User experience design is the process of making information systems more people-friendly. Reports show high market demand for skills in user experience design across commercial, nonprofit, educational, government and other sectors, with 30+% or more job growth anticipated. A master’s degree is not required to enter the field, but relevant, project-based expertise is.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison User Experience Design Capstone Certificate, or “Mad UX,” teaches you what you need to know to develop as a UX professional. Mad UX combines expertise from two highly ranked UW-Madison academic departments: the Department of Computer Science and its HCI Lab and the UW-Madison iSchool.
In the MadUX certificate, you will:
- learn theories, techniques and tools of digital design
- practice assessing user satisfaction with digital media
- practice different prototyping techniques
- collect and analyze data about users, user needs and use environments
- work to improve the usability, accessibility, and pleasure with which people interact with digital spaces over periods of time.
The Mad UX certificate will accommodate both existing computing professionals whose expanding job responsibilities require a deeper understanding of user experience design, and people new to the technology workforce seeking introductory skills in user experience design.
Mad UX: The Basics
- 10 graduate credits
- Entirely online- no travel to campus required to complete the program
- 1 calendar year (fall, spring, summer)
- $1600 per credit
- Want more information? Email Program Coordinator Jenny Greiber at userexperience@slis.wisc.edu
How Mad UX is Different
Unlike other UX educational opportunities, this online capstone certificate program gives you an elite credential in less time, for a lower overall cost and in an online format that allows you to complete the credential from anywhere while accommodating your current employment and family responsibilities.
All credits you earn in Mad UX are University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate credits, and you can transfer them into masters programs, including masters programs at the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Madison
How are your classes delivered? All classes are completely online and taught by experienced and engaged instructors from UW-Madison’s computer sciences and iSchool programs, combining knowledge and networks from both the computing and information fields.
How long does it take? One calendar year (fall, spring, summer). You are part of a cohort of learners who complete project-based activities and learn to work effectively as part of a virtual team. You must successfully complete each course in succession to earn your certificate.
What will you learn? Build the expertise to plan, design, and assess innovative, enjoyable and successful digital user experiences.
How will you learn? Our program is high-tech and high-touch. You work on conceptual designs and prototypes with your cohort, with the constant guidance and involvement of your instructors. Form teams around project-based ideas, envision products, design, test, critique, and revise as you learn the tools and techniques of user experience design.
Why UW-Madison? We are a catalyst for the extraordinary, where students and faculty partake in a world-class education and solve real-world problems. Forbes and U.S. News & World Report have rated UW-Madison in the top 10 public universities in the United States, and we are also among the top 10 colleges producing the most Fortune 500 CEOs.