User Experience and Web Design
Intuitive design
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certificate Description
Stay tuned for our upcoming program revision.
Thank you for your interest in the User Experience and Web Design certificate program. You are invited to enroll in any open course and pick up the practical skills you need. Please note, however, that we are not currently accepting new candidates for this program due to its pending revision Jan. 1, 2025. Students currently working towards the certificate are encouraged to complete all the requirements by Dec. 31, 2024.
Designing for your users
The UCSC Silicon Valley Extension User Experience and Web Design certificate program teaches you to anticipate user needs and design the look and feel of new products that are intuitive and easy to use. Learn customer analytics and behavior by working with a design team of peers. Explore different areas of focus to integrate your creativity with the most effective, best practices in the industry.
Areas of focus
- User experience design
- Visual design
- Design implementation
User Experience and Web Design certificate program objectives
- Understand the iterative and user-centered design process with the spiral model.
- Use the user-centered design strategies and methods to create highly effective, pleasurable, and usable products while meeting business goals and objectives.
- Understand and apply the design principles to create effective user interfaces for mobile devices and products that incorporate wearable technology.
- Be able to implement a design prototype using various prototyping tools.
- Be able to evaluate the user interface through user research and heuristic evaluation.
- Learn and apply the visual design principles to create engaging user interfaces.
- Be able to use HTML/CSS/JavaScript to prototype websites or single page web applications.
Future of Product Development, Virtual Reality & Wearable Technology
Eric Dorf, B.F.A., D.M.B.A., senior UX designer at Google and instructor, discuss designing for new surfaces and experiences—the evolution of the product designer, designing for new surfaces/experiences, how to be aware of new trends, and skill sets and design for integrated experiences. (Oct. 7, 2021)
Program Overview
Estimated Cost: $5,550–$6,500 + est. course materials: $550 (You pay only for courses you enroll in.) | International Tuition Cost
Program Requirements: 6–7 courses (minimum 17 quarter units). Take 5 core courses (13 quarter units) and 2–3 elective courses (minimum 4 quarter units). End with a certificate of completion review.
Minimum Hours of Instruction: Minimum 170 hours of instruction.
Estimated Duration: A full-time student can complete the certificate in 9–12 months.
Modality: You can complete this program fully online, in person, or choose a mix of course formats.
Special Programs: This program is approved for workforce students.
Courses
1. Core Course(s): Part A - All Required
2. Core Course(s): Part B - One Required or Take Both & Other Part B Course Will Count as an Elective)
3. Electives:
4. Capstone Course: Required
5. Completion Review:
Meet Our Instructors
What students are saying
"The class involved whiteboard sessions and collaboration projects which really prepared me well to start working in the industry and tackle UX design interviews."
— Agnieszka Zimolag
International Student
Product Design, Cloud at IonQ
Certificate Inquiry Form
Recommended Course Sequence
Flexible course sequence
- CHOICE
- If you are familiar with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop products, most courses may be taken in any order if you have the prerequisites for each course.
- ELECTIVES
- Note that while you must take all three courses in Core Courses A, you just need one from Core Courses B—Mobile Interface Design and Gen AI or User Experience Design Fundamentals. You are welcome to take the other Core B course as an elective toward your certificate.
- CAPSTONE
- Your final course should be the Capstone User Experience Project.
Substitutions
New students should attend the Information Session to receive course sequence information
To receive your certificate
Requisite Knowledge
Please review the course descriptions to ensure that you have taken necessary prerequisites or meet the requirements through job experience or previous education. Before you begin the program, it’s recommended that you take Adobe Illustrator, Introduction and Adobe Photoshop or have the equivalent knowledge and experience.
Advisory Board
LUIS CALERO, M.A., Conversational UX Designer at Centene Corp., is an experienced storyteller and digital producer with expertise in developing digital content and creating inclusive user experiences accessible in both English and Spanish. He has helped create and implement successful design systems across complex products and services for companies like Vyond, Farmers Insurance, U.S. Bank, WM, and Meta. He earned a bachelor's degree in Radio and Television and a master's degree in Multimedia Communications from the Academy of Art University. Calero serves as the vice president of Marketing on the Board of Directors at Prospanica Silicon Valley. He has served as chair of the User Experience and Web Design program since 2024.
Certificate Program Advisory Committee
ALEX HUGHES
Senior UX Manager, Best Buy
ARIN BHOWMICK, M.S.
Executive Vice President and Chief Design Officer, SAP
LUIS CALERO, M.A.
Conversational UX Designer, Centene Corp.
Program Chair, UCSC Extension
SNEHA CHOWDHARY, MS
Senior Product Manager, UX & Human-Centered AI Design, Adobe
ILKIN GULIYEV, Masters & Extension Studies
User Experience Designer, Microsoft
SHARMAINE MANALO, B.S.
Generative AI UX Prototyper, Apple
Establish Candidacy
Grade Requirements
Please note that only letter grades of C or higher may be applied to a certificate, and in some programs, students may have more stringent requirements. Students in most employer- and government-sponsored payment programs, such as workforce development, as well as international students on F-1 visas, need to maintain a B average to meet their requirements. Personal Financial Planning students have additional grade requirements for individual courses to attain a certificate.
See Grading and Credits Policy for further information.