Difference between online and in-person UX training
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Difference between online and in-person UX training

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by Jennifer Smith
Difference between online and in-person UX training

The integral role of user experience in websites and applications creates many opportunities for those who have received UX training. There are many benefits for professionals involved in all aspects of design, development, and product management roles working with websites and applications to learn UX. Options for learning user experience include taking UX classes, whether in the classroom, through a workshop, or enrolling in a live online class.

These learning options can help anyone to gain a start in user experience, or advance their career.  In determining the best methods for learning UX, you need to consider your availability, and the amount of time available for participating in a course.

In-person UX classes

If time is available, an in-person UX course is generally the most beneficial. An in-person course covers the essential principles of UX design in a hands-on setting.  Participants are able to network with others involved in UX fields, meeting those who perform similar work at other companies or organizations. A live user experience course includes practical exercises, group reviews of projects, as well as a lecture component.

Online UX Courses

Online UX classes from American Graphics Institute offer the same concepts, delivered through a live lecture with a question-and-answer component. Many examples are provided, along with comprehensive documentation. The group exercises are not included in the online course, which reduces the course time in half. While an online UX course does allow for questions to be answered by the instructor, they lack some of the interactivity, group projects, and networking which occurs with the live classes. The same lecture materials are covered in both the online and in-person user experience courses.

Is one type of UX training better?

If you have time available for a live class, this generally provides the best learning option. If you lack the time, or are unavailable to travel to any of the course locations, an online class provides a valuable chance to improve your skills through lectures delivered by experts.

About the author

 is a user experience designer, educator and author based in Boston. She has worked in the field of user experience design for more than 15 years. She has designed websites, ecommerce sites, apps, and embedded systems. Jennifer designs solutions for mobile, desktop, and iOT devices. Jennifer holds a Master of Science (MS) degree in Human Factors in Information Design, a Bachelors degree with a concentration in Commercial Art. When not teaching at American Graphics Institute, Jennifer Smith is an adjunct professor at Boston University.

Jennifer delivers UX training and UX consulting for large Fortune 100 companies, small start-ups, and independent software vendors.She has served as a Designer in Residence at Microsoft, assisting third-party app developers to improve their design solutions and create successful user experiences. 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 major tech companies to create educational material and deliver UX workshops to key partners globally. 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.

Jennifer is also an expert on Photoshop, digital image editing, and photo manipulation. Having written 10 books on Photoshop, and having consulted and provided training to major media companies and businesses around the globe.

Jennifer 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 certification from the User Experience Qualification Board and assists others in attaining this designation in leading a UX certification course at American Graphics Institute.