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What Is UI and UX Design?

User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) are the building blocks of all digital platforms. Professional UX designers craft the overall experience that individuals enjoy when interacting with an app, product, or service, while UI designers determine the interactive elements of such services- crafting visual and tactile elements like menus, buttons, and icons. A UI and UX design bootcamp, such as those provided by our team at National University, is the perfect way to build these increasingly relevant skill sets.

Careers In UX and UI Design

UI and UX design can be an exceptionally lucrative career path, with current North American salaries ranging between $59k to $128k. 

The exact path you choose should always be based on your personal interests and the skills you discover you excel at, but the options available to a knowledgeable designer are expansive. Whether you want to be a generalist, a focused specialist, or even a freelancer, you can consider the following fields after completing our UI and UX bootcamp:

Curriculum

The UI/UX Design Bootcamp at National University is designed with your success in mind. You’ll be guided through a series of hands-on exercises that will help you identify and develop the skills you need on your career path. The following are just a few examples of some of the units you’ll work through:

Research Mastery

  • Learn how to build a research plan designed around current best practices and industry standards.

  • Get hands-on experience with recommended research tools and methodologies for user interviews and more.

  • Find the right way to get quick feedback that you can employ to improve your designs.

Design Tools Integration

  • Learn the essentials of the industries most common tools, including Sketch, Adobe, or Figma.

  • Develop an understanding of design systems and their application for modern design.

  • Discover the best ways to translate a brand platform into an applicable, visual style.

Animation and Rigging

  • Build high-fidelity prototyping, which is one of the final steps of successful design, including smooth screen transitions and other animations.

  • Familiarize yourself with current rigging patterns and design innovation designed to satisfy users and incentivize repeat interactions.

  • Learn all the ins and outs of the role of animation in enjoyable design, including the best ways to maintain user interest and satisfaction with friendly, accessible design tools.

Perfecting Your UI and UX Portfolio

Our UI/UX Design Bootcamp is tailored to help students reach peak understanding of the skills they need. Throughout the course, you will complete one required Capstone project while also having three additional, optional projects to further build out your portfolio. Learn more about these optional projects that offer unique opportunities, including real-world experience directly working with a company:

Capstone

An end-to-end design project that is expected to take several months to complete. This project will include every phase of the design process, ensuring that you can properly employ all the new UX and UI skills you’ll learn throughout the course. 

Design Sprint (Optional)

Many UX and UI projects have a quick turnaround, and we want you to be prepared for that. The design sprint project replicates the experience of working through an entire project with a deadline of just one week. You’ll learn the kinds of tips and shortcuts that can help you excel in a fast-paced work environment.

Second Capstone (Optional)

Another end-to-end project that specifically incorporates every stage of the design process. This will allow you to further apply the methods that you’ve learned while working within real-world constraints.

Industry Design Project (Optional)

Expected to take four weeks in total, this is a specialized, real-world project that partners you directly with a company. You will be tasked to help the company tackle a business problem that’s suited to your new skill set. Throughout the course of this partnership, you’ll have many opportunities to apply our lessons while honing your professional and collaborative skills, including the following:

  • Problem identification

  • Competitive research

  • Prototype sketching, design, and construction

  • Usability testing to identify improvements

Providing the Support Students Need

Learning online doesn’t mean learning alone. We take great pride in providing our students a support network that is designed to assist you on your educational path. This support network includes:

  • Weekly 1:1 Mentor Video Calls: Get the feedback you need on projects, work through any blocks or concerns, and get help keeping yourself accountable.

  • Unlimited Mentorship Calls: At no extra cost, you can get additional 1:1 help from our community of professional mentors. 

  • Online Community: Engage in practical discussions with your peers about your work, giving and receiving constructive feedback.

  • Student Advisors: Reach out to your student advisor with common industry questions, including personal accountability, time management, and other hurdles common in the industry. 

  • 1:1 Career Coaching Sessions: Included within the optional career units, these coaching sessions are designed to help you make professional decisions throughout your job search.

National University

Our Experienced Mentors

At National University, we only work with the best professionals in the industry. Throughout the UI/UX Design Bootcamp, you’ll have many opportunities to work with our highly vetted mentors that can offer top-of-the-line instruction based on their extensive experience. The mentor model is so important to us, that we only accept 1 in 12 applicants; check out some of their attached credential below:

mentorAvatar
Angelo Lo Presti
Sr Product, UI/UX Designer
mentorAvatar
Meg Clayton
Sr UX Designer
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Deb Howell-Novak
Sr UX Designer
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Matthew Weprin
Sr Manager, Design & UX

Is Our UI/UX Design Bootcamp Right for You?

Do you have an artistic eye? Do design concepts intrigue you, especially the kind of design you see in modern apps? Do you have a love for aesthetics, a mind for organization, and affection for user-friendly design? If so, this program is perfect for you!

Program Prerequisites:

This course does not require a specialized background. All are welcome as long as you can demonstrate robust visual skills, creativity, and the ability to communicate.

FAQ

What is UX?

  • UX is short for User Experience. It lies and the intersection of business needs and user goals and is the process in which designers make products usable and accessible.

What is UI?

  • UI is short for User Interaction: It ensures visual components make a product usable.

What does a UI/UX designer do?

  • UI designers determine the visual elements (e.g. menus, buttons, icons, etc.) used to interact with a product or service.

  • UX designers control a user's overall experience of a product or service, such as an app or multi-step form.

What skills are needed to become a UI/UX designer?

  • Wireframing, prototyping, and strong research acumen are some of the top hard skills. You’ll also need soft skills that you can develop over time: empathy to understand a users’ pain points and the ability to communicate with internal and external stakeholders, as well as a collaborative work ethic.

What type of jobs can you do after a UI/UX design bootcamp?

The Careers section above details some of the most common titles (UX Designer, UI Designer).

Graduates also pursue positions like:

  • Motion Designer (avg. salary $61k-$80k): Motion designers are animation specialists and create test motion graphics, build prototypes, and are an integral part of a UX team.

  • UX Researcher: (avg. salary $66k–$93k): UX researchers are at the forefront of a UX team, focusing on the very first phase of design — research. They conduct user research, create surveys, user personas, and journey maps.

  • Information Architect: (avg. salary $89k–$112k): Information architects are all about navigation — making it easy for users to find information. They create journey maps and also participate in user research and interviews.

As you move up the career ladder, you’ll explore more advanced specialties or ones that require technical proficiencies, such as coding. Below are more senior-level roles:

  • UX Strategist

  • UX Architect

  • UX Product Manager

  • UX Analyst

  • UX/UI Engineer

  • UX/UI Developer

  • Product Designer

How long does it take to become a UI/UX designer?

  • In as little as nine months, this UI/UX bootcamp will equip you with the technical skills needed to build an impressive UI/UX portfolio. If you are motivated to study at a faster pace, we allow you to study on your own time and finish the course earlier.

What is the salary of a UI/UX Designer?

  • The average UX/UI designer salary in the US is approximately $83,000 according to Glassdoor.

Are UI/UX designers in high demand?

More Questions About the Program?

Complete the "Apply Now" form to schedule a call with our Admissions team, email Carolina, our Admissions Manager, who can help you think through the decision, or explore frequently asked questions.

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