A freely available, state-of-the-art
UX programme supported by
independent certification
The knowledge and skills you need, the industry recognition you deserve
From beginner to experienced UX professional
We want to help you become a recognised UX professional. Drawing from international standards and authored by experts in the field of UX and usability, our Certified Professional for Usability and User Experience (CPUX) programme offers education and certification for all UX professionals, regardless of experience.
Start your UX journey with certification in our Foundation in Human-Centred Design or Essentials in UX and HCD Management, before extending your skills and building your knowledge through our advanced-level certifications in User Requirements Engineering, Designing Solutions, and Usability Testing and Evaluation.
Training and certification for UX professionals
Choose your area of study to find a recognised training provider, training dates and locations, and details on how you can gain this internationally recognised certification.
Foundation in Human-Centred Design
(CPUX-F)
Learn about the foundations of UX and usability, the key terms, concepts and processes that are fundamental to working on human-centred design projects.
Foundation level certification is appropriate for anyone who wants to become familiar with the fundamentals of usability.
Advanced Level
User Requirements Engineering
(CPUX-UR)
Learn how to identify and manage user requirements, from the planning and implementation of user research methods to the specification and prioritisation of user requirements.
Building on the Foundation level certification, User Requirements Engineering is appropriate for anyone interested in representing the needs of users in development projects.
Advanced Level
Designing Solutions
(CPUX-DS)
Learn how to translate user requirements into design solutions, from conceptual models and information architecture, to interaction design and prototyping, to interface and sensory design.
Exploring concepts introduced in our Foundation level certification in far greater detail, CPUX-DS also considers specific human needs, such as accessibility, design ethics and cultural diversity. If you are actively involved in designing interactive systems, Designing Solutions is the perfect certification for you.
Advanced Level
Usability Testing and Evaluation
(CPUX-UT)
Learn how to evaluate user interfaces, with users in usability tests, through usability inspections and by user surveys. Extending the knowledge and skills introduced in CPUX-F, you will discover in depth, how to plan, conduct, analyse and report on the findings of a usability test.
If you are passionate about ensuring the projects you are involved in have a high level of usability, our Usability testing and evaluation certification is ideal for you.
Training and certification in UX management
Essentials in UX and HCD Management
(CPUX-M)
Learn how you can convey the importance and impact of UX to your stakeholders in this introduction to user experience and human-centred design management.
Throughout, you will discover lots of practical tips and approaches for how to advocate for UX in your organisation. You will understand how to communicate appropriately to senior management and your wider project team, and you will learn many important aspects of UX leadership
If you want to improve the human-centred design maturity of your organisation – whether you are a UX consultant, a UX manager or a product owner – Essentials in UX and HCD Management is the certification for you.
How do I get certified?
Certification is by passing an exam based on the content of the curriculum you have just studied. The exam questions are written by us but they are carried out by one of our independent exam providers, who between them operate across the globe, meaning you can take an exam pretty much anywhere. The process is very straightforward:
- Decide where to start
Choose one of our certifications – from foundation to advanced level – based on the parts of the human-centred design process you are interested in.
(You do need to have passed the Foundation in Human-centred Design (CPUX-F) exam before you can take any advanced-level CPUX certification, so your decision may have been made for you! No prior certification is needed to study CPUX-M, but we do recommend at least looking through the CPUX-F curriculum.) - Learn your stuff
Book a training course with one of our recognised training providers, or, if you prefer to pace yourself you can self-study. Whilst we recommend attending a training course, due to the additional, valuable insight you will get from your training, all our curricula are completely free and available and contain everything you need to pass your exam. - Choose a certification exam provider
If you attend a training course, your course administrator might already have helped you organise your exam; if you are studying by yourself, you just need to register with one of our independent certification providers. - Take the certification exam
You can take the exam in person (if that is what your training provider has organised), remotely via a special exam app, or at a Pearson test centre. All certifications include a theoretical exam, advanced levels also include a practical exam. - Tell the world you are a UX professional
After you have passed the exam, get on LinkedIn and tell everyone you are a Certified Professional in UX and usability. - Choose your next CPUX certification…
Once you have got your CPUX-F certificate you can take the advanced-level courses in any order, so why not start with the one that looks the most useful to you?
CPUX gives you the knowledge and skills you need…
CPUX curricula are based around the Human-Centred Design (HCD) Process, which is defined in the international standard ISO 9241-210. HCD is an iterative approach to designing and developing products and services that ensures people can use them to achieve their goals as quickly and easily as possible. There are five key activities in the HCD process:
- Planning the human-centred design processPlanning involves defining which of the other four HCD activities we are going to focus on, the deliverables we want to produce, and the HCD techniques and methodologies we need to employ to produce those deliverables. Planning also involves specifying the people, resources and timelines needed to carry out those activities, and crucially, establishing our human-centred quality objectives – what the interactive system needs to achieve for our users.
- Understand and specify the context of useThis activity is all about understanding and documenting the context of use – that is, who our users are, the goals they want to achieve and the tasks they carry out to achieve them, the problems they have, and what their needs are, relating to our products or services. Having a thorough understanding of the context of use of our users will help us identify their needs and formulate appropriate user requirements for our products.
- Specify the user requirementsThe purpose of this activity is to define specific user requirements that the interactive system needs to meet before it is released. The user requirements we define are based on the user needs that we identify when we analyse the context of use.
- Produce design solutions to meet user requirementsIn this activity, UX professionals convert user requirements into an interactive prototype that can be evaluated with users. HCD deliverables from the analysis of the context of use, such as user groups, as-is scenarios, personas, user journey maps and task models are also used, and this conversion also considers interaction principles, heuristics, style guides, design patterns and much more!
- Evaluate design solutions against user requirementsThe purpose of a usability evaluation is to determine whether or not the prototypes we have designed meet the user requirements, and follow interaction principles, heuristics and user interface guidelines. We can evaluate our prototypes with users, in usability tests and surveys, or without users, in the form of usability inspections. If you want to know which approach is best, take a look at the Foundation in Human-Centred Design (CPUX-F) curriculum! (hint: it’s always best to test with users)
Human-centred design is all about understanding what users need, designing systems to meet those needs, and, rather than assuming they work, testing those systems with users.
If things don’t meet users’ expectations, we go back to an earlier activity in the HCD process, make changes and test it all again.
Foundation in Human-Centred Design (CPUX-F) covers the whole of the human-centred design process, from planning through to evaluation. Each of the advanced-level courses cover one or more of the key HCD activities in greater detail.
User Requirements Engineering (CPUX-UR) covers ‘Understand and specify the context of use’ and ‘Specify the user requirements’.
Designing Solutions (CPUX-DS) covers ‘Produce design solutions to meet user requirements’.
Essentials in UX and HCD Management (CPUX-M) will help you embed the human-centred design process in your organisation.
Usability Testing and Evaluation (CPUX-UT) covers ‘Evaluate design solutions against user requirements’.
…and the industry recognition you deserve
Life is not just about picking up knowledge and skills, often you need to demonstrate that you know your stuff. Whether you are hoping to advance your career, working on a UX project with a new team in a different organisation, or looking to reassure your colleagues and clients that you know what you’re talking about, the best way to do that is by becoming CPUX certified. Here’s how a CPUX certification can help you:
Here’s how CPUX certification can help you:
- CPUX certification is proof of your expertise as a UX professional. CPUX certificates are internationally recognised by professional UX associations including UXPA UK, German UPA, UXPA Switzerland, UX Denmark and UX Pro Austria.
- CPUX certification can open up a wide range of professional opportunities and is a crucial step towards carving out a successful career in UX.
- CPUX curricula are specifically designed to give you practical knowledge and skills that you will be able to apply directly, in your everyday professional life.
- CPUX curricula are created, maintained and regularly updated by industry experts, so you can be confident that they are highly relevant. Whilst we encourage certificate holders to take a look at updates to CPUX curricula, you won’t ever need to take a “refresher” exam – your CPUX certification is valid until the end of time.
- Being able to demonstrate your expert knowledge in the area of usability and UX with a CPUX certification will help you stand out from the crowd.
- CPUX certification can help you expand your professional network and improve your standing within the UX community.
Why you should choose CPUX
There are many courses and certification programmes in UX. Here’s why we think CPUX is a cut above the rest:
We have also published complete sets of sample exam questions with the answers, so you can get an idea of what the exams will be like. There is no need to purchase any learning materials. All CPUX curricula and learning materials are free and always will be.
There is no hidden agenda with CPUX – we offer you opportunities to learn about UX and usability, and to get a certification to prove your worth – we are not trying to sell you anything else. You can even study for free without certification if you prefer, and you will still benefit from the combined knowledge of our team of experts, packed into each of our curricula. Except for the answers to the exam questions, everything is completely transparent.
The UXQB has more than 30 independent training providers. Many of the training providers are well-known and highly respected and we are proud that they have chosen to support us.
CPUX certifications are carried out by independent certification providers who fulfil the requirements outlined in ISO/IEC 1 7024 (that means they are reliable, honest, and doing everything above board). Recognised training providers do not have access to any of the exam questions, this guarantees the trustworthiness of the certification process. It also means you cannot bribe training providers with cake.
CPUX curricula are based on international ISO standards, recognised UX textbooks and the UXPA Body of Knowledge. Our ambition is to make standardised UX terms, definitions and processes comprehensible and widely accessible, through our curricula. This means you will be able to talk UX with any other UX project team, no matter where or in which industry they work. International standards mean that everyone is talking the same language.
The UXQB is recognised by leading professional UX organisations such as the UXPA UK, German UPA, UX Switzerland, UXPro Austria and UX Denmark. Representatives of these organisations are active in creating and reviewing CPUX curricula, as well as maintaining the UXQB in working groups and annual general meetings.
Whilst we recommend attending a training course with one of our recognised training providers, due to the additional, valuable insight you will get from your training, all our curricula are completely free and available and contain everything you need to pass your exam, so you can easily study and prepare for CPUX exams by yourself.
Once you have passed the foundation exam, three advanced level CPUX certifications become available to you. The question is, once you start, can you stop studying?
Whilst we encourage certificate holders to take a look at updates to CPUX curricula, you won’t ever need to take a “refresher” exam – your CPUX certification will be valid forever.
UXQB has training providers who are native speakers in 7 different countries, including UK, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Ukraine, Denmark and the United States. All CPUX curricula are available in German and English.
Don’t take our word for it, listen to people who have studied CPUX
Paola Vilatela CanteroGaining the CPUX-F certification has significantly benefited my career. Despite my prior experience, the certification introduced new, specific concepts that I could directly implement on my client’s projects to create better UX/UI solutions. CPUX-F is an international certification, which helps me in working remotely with international clients. I highly recommend CPUX-F to those looking to deepen their expertise in usability and user experience.
CPUX-F
The CPUX-M training course was very effective in teaching the language and basics of the UX management world.
Tyll Riedel
CPUX-M
CPUX standards on nomenclature and implementation act as a beacon in the thicket of differing and ever-changing opinions on various UX topics. I like to advise my clients on the common basis of UX understanding according to CPUX to avoid misunderstandings and always deliver high quality.
Joachim Winkler
CPUX-UT
These people are all CPUX certified – why not join them?
Alison Moore
Earned Certificates
CPUX-F
Country
United Kingdom
Patrick Geiger
Earned Certificates
CPUX-F
Country
Germany
Stefanie Müller
Earned Certificates
CPUX-F
Pursue
netgrade.de/online-marketing/conversion-rate-optimierung
Country
Germany
Frequently asked questions about the CPUX programme
A CPUX certificate increases your credibility as a UX Professional; it provides evidence that you know what you are talking about. We are already seeing companies and recruiters asking for CPUX certification in job descriptions. In relation to a job application for a role in UX, a CPUX certificate will certainly help.
The key concepts of usability and UX have not changed over decades. Our curricula are regularly refined and improved based on the insights that we gather from trainer and participant feedback. If you want to take an exam for a certificate for a second time just because we have updated the curriculum, you are more than welcome to, however there is no need to do so to remain CPUX-certified. If you are interested in what’s changed, you can always read the new version of the curriculum.
Our stringent certification process requires that CPUX exams have to be carried out by independent certification providers, accredited by the UXQB. Neither training providers nor the UXQB itself are allowed to carry out exams or evaluate exam results. The rigour involved in developing and maintaining relationships with independent certification providers necessitates the costs of certification.
Yes. Development projects often have multi-disciplinary teams. Team members need to have the same understanding of UX-related concepts and terms, so they can communicate with one another, in order to make appropriate design decisions.
Human-centred design activities have to fit within the available budget of each project, so the breadth and depth of UX analysis, design and evaluation will vary from project to project. CPUX-F defines and explores the outcomes of each human-centred activity. Being aware of these outcomes allows you to tailor your approach based on the budget and the UX-related risk to the project.
Design thinking is one variant of the human-centred design process introduced in CPUX-F. A positive user experience (UX) is one of the intended outcomes of human-centred design, along with good usability and accessibility, and avoidance of harm from use. Service design should also follow the human-centred design process.
Value proposition fits well with the human-centred quality objectives in CPUX-F. Jobs-to-be-done fits well with the concept of user needs and task models as introduced in CPUX-F and explored further in CPUX-UR.
It is advisable to develop interactive, low-fidelity prototypes to begin with, to ensure that interaction design can be evaluated with users, and so that aesthetic issues do not become a distraction for stakeholders.
The CPUX-F curriculum relies on consensus. A lot of that consensus has been consolidated in ISO standards including the definitions of usability and user experience. ISO standards are reviewed and – if necessary – updated every five years. Technology and trends might change alarmingly quickly and so it may not feel as if ISO standards are up to date because of their longevity, but the core principles of human-centred design, UX and usability have remained unchanged for decades and they need no updating.
The terms UX audit and design critique refer to specific types of usability evaluation (which is detailed in CPUX-F). The CPUX-F curriculum cannot possibly mention all human-centred design methods – the working group takes a reasoned and informed view as to which to include and which to exclude.
CPUX-F applies to any industry that produces products, systems or services with a user interface. The general interaction principles apply across all industries. For example, in the automotive industry decisions are repeatedly taken on whether to implement a user interface element digitally (on a screen) or using traditional, physical controls (switches, buttons, etc.). Each decision needs to consider whether the implementation will conform to user expectations, if it is suitable for the task and that it avoids harm from use – these are important aspects of human-centred design.
Do you have a question about the CPUX programme?
Please contact our experts, we would love to hear from you
CPUX CERTIFICATION IS OFFICIALY RECOGNISED BY
