Foundation in Human-Centred Design
(CPUX-F)
The knowledge and skills you need, the industry recognition you deserve
Explore the building blocks of human-centred design
Discover how UX and usability go hand-in-hand, and learn the key terms, concepts and processes that are fundamental to human-centred design. Develop the skills and knowledge you need to collaborate on, communicate and lead human-centred design projects.
Based on international standards and authored by experts in the field of UX and usability, the Foundation in Human-centred design certificate is appropriate for anyone who wants to develop and demonstrate their UX knowledge.
Is CPUX-F right for me?
Absolutely! The Foundation in Human-Centred Design (CPUX-F) certificate is perfect for anyone who currently works in – or is moving into – UX, and who wants to become more familiar with the fundamental principles and processes of UX and usability. CPUX-F is ideal for anyone, from designers to developers, product managers to marketing executives, as well as UX professionals and managers.
Whether you are at the start of your UX career or you have been a UX professional for several years, if you want to:
- Ensure you have a sound knowledge of the foundations of usability and user experience;
- Develop your knowledge and skills in accordance with established conventions;
- Demonstrate your knowledge of usability and user experience with an industry recognised certification…
…then CPUX-F is for you!
No previous UX knowledge or experience is needed to study CPUX-F, any experience you may have will be an advantage.
Andrea ManciniI found the CPUX-F certification invaluable for clearly defining the fundamental concepts of user experience design. It has proven particularly useful in teaching these concepts to the junior designers on my team.
CPUX-F
The course content has strengthened my confidence when advocating for human-centred design processes within my company, and it has helped create a shared vocabulary for successful collaboration.
Naina Phoolchand
CPUX-F
What does the CPUX-F curriculum cover?
CPUX-F covers the fundamental principles and processes of human-centred design, as outlined in ISO 9241-210 Ergonomics of human-system interaction. You will learn the terms and concepts common in the UX community.
The CPUX-F curriculum covers:
- An introduction to human-centred design
- Basic concepts – including user experience, usability, accessibility and avoidance of harm from use
- Planning a human-centred design project
- Understand and specifying the context of use – thinking about and communicating who our users are, what goals they have, and what they do to achieve those goals
- Specifying user requirements – identifying user needs and creating user requirements to meet those needs
- Design solutions that meet user requirements – adhering to the design process and relevant guidance for user interface design, and producing design deliverables
- Evaluating the designs against user requirements – including usability tests and usability inspections
CPUX-F lays the foundation for your advanced CPUX studies in user requirements engineering, designing solutions and usability testing and evaluation. A CPUX-F certification is necessary for certification in advanced levels.
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:
- Learn your stuffBook 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. CPUX-F certification involves a single theory 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?
What is the CPUX-F exam like?
The CPUX-F exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions. Each question has one, two or three correct answers. To pass the exam you need to score at least 70%.
Here are some examples of the questions, taken from our freely available CPUX-F practice exam questions.
Which two of the following HCD deliverables are created during the activity “Understand and specify the context of use”?
- User needs
- Usability test report
- Personas
- As-is scenarios
- User requirements
- Low-fidelity prototype
Which two of the following statements are valid user requirements for a hotel booking website?
- At least 80% of users who use the website for the first time must be able to book a room within 10 minutes
- The hotel’s logo must appear in the top left-hand corner of each web page
- The website must be at least as usable as those of the two main competitors
- The website must have a help system
- The colour scheme of the website must reflect the standard colours of the hotel
- Users must be able to cancel a booking
CPUX-F curriculum, practice questions and exam regulations
All you need to study and get certified in the Foundation in Human-Centred Design
Foundation in Human-Centred Design (CPUX-F) Curriculum
Version 4.01, released November 2022
Exam regulations for Foundation in Human-Centered Design (CPUX-F)
Version 1.01, released March 2019
40 practice exam questions for Foundation in Human-Centred Design (CPUX-F)
Version 4.01, released January 2023
Sample Certificate (CPUX-F)
released April 2025
CPUX-F documentation and certification is also available in German language
How much does CPUX-F cost?
Costs for studying
You can self-study by reading the CPUX-F curriculum at your own pace, however, for a good deal more insight, lots of practical exercises, and the chance to learn from expert trainers and other delegates, we encourage you to take a training course with one of our recognised training providers.
Self-study will only cost you your time, training providers will naturally charge for attending their training courses.
Prices, locations and timings vary – choose from the list of upcoming CPUX-F training courses below and see the training provider’s website for their prices.
If, after studying by yourself or having attended a training course, you want to become certified, you will need to take the CPUX-F certification exam.
Costs for certification
CPUX-F certification is a rigorous process designed to produce trustworthy results, so your certification has real value – CPUX certificates are far more than proof of your attendance during a training course – they demonstrate you know your stuff!
If you have attended a training course, your training provider may have organised this for you, if you need to organise your exam, take a look at the exam process and choose an exam provider that suits you.
Prices vary depending on exam provider, whether you are a student or member of a specific UX organisation, or if you are booking a retest.
CPUX-F certification typically costs £300 to £350. A 20% discount is available for members of our member organisations.
All our curricula are free!
If you just want to study the CPUX-F curriculum without becoming CPUX-certified, you can do that for free! All our curricula are freely available – you can download them and start reading them now. You can also download a set of 40 practice exam questions, to help consolidate what you’ve learned.
Find a CPUX-F training course
| Level | Country | Location | Date | Length of time | Course Language | Training provider |
|---|
Germany
Switzerland
Canada
Austria
DenmarkFrequently asked questions about the CPUX programme
Organisations develop systems, products or services. Each organisation has its own development process. Human Centred design is a number of activities that will increase the likelihood of human-centredness of the organisational process. The more and the better HCD-activities are integrated into the organisational development process the better the human-centredness of the system, products, services. HCD itself is not a development process.
You need to fully understand the definition and be able to recognise them in the certification exam. Moreover, exam questions have been refined over the years to test for understanding rather than simple recognition of definitions. You must also be able to recognise terms and their meaning from examples given in exam questions.
No, answer wisely. If there are three correct answers and you are certain about two answers, only cross the two. Thus, you avoid collecting negative points. Do read the examination rules.
Usually, training providers have an additional set of test questions. There is also the book by Geis & Tesch, Basiswissen Usability und User Experience, 2023, dpunkt.verlag. It lists more than 100 additional test questions – unfortunately it is only available in German.
First, find out if it is a qualitative or quantitative user requirement. For a qualitative user requirement determine if you as a UX-Professional could devise a concept and prototype based on this requirement: It specifies what users must be able to perform on the system, it does not specify the solution itself. For a quantitative user requirement determine if it is clearly testable.
Got a question about CPUX-F?
If you have any questions, please contact Matthias, the CPUX-F editor.
Matthias Reisemann
editor-cpux-f@uxqb.org
Further reading recommendations from the editor
Matthias says, “The CPUX-F exam will only test you on what is in the CPUX-F curriculum – no further reading is required – however, you may be interested in the following recommendations to help your understanding of the material covered by CPUX-F.”
Basic knowledge of usability and user experience (German)
By Thomas Geis and Guido Tesch
What’s next, after CPUX-F?
If you’ve studied CPUX-F and passed the exam, it’s on to the next curriculum! We have three advanced-level curricula: user requirements engineering, designing solutions and usability testing and evaluation.
As a CPUX-F certified UX professional, you are now eligible to take any of these exams – good luck!
Advanced Level
User Requirements Engineering
(CPUX-UR)
Advanced Level
Designing Solutions
(CPUX-DS)
Advanced Level
Usability Testing and Evaluation
(CPUX-UT)
CPUX CERTIFICATION IS OFFICIALY RECOGNISED BY
