Benefits of UX Classes with a Live Instructor

Published on December 19, 2014

User experience plays an important role in the use and adoption of websites and apps, and there are a number of different ways in which you can learn user experience, including classes and workshops that you can take in-person or online.

Before looking at learning options, it’s important to fully understand all that is involved with user experience. In the fields of app and web development and design, UX includes all the interactions with an application, website, or services. From their first interaction, through searching or buying using a website, through to the notifications and messages they receive. It covers all the behaviors they experience on a site or with an app, and the accompanying emotions they evoke. A user experience designer is focused on creating a positive impact on each user's interaction with an app or website, making them easy to use and even enjoyable.

There are several reasons why an in-person UX course may be the right choice for you. In a live UX course, you benefit from the opportunity to network with other professionals. The connections with other students and with the instructor can be long lasting, and provide resources that extend long after the class is gone. Many students travel to the UX classes and workshops at American Graphics Institute from around the United States and internationally to join the local participants. You have the opportunity to make connections with participants who have similar roles in the field of UX, but work in completely different industries.

Working in a classroom environment with a live instructor, you'll have the ability to collaborate on group projects and work in real-time. Sharing best-practices and project feedback as you work through examples and projects in the class, and collaborating on how to solve real-world issues helps to improve your skills and approach to modern-day design challenges. You learn from the instructor as well as other participants.

The ability to receive live and immediate input, and perform group projects cannot be replicated in an online course. Similarly, books and recorded classes don’t allow for immediate feedback, or to have your questions answered. A user experience course with a live instructor provides you with immediate benefits regarding your approach, understanding, and implementation of user experience design.

About the author

Jennifer Smith is a user experience designer, Photoshop expert, educator and author based in Boston. She is the author of more than 20 books on design tools and processes, including Adobe Creative Cloud for Dummies, Adobe Creative Cloud Digital Classroom, and Photoshop Digital Classroom. She has been awarded a Microsoft MVP three times for her work with user experience design in creating apps for touch, desktop, and mobile devices. Jennifer holds the CPUX-F credential from the UXQB.

Jennifer delivers UX training and UX consulting for large Fortune 100 companies, small start-ups, and independent software vendors. She has been hired by Adobe and Microsoft to deliver training workshops to their staff, and has traveled to Asia, Europe, India, the Middle East, and across the U.S. to deliver courses and assist on UX design projects. She has extensive knowledge of modern UX Design, and worked closely with the Microsoft Windows team to create educational material and deliver UX workshops to key partners globally on behalf of Microsoft. Jennifer works with a wide range of prototyping tools including XD, Sketch, Balsamiq, Fireworks, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Blend for Visual Studio. She also works extensively in the fields of presentation design and visual design.