of user research.

3. Zero to UX Masterclass course by Kevin Liang

Kevin Liang went from knowing nothing about UX research to working as a UX researcher for top companies like Volkgwagen, Google, Uber, Upwork and more. In this masterclass, he teaches how to think like a pro UX researcher with 80+ hours of UX research content, 7+ UX research templates, a monthly exclusive group Q&A with Kevin, and more.

4. HFI Certified Usability or User Experience Analyst

This one’s a UX research professional certification course to help you gain credibility in the field of usability and enhance your career prospects in industries ranging from technology and healthcare to finance and e-commerce. You’ll learn about user experience foundations and the science and art of effective web and application design.

5. Introduction to User Experience Principles and Processes by University of Michigan on Coursera

This online course is a part of a User Experience Research and Design Specialization on Coursera that aims to provide an introduction to the fields of UX research and design. You’ll learn how to conduct a micro-usability test and understand the human behavioral impact on the design of interactive systems.

6. UX Measurement Bootcamp 2023

This virtual UX bootcamp occurs annually with participants from companies like Google, Amazon, American Airlines, Spotify and more. You can complete the course by virtually attending 2 days a week over the course of 4 weeks to receive a user experience research certificate and 2.5 continuing education credits from the University of Denver.

7. Understanding Research Methods by the University of London on Coursera

This Coursera course offers robust discussions and exercises designed to help postgraduates and professionals develop an understanding of research approaches. You’ll learn about good research questions, literature reviews, research planning, and project management.

8. Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts by Google

This online UX research course offered by Google is a part of the Google UX Design Professional Certificate to teach essential UX research techniques to improve and modify low-fidelity designs. You’ll learn about UX research plans, analyzing and synthesizing research, and more.

9. Communicate UX Research with Empathy Maps in Miro guided project on Coursera

This guided project helps you gain hands-on experience creating empathy maps. You’ll learn how empathy mapping helps you understand UX principles.

10. User Experience Research and Design Specialization by University of Michigan on Coursera

This specialization is a series of six online courses designed to teach UX beginners how to integrate UX research and design to create great products through understanding user needs. You’ll learn about user experience principles and processes, and how to discover user needs to improve your designs.

11. The Influential Researcher by Dr. Ari Zelmanow

This UX training bootcamp is a cohort-based UX research course led by a retired police detective turned Head of UX Research at Twilio, Dr. Ari Zelmanow. You’ll learn how to think like a detective to generate better insights, plus strategies to collect evidence, connect the dots, and catalyze business decisions.

Intermediate to advanced online UX research courses and bootcamps

UX research bootcamps aren’t only for beginners. Below, you’ll find intermediate and expert-level courses that experienced professionals who already have some sort of baseline knowledge can take to progress in their career.

12. How to Interpret UX Numbers: Statistics for UX course by NN/g

This UX statistics course is virtual and based on a lecture format with individual hands-on exercises to reinforce statistical methods. Most activities involve using Excel or statistical calculators in order to analyze specific datasets.

13. Product Science workshops and courses by H2R Product Science

Holly Hester-Reilly, the founder and CEO of H2R Product Science, is a former Columbia University research scientist who has spent the last 15+ years leading product initiatives at several large companies. This collection of workshops and courses by H2R Product Science are ideal not only for product leaders, but also for UX researchers looking to build a culture of continuous product discovery. Learn through public in-person workshops, live online cohort-based courses, high-impact experimentation workshops and more.

14. UX Management: Strategy and Tactics course by the Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)

This online UX research course by IxDF is designed to help UX leaders and managers guide UX teams more effectively. You’ll learn how to hire for, position, and empower a UX team effectively, plus UX management best practices (from interviews and case studies with experts).

📚 Learn more: How to Build a UX Research Team From Scratch

15. Get Your Product Used: Adoption and Appropriation course by the Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)

We have another online course by IxDF presented by Alan Dix, a former professor at Lancaster University in the UK and author of the university-level textbook “Human-Computer Interaction.” You’ll learn how to approach UX design to encourage product adoption and increased use.

16. ResearchOps: Operationalizing and Socializing User Research course by NN/g

This online UX research course by NN/g teaches UX professionals how to grow ResearchOps at scale; systemize planning and consolidation of researchers' processes, methods, and tools; and to bring leadership and teams into the fold for continued support.

17. Ask Like A Pro mentorship course by Curiosity Tank

This 8-week online mentorship program combines both one-demand and live workshop options to help UX research professionals get hands-on, real-world experience with expert mentoring and guidance every step of the way. These workshops are designed to help you wherever you are in your career, whether you’re just getting started or looking to boost your skills and fill in learning gaps to be more competitive.

Design-focused UX training courses

18. The Brain and Technology: Brain Science in Interface Design course by the Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)

This is an online course from IxDF created and presented by Brian Whitworth, a registered psychologist trained in computing. Each lesson highlights a particular brain-technology difference and uses it to explain what works—and what doesn’t—when people use technology.

19. User Experience Design Cornell Certificate Program

This online certificate program by Cornell University approaches UX and other forms of product design through human-centered design. You’ll learn about human-centered design essentials, user personas, and developing UX design concepts.

20. Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design by Google

We love a good certificate from a big FAANG company like Google. This online course is a part of the Google UX Design Professional Certificate with four modules designed to equip you with the skills needed to apply to entry-level jobs in user experience design.

21. General Assembly UX Design Immersive

Have more time on your hands? Here’s a full-time UX bootcamp that features expert instruction, one-on-one career coaching, and connections to top employers to get you hired. You’ll learn about UX/UI fundamentals, design iteration, and design development.

Additional training and resources for your UX career

Investing in expert-led UX research training courses and certifications might help you fill in some knowledge gaps, but your UX research education doesn’t end with a one-time course.

✨ The best way to level up your user research expertise is to maximize your proximity to the industry over time.

Whether it be dedicating your morning commute to listening to UX research podcasts (like Awkward Silences), joining online UX communities on Slack or LinkedIn, or signing up for free online webinars, it’s important to engage with other UX professionals in the industry to gain a well-rounded understanding of what a UX research career is all about.

There are a ton of free, useful, and educational UX training resources available to supplement your learning and hone your research skills.

👇 Here are some free UX research career resources to help you along the way:

Whether you take more of a “jungle gym” approach to your UX research career with courses and self-learning, or a structured career ladder approach with formal education, don’t rely on only one method of UX research training to learn the ins and outs of the industry.

Qualified participants = high-quality insights.

Experienced UX researchers don’t skimp on research participants. In order to do good research, researchers start with finding the right participants to talk to.

Whether you’re just getting started with your UX research career or you’re taking UX bootcamps to level up your expertise, participant fit should always be top of mind. At User Interviews, we provide the fastest and easiest way to recruit high-quality, niche participants so you can do better research.

With User Interviews’s Recruit, you can access a pool of over 3 million participants and get matched with your first recruit in under an hour. Streamline participant recruitment with Recruit and sign up for a free account today.

Rachell Lee

Copywriter at Seamless.AI

Rachell is a SEO Copywriter at Seamless.AI and former Content Marketing Manager at User Interviews. Content writer. Marketing enthusiast. INFJ. Inspired by humans and their stories. She spends ridiculous amounts of time on Duolingo and cooking new recipes.

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