Today’s digital revolution has meant more screen time for more people than ever. Smartphone sales in the United States now amount to $73 billion yearly, more than doubling the $27.5 billion from just 10 years ago. Phones surpassed desktops in market share years ago, and Android holds a significant lead as the most-used operating system.
Judging from these numbers, it’s fair to say there’s a big need for brands to maintain an attractive look across multiple platforms. The data backs up this assumption, with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expecting the job market for digital designers to grow by 13 percent by 2030. Many of these designers will work in UI/UX Design, a field that encompasses two similar but separate disciplines of design.
There are several design bootcamps that equip students with a fast-paced education. Then, there are university-backed bootcamps that allow students to enter this field with a certificate and portfolio that attest to the quality of their skills.
What Is UI/UX Design?
UI/UX Design is a blanket term for two related fields of digital design. A user interface (UI) is the direct way people interact with a website, application, or physical product. The user experience (UX) is the all-encompassing encounter that the user has with a product. This experience includes the UI, but also much more.
What Does a UI Designer Do?
To be an effective UI designer, you have to ensure that your user interface is intuitive and people can easily find and use the product features they want. This role usually works in tandem with a UX designer, who provides direction and wireframing to guide the UI designer’s layout decisions.
If a completed website is like a movie, then the wireframe is the storyboard. Wireframing is the process where a UX designer and multiple company stakeholders produce a basic guide to a product’s most important features. This process involves tools like Figma or Adobe XD, which allow designers to arrange visual assets on a potential site map.
After the UI designer receives the wireframe, the real design process begins. UI designers usually use tools from the Adobe Creative Cloud, like Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop, to bring a design to life. Many university bootcamps will teach you how to use all of these tools, along with basic HTML and CSS, to ensure that you understand how your designs will come to life.
The salary expectations for UI designers make this field even more attractive. Entry-level UI designers can expect to earn a salary of about $50,022, according to PayScale.
What Does a UX Designer Do?
The UX includes the UI, but it also includes questions about why the user decided to use the product and their objective. To be an effective UX designer, you have to do plenty of research to ensure your users find your product useful and keep coming back to it.
Wireframes play a crucial role in UX design, and the process of putting them together isn’t exactly simple. After the research is conducted, UX designers sit through several meetings to put together a product’s target audience.
During these meetings, they use tools like Miro to work on feature diagrams and target audiences with stakeholders. They also use tools like Otter.ai to automate the note-taking process and ensure they don’t miss any helpful suggestions. Several university bootcamps provide avenues to learn these tools in a fast-paced environment.
After you’ve picked up the UX design skills you need to enter the field, you can start earning a salary of about $63,912, according to PayScale. If you combine these skills, your earning potential starts to increase. Entry-level UI/UX designers make about $81,994 per year, according to Glassdoor.
University bootcamps provide effective pathways into a UI/UX design career. But how do you know which bootcamps will give you a good education along with the tools you need to find a place in your new career field?
Top University-Backed UI/UX Design Bootcamps to Consider
Several university-backed UI/UX design bootcamps provide a rigorous education at an accessible price. If you don’t know which one to sign up for, it’s generally a good idea to choose one near you that potential employers may strongly value. If none of these options are close to you, then pick the one you like the most.
These comprehensive courses are shaped around the most in-demand industry tools and techniques. The designers of each of these courses built them to upskill students with real qualifications and experience that employers are looking for.
As you progress through these courses, you’ll complete several team projects for your professional portfolio. You’ll not only be learning new skills, but you’ll also be able to show potential employers exactly how qualified you are for the job.
California State University, Long Beach UI/UX Design Bootcamp
California State University, Long Beach is the second-largest university in California, and its program can teach you everything you need to know in less than a year. You’ll spend 400 in-class hours training with UI/UX design experts. By the end of the course, you’ll be prepared to go out and find your first job with career training and the portfolio we mentioned above.
If you’re interested in this course, contact an admissions advisor to learn more about the program and its financing options.
Kansas State University’s UI/UX Design Bootcamp
Kansas State University’s UI/UX Design Bootcamp will instruct you on the fundamentals of both disciplines for over 30 hours before progressing to lessons covering more complex topics. You will learn to build usable, high-fidelity designs throughout the course and receive a bit of instruction on digital marketing.
If this course sounds like what you’ve been looking for, contact an admissions advisor to learn more about it and its individual financing options.
New Jersey Institute of Technology’s UI/UX Design Bootcamp
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has been providing technically-focused education for over 100 years. This non-accredited UI/UX Design Bootcamp is an extension of this school’s mission. This course also provides a rigorous curriculum, emphasizing ethics and inclusivity in design to ensure your work remains accessible.
If NJIT’s bootcamp interests you, contact an admissions advisor to learn more about it and its financing options.
San Diego State University Global Campus’s UI/UX Design Bootcamp
San Diego State University is the third-oldest university in California. And much like its sibling in the California State University System, the SDSU Global Campus also provides a UI/UX Design Bootcamp to train new digital designers in the Golden State. This bootcamp gives you a primer on the detailed topics mentioned above, including microinteractions, which are the moments where users accomplish a single task on your product, like changing their password or liking a post.
The admissions team at SDSU’s bootcamp can provide more information on the course and its individual financing options.
The University of Miami UI/UX Design Bootcamp
The University of Miami may be famous for its athletic prowess, but the university offers quality education in the classroom with very high research activity. Industry experts lead each course to help you build confidence in several different roles. With a project-based curriculum and career coaching sessions, you can enter the job market with confidence.
If you’d like to study UI/UX design at this university, you can contact the admissions team for more information on the course and its financing options.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ UI/UX Design Bootcamp
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is nestled close to the Las Vegas strip in Paradise, Nevada. With its proximity to one of the most iconic design destinations in the country, it’s no surprise that the school offers a quality UI/UX Design Bootcamp.
You’ll receive hands-on training in three sections: design fundamentals, design process, and design collaboration. After this course, UNLV believes you’ll be able to work with any stakeholders to produce beautiful, functional work.
If you feel like this is the bootcamp you’ve been looking for, you can contact the admissions team for more information on the course and its financing options.
University of Wisconsin—Madison’s UI/UX Design Bootcamp
The University of Wisconsin—Madison is the flagship school of Wisconsin’s university system. In its UI/UX Design Bootcamp, you’ll start with a 30-hour introductory course before progressing through the 370-hour extended program. You’ll learn multiple cutting-edge techniques, including using Zoom in tandem with Otter.ai to conduct your research and keep meticulous notes throughout the design process.
If this UI/UX bootcamp sounds like the right fit for you, contact the admissions team for more information on the course and its financing options.
As we mentioned above, each educator offers financing options to make their course more accessible. These courses also provide career services, and a certificate of completion once you’ve finished the course.
So those who complete the course will leave with an impressive portfolio, advice on impressing recruiters, and a certificate from a reputable educator that shows the bootcamp graduate meets their program’s standards.
Designing Your Own Future with University-Backed Bootcamps
There’s a wealth of educational options, in addition to employment opportunities in the UI/UX design field. With the right training on creative design and finding the right job to harness it, these design bootcamps might be the road to success you’ve been looking for, at a price you can afford.
If you found one of these programs appealing, contact its admissions advisor today to learn more about what it has to offer.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
