Let’s talk facts – you don’t need a fancy four-year degree to have a successful career in tech. Thousands of budding developers are instead turning to online schools and certificate programs to gain their skills and experience for the real world, and many of them are headed straight to Google’s education program.

The Google Career Certificates program offers a number of diverse programs to help individuals build their skill sets and break into new fields. That means that the company’s user experience (UX) certificate program is one of many such programs, which begs the question to be answered…is it worth it?

Table of Contents

1. Ease of Use
2. Affordability
3. Course Quality
4. Instructor Support
5. Community
6. Career Counseling/Job Placement
7. Refund Policy
8. Making the Most of the Google UX Design Certification
9. The Takeaway
10. Our Verdict

What is the Google UX Design Certification?

Google was first founded purely as a search engine in 1995, with the mission to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” In 1998, the fledgling company received its first investor in Silicon Valley, and the rest, as they say, is history. Google expanded at astounding speeds, hiring engineers and developers to support the company’s operations and expanding its reach from just a search engine to the hundreds of products you probably use today.

Google, and its parent company Alphabet, are one of the giants of Big Tech. So it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the company has invested in ushering in a new era of engineers, developers, and designers with its professional Google Career Certificates program. Google’s numerous certification programs cover topics from project management, to SEO, to IT support.

Here’s the nitty gritty: the Google UX Design Certification is a 200+ hour design course hosted by Coursera. People participating in this course can expect to take seven core courses over approximately six months, with a course curriculum including: the elements of UX design, website wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes, UX research, high-fidelity prototypes and Figma (UX design software), and responsive web design.

As far as UX certificate programs go, Google certainly looks like it ticks a lot of our boxes, but is it the right program for you? Using Skillcrush’s standard 7-point rating system, where does Google’s UX Design Certificate line up?

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Ease of Use

Score: 9/10

The TL;DR: Tech isn’t always easy, but this course is designed to be.

We gave this course a 9/10 because you won’t need to choose between working full-time and completing online school. The Google UX Design Certificate program is beginner-friendly and 100% self-paced. That means that you can:

• Work through the UX course curriculum at a pace that aligns with your learning style and outside responsibilities
• Take breaks from the design course whenever necessary
• Study anywhere

Google makes it extremely easy to use and follow their program. The certificate breaks down into easily digestible bite-size lessons that range from three to 10 minutes, making them quick and flexible, even if you only have a few minutes between normal life.

Every lesson includes watching videos, reading new class material, responding to discussion prompts, and taking practice quizzes. Online coding schools, especially ones without an instructor, should be approachable, and this one is. You truly can take this course from anywhere, whether you’re waiting in line at a coffee shop or on your train commute home. All you need is an internet connection, some headphones, and ironclad concentration.

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Affordability

Score: 9/10

The TL;DR: The faster it takes you to finish the course, the more money you’ll end up saving.

Many budding designers hope to transition to a career in tech to make more money, not spend it. And depending on where you get it, your education can be expensive! Because it’s run through Coursera, Google’s UX Design Certification offers its students an affordable option of $49/month. This could still be considered an investment, but we do know that it’s significantly less than other alternatives. UX boot camps, like Designlab’s UX Academy, cost thousands of dollars — $7,749 to be exact. Traditional college degrees can cost even more. The other good news is there are sometimes promotions, and you can also get access to other programs & resources on Coursera for this monthly fee.

However, because it’s a subscription fee, the longer it takes you to finish the course, the more money you’ll end up spending. Coursera estimates that if you dedicate 10 hours/week towards the certification, you can finish up the class in as little as six months. While $300 for a 6-month course doesn’t sound too bad, a long spell of procrastination or experiencing any other interruptions could leave you spending way more money than necessary.

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Course Quality

Score: 9/10

The TL;DR: There’s a reason Google is considered a giant in tech.

Does Google’s UX Design Certificate program have the tools and resources to take you from a newbie to a professional UX designer? We think so! The program offers over 200 hours of instruction with hundreds of videos, activities, and assessments simulating real-world design scenarios that you could come across in an actual work environment.

Their entire course takes you through:

• Course 1: Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design
• Course 2: Start the UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate
• Course 3: Build Wireframes and Low-Fidelity Prototypes
• Course 4: Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts
• Course 5: Create High-Fidelity Designs and Prototypes in Figma
• Course 6: Build Dynamic User Interfaces (UI) for Websites
• Course 7: Design a User Experience for Social Good & Prepare for Jobs

The program starts with foundational concepts like user-centered design and accessibility before walking students through technical skills like creating wireframes and prototypes with the design tool (and now-industry standard) Figma. By the end of the course, you’ll have three portfolio-ready projects to share with potential employers.

Upon completing this course, you’ll be able to boast skills in UX, user experience design (UXD), UX research, usability testing, prototypes, wireframe, and Figma, just to name a few!

And let’s be honest — Google’s name adds some industry credibility on its own, since the brand holds immense authority and prestige. Bonus — graduates are connected directly with over 150 U.S. employers who accept Google Career Certificates upon program completion.

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Instructor Support

Score: 1/10

The TL;DR: Don’t expect one-on-one mentor support.

Rest assured, the UX certification has a grade-A curriculum. But where it excels in programming, it lacks in direct support. The program is self-paced, so you can double back when you need to and review lessons and outside resources for extra tricky UX topics. The downside is you may find yourself doing this more often than an in-classroom program, because the course doesn’t have instructor or mentor support. While the program does offer well-paced videos from other UX designers and industry experts, they are structured more like lectures than an interaction.

While not the end of the world, real-time expert support from real-world professionals can be crucial, particularly if you have no prior design experience (tech or otherwise). If the design principles, UI design, prototypes, or user research aren’t clicking, your only option is to find support in the peer network and outside resources.

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Community

Score: 7/10

The TL;DR: What the program lacks in instructor support, they make up for with the community.

Google’s UX Design Certification community pulls its weight in its offerings for student support. When you submit your homework, it’s not a mentor who’s evaluating your work. It’s another student. Your portfolio assignments? That feedback comes from your peers in the student network. And while this does call into question how beneficial it is to have your work — as a beginner — evaluated by other beginners, it’s definitely still a learning experience.

You’ll also gain access to a peer-led study group and a private Coursera Community for certificate learners and graduates in the same program.

Their virtual study sessions give you dedicated times and a friendly environment to interact with real learners through a chat. If you can’t make the 4 PM sessions on Mondays, you might be able to catch it during a 1 PM Wednesday lunch break or at 7:30 PM on a Thursday when you’re off the clock.

If you find yourself needing a hub for constant connection and support, you can always fall back on the Google UX Design Community. The Community brings both learners and graduates of the program together in a forum where you can ask questions about the course and UX design as a whole, share work and get feedback, and start building a professional network.

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Career Counseling/Job Placement

Score: 5/10

The TL;DR: The UX certification program prepares you for the job but not necessarily the job hunt.

Most people go into Google’s UX Design Certificate Program with one goal in mind — get a job! But, the hardest part of entering the tech industry for some is simply the job-hunting process itself. With technical interviews and skill assessments, job hunting for professional UX positions can be extremely different from non-tech jobs. And while the program offers a lot of great resources, it still feels like it’s missing something in this department.

The final module for the UX certification is “Design a User Experience for Social Good & Prepare for Jobs.” You’ll apply your UX knowledge to a final project, and prepare for UX designer interviews. This is something the course does really well, particularly since the course helps you prepare a UX portfolio.

When it comes to interviewing, they offer tips on pre-interview research, strategies for answering questions, and a guide for drafting your personal elevator pitch. They even offer interview tips from hiring managers and UX designers. However, this course doesn’t offer career support beyond those job interview resources.

At the price point, you get what you pay for, sure, but for the uninitiated (and un-networked), breaking into tech is hard. Without a career counselor, mentor, or network connections, it’s up to you to navigate this new terrain. We’re a little biased, but we’re confident that Skillcrush’s Break Into Tech + Get Hired program has an edge over a lot of the competition, because not only does it help with resume review, interview practice, job applications, and network building, but it also comes with three one-on-one meetings with a career counselor. At the end of the day, getting hired is the goal.

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Refund Policy

Score: 0/10

The TL;DR: You’re not getting your money back.

Let’s say you’re not happy with Google’s UX Design Certificate program. Are you getting your money back? Nope. The program is subscription-based, and by signing up for a subscription, you typically forfeit your right to a refund.

For example, if you signed up for Spotify so you could listen to your favorite albums on repeat, but decide you’re not satisfied with the sound quality, that’s a “you problem”, and you’re not getting a refund. You paid for access to Spotify’s content — their music, podcasts, and audiobooks. (Note: If you had issues with its functionality, that’s a “Spotify problem,” and they’d probably be more inclined to give you your money back.)

Coursera is pretty clear in its refund policy: We don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time.

Pro tip: Coursera offers a seven-day free trial for all their classes. Try out the class and see what it has to offer before committing to the monthly fee. Like every other subscription-based platform — if you’re unhappy with the service — you’ll need to cancel your subscription before they charge you for the next month!

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Making the Most of the Google UX Design Certification

How do you leverage the resources that Google’s UX Design Certification has to offer? Here’s what we’d suggest.

Start with the free trial! That’s what it’s there for, and you can get a feel for the lay of the land before committing to the monthly subscription. And if you do end up committing to the subscription fee, make a schedule that you can stick to and afford. Don’t overextend yourself and pledge to more hours of coursework than you’re capable of completing in a week. But at the same time, try not to procrastinate. Just 90 minutes a day can help you finish the course in six months.

And if you do decide to stick it out with the program, run — don’t walk — to their online Community. It’s never too early to start learning from peers and experts. Plus, this networking opportunity could be the edge you need to land your first job as a UX designer.

The Takeaway: Is the Google UX Design Certification Worth It?

Final Score: 6/10

Ease of Use: 9/10

Affordability: 9/10

Course Quality: 9/10

Instructor Support: 1/10

Community: 7/10

Career Counseling/Job Placement: 5/10

Refund Policy: 0/10

How does Google UX Design Certification stack up against other online tech schools and programs? Check out our reviews to see why we’ve rated these schools as:

General Assembly: 7/10

Udemy: 7/10

SheCodes: 7/10

Codecademy: 6/10

Our Verdict:

The Google UX Design Certification program gets A LOT of things right! The design certificate offers a reputable, high-quality UX curriculum that builds applicable, real-world professional skills that students can use to build a portfolio and immediately make a difference in the tech industry. Modules are self-paced and accessible anywhere so students can learn at their pace in their preferred environment. And the program is more affordable than other UX design courses, like General Assembly, which charge thousands of dollars. However, that does come at a cost.

The certification program does not have instructor support. Instead, students are reliant upon the feedback of their peers in the course’s student network. And, while students have access to the UX interview curriculum, they navigate the job-hunting process alone without career counseling.

ALL things considered, the Google UX Design Certificate is a good option. However, if you want a guaranteed full immersion into tech, consider the Skillcrush Break Into Tech UX Design program.

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