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100% online
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Duration:
9 months, 10 hrs/wk
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Understanding UI and UX

  • User Experience (UX): The professionals known as UX designers play a vital role in shaping the entire journey of a user as they navigate through all the components of a product or service. This might be an application or a complex form, for instance.

  • User Interface (UI): On the other hand, UI designers focus on the visual aspects that a user engages with when interacting with a product or service. This includes items like menus, buttons, and icons.


Per data from Glassdoor, the typical annual income for UX and UI designers in the United States falls within the range of $96,000 to $103,000.

UMass Global UI/UX Design Bootcamp

UI/UX designers are professionals adept at understanding user psychology. Their approach blends empathetic research with visual design best practices, enabling them to develop products that are user-friendly, enjoyable, and accessible, all while considering business objectives. The influence of UI/UX designers is deeply ingrained in any recent website, app, or product you've interacted with.

There is an unprecedented demand for designers as industry forerunners strive to create products that keep users engaged and simplify usage. UI/UX designers reap the benefits of fulfilling careers, attractive remuneration, and the chance to work with cutting-edge technology that promotes progress and expansion.

The University of Massachusetts Global's UI/UX Design Bootcamp, delivered 100% online, is designed to impart core principles, tools, and best practices, paving the way for you to pursue various roles in the design industry.

You'll acquire design knowledge through a carefully selected curriculum drawing from top-tier resources and then apply this knowledge through practical learning activities and comprehensive projects. This includes UI practice exercises, a capstone project to enhance your portfolio, and three additional optional projects.

The 100% online nature of this program provides you the flexibility to learn on your own schedule, and you can expedite your completion if you invest more weekly study hours.

Further, you'll receive one-on-one mentor guidance through regular phone calls, allowing you to seek advice, garner feedback on your work, and gain insight into the design world.

In addition, we offer eight optional career units designed to set you up for career success. These units include identifying suitable job titles and companies, mastering networking, crafting compelling resumes and cover letters, and conducting practice interviews.

Careers

The design industry offers an array of career trajectories you can embark on. The path you choose hinges on your individual aspirations and interests, which might entail deciding between being a generalist or specialist or choosing between agency employment and freelancing. Following are some job roles and their corresponding average salaries, as reported by Glassdoor, that you might contemplate post-graduation:

UMass Global

Design Bootcamp Curriculum

The objective of the UI/UX Design Bootcamp is to equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to secure your initial job in UI/UX design. It includes practical tasks such as UI practice exercises that mirror the daily activities of professional designers. These projects are a crucial enhancement to your portfolio and provide an opportunity to showcase your capacity to manage a design project from start to finish to prospective employers. Get a glimpse of some of the curriculum units below:

NEW! AI Learning Units

Leverage AI tools to create more intuitive and engaging design, and set yourself apart as a designer equipped with the latest knowledge and skills. We've added seven new optional units to our curriculum to allow you to learn AI alongside key topics in UI/UX. New AI units include:

  • Introduction to AI and Its Relevance to UX.

  • AI-Enhanced User Research

  • Dynamic Persona Building and Journey Mapping with AI

  • Information Architecture and Ethical Considerations in AI

  • Designing for AI: Tools, Practices, and Usability Testing

  • Prototyping for AI: Tools for Prototyping AI-Based Systems

  • AI and Usability Testing: Adjusting Techniques for AI Systems

Intro to Design Tools

  • Explore the landscape of design tools and gain an understanding of how to use them

  • Learn the essential elements of Sketch, Adobe XD, or Figma and practice using one of these tools

Wireframing

  • Incorporate learnings from user tests and iterate on your designs as you transition into digital wireframes

  • Develop an understanding of the importance of designing for edge cases

  • Begin considering transitions between screens

High Fidelity Mockups

  • Learn about the importance of accessibility and the value of inclusive design

  • Understand the fundamentals of accessibility, the WCAG guidelines, and how to perform a basic accessibility audit

  • Understand the fundamentals of grids.

  • Learn techniques to design high fidelity mockups of screens using your design tool of choice

  • Learn how to facilitate critiques to quickly get and incorporate feedback as you build your designs

  • Examine best practices to consider when communicating with other designers and stakeholders as you create high fidelity mockups

Create a distinctive portfolio demonstrating your UI and UX expertise

You will work on a mandatory Capstone project and have the choice to tackle three additional portfolio projects. These include a design sprint, a fast-paced week-long immersion into the entire design process. Plus, there's a chance to pair with a real-world company for a 40-hour industry design endeavor. Find the description of the portfolio projects below:

Capstone 1

This is a multi-month, end-to-end design project that includes each phase of the design process and will help you sharpen your new UX and UI skills you’ll learn throughout the course.

Design Sprint

This is a Google Ventures-style design sprint that will allow you experience working on a complete project in a short (1 week!) timeframe.

Capstone 2

This is another end-to-end project that incorporates each stage of the design process. You’ll apply all of the methods you’ve learned from the course while working with real-world constraints.

Industry Design Project

This is a ~4-week real-world project. You will be partnered with a company and use your design skills to help the company tackle a business problem. While working on this project, you’ll apply all of your course learnings and hone your professional and collaborative skills:

  • Identify a customer problem to solve.

  • Conduct competitive research.

  • Sketch, design, and build a prototype.

  • Perform usability testing and identify improvements.

Student support

As you undertake your online learning journey, we provide several support mechanisms to assist you in case you find yourself struggling. These include:

  • Regular one-on-one mentor video meetings: Get valuable feedback on your projects, discuss any obstacles, fine-tune your career plan, and stay committed.

  • Dedicated mentor interactions: Avail of extra help from other mentors in our network without additional charges.

  • Online peer network: Initiate conversations with fellow students about your ongoing projects and receive their input.

  • Student advisors: Reach out to your student advisor for queries related to commitment, managing your time efficiently, or any other issues during the course.

  • Personalized career coaching sessions, included in the optional career units, will keep you motivated and focused in your job hunt.

UMass Global

Meet our mentors

angelo-lo-presti
Angelo Lo Presti
Sr Product, UI/UX Designer
meg-clayton
Meg Clayton
Sr UX Designer
deb-howell-novak
Deb Howell-Novak
Sr UX Designer
matthew-weprin
Matthew Weprin
Sr Manager, Design & UX

Is this UI/UX bootcamp right for you?

Do you have an eye for design? Do you like to make things beautiful, organized, and user-friendly? If so, this program is right for you!

Prerequisites 

All backgrounds are welcome as long as you can demonstrate strong visual skills, creativity, and clear communication.

FAQ

What is UX?

UX Stands for User Experience. According to prolific designer Don Norman,

"User experience encompasses all aspects of the end user's interaction with the company, its services, and its products."

Is UI/UX design a good career in Massachusetts?

Absolutely, UI/UX design is a promising career in Massachusetts. With its vibrant tech scene, the state hosts a multitude of established companies and startups where the demand for skilled UI/UX designers is high. These organizations span a variety of industries such as software development, e-commerce, digital marketing, and more, all requiring user-friendly interfaces and superior user experience to stay competitive. Additionally, Massachusetts offers competitive salaries for UI/UX professionals, often surpassing the national average. The thriving tech community in the state also provides excellent networking and professional growth opportunities, further enhancing the appeal of a UI/UX design career in Massachusetts.

What is UI?

UI stands for User Interaction: It focuses on the aesthetics or the look of the product a user interacts with.

What does a UX/UI designer do?

UX designers are responsible for a user's overall experience as they interact with every aspect of a product or service, such as an app or multi-step form.

UI designers are responsible for determining the visual elements (e.g. menus, buttons, icons, etc.) that a person uses to interact with a product or service.

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

You’ll need a mix of design skills we’ll teach you, such as wireframing and prototyping, as well as a strong research acumen. You’ll also need a set of soft skills that you can develop over time, such as empathy (understanding users’ pain points), the ability to communicate with internal and external stakeholders, and collaboration across all parts of the company.

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

There are a variety of jobs that you can take based on your interests and career goals. The above listings in the Careers section are some of the most common titles (UX Designer, UI Designer, Motion Designer, UX Researcher, and Information Architect).

As you move up in your career, you’ll find more advanced specialties or ones that require technical proficiencies, such as coding:

  • 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 9 months, our bootcamp will equip you with the technical skills you’ll need to build an impressive UI/UX portfolio and launch a successful career in UI/UX design. If you are motivated to power through the material 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 and UI designer salary in the US is around $83,000 according to Glassdoor.

Are UI/UX designers in high demand?

Yes, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs will grow 13% over the next 10 years, faster than the average for all occupations, while Glassdoor ranks it among the top 50 jobs in the U.S. in 2021.

Is this program really offered by UMass Global?

Yes, University of Massachusetts Global's School of Extended Education has partnered with Springboard to offer online tech bootcamps. Springboard developed the curriculum in partnership with industry experts and hiring managers, and administers and leads the courses. This partnership allows students like you to build technical skills while earning a certificate of completion from UMass Global.

More questions about the program?

Speak to our enrollment advisor by completing an application, email Carolina from our enrollment team, or explore more frequently asked questions.

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