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. Note: As we are refocusing this certificate to reflect exciting new changes in the industry—including new courses and instructors—we are not currently accepting new candidates for this certificate program. We will be announcing the new UX Design program in summer 2025.
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
Requisite Knowledge
Please review the course descriptions to ensure that you have taken the prerequisites or meet the requirements through job experience or previous education. It’s recommended that you are familiar with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.) through coursework or equivalent knowledge and experience.
Advisory Board
JUMAR T. BALACY, a user experience designer at Amazon Lab126 and chair of the User Experience and Web Design program, has a decade of experience delivering products in cybersecurity, surgical robotics, and supply chain management. He’s held a variety of roles—developer, business analyst, and product manager. However, it wasn't until he served in the U.S. Navy that he discovered his passion for teaching. As a combat camera diver, he designed and led a course to prepare sailors for dive school. Now, as a design educator, he teaches students the practical application of their technical skills and how to navigate the UX job search. He earned a certificate in the User Experience and Web Design program and began serving as chair in 2025.
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.
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.
See Grading and Credits Policy for further information.