User Experience, or UX, training is a great way to supercharge your career no matter if you’re a freelancer, own your own online marketing business or have (or are looking for) a job in the online design world.
Understanding the principles of UX can be extremely valuable to online marketers in general, even if it isn’t something you want to focus on full time. Even the most basic user experience training will give you amazing insights into website design, online advertising, conversion optimization and much more.
Long story short, UX training courses are totally worth it.
What is UX
UX, or User Experience, describes all aspects of how people interact with a product, service or company.
Or to be a little more precise, here's a definition from Nathan.com:
“The overall experience, in general or specifics, a user, customer, or audience member has with a product, service, or event. In the Usability field, this experience is usually defined in terms of ease-of-use. However, the experience encompasses more than merely function and flow, but the understanding compiled through all of the senses.”
The most common use of UX terminology is in reference to digital products like websites, operating systems and other electronic products. Usually, it is considered a niche discipline in the larger online design field, but it can also refer to offline products as well.
Why UX Training is Important
Even if you can’t draw a straight line and couldn’t operate Adobe Photoshop to save your life, getting some training in the user experience field will help you out immensely.
Not only is it a highly sought after skill set, but UX touches almost every other part of online marketing.
Just imagine how much better of an online marketer you could be if you had a better understanding of:
- How and why visitors used your website.
- What made them click.
- What made them bounce.
- Why some banners convert better than others.
- Where to position elements on your website to increase conversions and make you more money.
That is what good UX training can do for you.
Where to Start
Hopefully I have done a good job of convincing you about the importance of UX and the vital role it plays in our online marketing world.
And if you want to learn more, the best place to start is by reading up on the subject matter. For an awesome overview, I suggest this post.
Reading
If your pump is really primed, then it’s time to go beyond the basics and learn all about UX by doing some reading.
There are many great books out there that cover the subject matter and most provide hands-on training and real-world examples to help those who learn better by doing than just reading.
Online UX Training
If book learning isn’t your thing and you want more interaction than what paper and ink can offer, then you need to get after some UX training courses online.
These range in price from smaller monthly fees ($25) to upwards of $500, but no matter your needs or budget, there is something out there for you.
Check out this list of training courses in the UX field.
You can also take your education offline and hit up some User Experience conferences like these.
UX Degrees
If you’ve found that UX is your thing, then why not get a sweet piece of paper proving to the world that you know your stuff?
While the field of UX is relatively new to the higher education world, there are many schools that offer certifications and degrees in it. Or, they offer curricula that encompass a wide swath of the UX-related fields (human-computer interaction, digital design, etc.).
Here is a listing of schools around the world that might just fit the bill for your higher education plans.
Dip a Toe or Dive Head First?
No matter if you want to get just the basics of UX down to help round out your online marketing knowledge or you're head over heels in love with this field, increasing your User Experience training is a solid win for you.
Start your UX journey today and let us know how it’s affected you down the road!