UX Design
Gain skills and a Google Certificate in 20 weeks without quitting your day job. Pay $0 upfront.
Why UX Design
As the digital product industry grows, user experience (UX) designers are in demand across a variety of industries, including technology, finance, advertising, and start-ups. UX designers help build products like websites, apps, and physical objects. Their goal is to make people’s interactions with those products useful, enjoyable, and accessible. This course will prepare you for a career in the field by teaching you entry-level skills, including: understanding what makes existing products difficult to use, exploring what can make people’s experiences great, and designing wireframes, mockups, and prototypes to bring those ideas to life. With these skills, you will be prepared to continue your journey as a generalist or a specialist in a variety of UX design-related roles, including: visual designer, interaction designer, UI designer, UX researcher, product designer, and more.
Benefits of the field:
• High salaries
• Growth Potential
• Flexibility
• Engaging, challenging work
Our alums work for the world’s top tech companies
Get started with $0 upfront
Build a career based on your potential, not your bank account.
- Learn in-demand skills
- Land a great job
- Pay only after the program
- Support the next class
Work Life Balance
Your third-party coursework and Merit America career coaching services are online. Live meetings are only 3-5 hours per week. You can complete the coursework in-between work shifts, on weekends – whatever works for your life.
My Calendar
Monday, January 10
Merit America Program
- At Work 8am – 3pm
- Online Coursework 3pm – 5pm
- Daycare pick-up 5:15pm
- Family Dinner 6pm
- 1:1 Career Coaching 8pm
Work with a team dedicated to your success
Meet regularly with a career coach and squad of your peers to keep you on track. After you finish, you’ll join a network of thousands of Merit America alumni.
Chat
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Michael, Career Coach
How’s your coursework going this week?
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Cora
I’m really struggling with my resume…
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Michael, Career Coach
You’ve got this! Let me connect you with our job success coach, Teresa.
Also, something to look forward to: you’re only one week away from completing your Google Certificate!
How does Merit America Compare?
| Merit America | Tech Bootcamp | Community College | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Length | 20 weeks | 20-24 weeks | 50-100 weeks |
| In person/Remote | Remote | Remote | In-person/Remote |
| Part-time? |  20 hours/week |  Varies | Varies |
| Maximum Payment/Tuition | $5,700 | $16,000-$19,000 | $5,000-$10,000 |
| Certificate | Google UX Design Certificate | Varies | Yes |
| Organization Type | Non-profit (Merit America collaborates with for-profits) | For-profit | For-profit or Non-profit |
| Coaching and Job Search Support | Yes | Yes | Varies |
| Downside Protection | Yes | Varies |  No |
Ready to get started?
Apply for an upcoming
UX Design cohort
Earn a Google Certificate to get the skills employers are looking for
Core Principles of Design
Understand human-centered design and equity-focused principles. Learn about cross-functional team collaboration. Practice end-to-end process including: (1) empathy and research; (2) problem definition; (3) collaborative ideation; (4) mapping and mock-ups; and (5) prototyping and testing. Get exposed to visual design craft, and understand the unique qualities of responsive and cross-device design.
UX Specialization
Strengthen your technical skills by learning professional applications like Figma. Learn special techniques for ideation and user-centric problem-solving, including HMWs, crazy eights, journey-mapping, storyboarding, wireframing, low-/high-fidelity prototypes and prototype testing. Practice special research methodologies for building empathy, including: user interviews, surveys, usability and competitive auditing.
Mastering the job search
Complete true-to-life UX projects, including a mobile app, an app optimization, a responsive website, and a design for social good. Showcase that work in a portfolio you will build. Then standout in the interview process by working with your Merit America coaching team to create an effective resume and cover letter, and learn the best way to answer common UX design interview questions.
