UI/UX Design Bootcamps: The Complete Guide

Table of Contents

• What is UX/UI?
• User Experience Design (UX)
• User Interface Design (UI)
• Explaining the difference between UX/UI
• UX/UI Bootcamp Options
• UX/UI Design Skills Employers Want
• UX/UI Design Job Titles

According to this Data Science, UX/UI Design, Sales, Product Marketing, and Digital Marketing Bootcamp Market Sizing report, UI/UX bootcamps are second only to programming bootcamps when it comes to student enrollment. Though often confused, both User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) design play an important role in designing a product. If you’re considering a career in design, check out our guide to the differences between UI/UX, what bootcamps offer these courses and possible post-bootcamp careers.

UX/UI designers aim to create simpler and more efficient products for the human user. There are a growing number of coding bootcamps that focus specifically on user experience and user interface design.

What is UX/UI?

In short, UX and UI refer to the visual components, interactions, and experience when using a product. UX refers to the overall experience of the product and how it makes the user feel. Things like the ease of navigation, page load times and related factors will impact the UX. UI design includes the components that bring the website to life, such as colors and typography, buttons, sliders and actions like clicks, swipes and pulls that move users from one page to another. Both UI and UX are equally important components of a product.

User Experience Design (UX)

Good UX design means interviewing and observing users and designing the framework or overall layout of a product based on this insight. As a result, customer usability studies and tests are a significant part of UX design. A team might invite a group of customers to use a mobile app and observe as they interact with a product. Where do they get stuck? When do they ask for help? What do they enjoy? UX goes beyond the interface to the overall feeling and emotion a user should experience when interacting with a product or brand. The UX team designs concepts that influence the UI interface.  

User Interface Design (UI)

UI Design requires putting UX research into logical components. For example, does it make more sense to use a slider or a button? Should the field be a dropdown or an empty textbox? These are decisions that a UI designer makes. A good UI provides a consistent interface in a variety of mediums, whether web or mobile. It’s the UI designers duty to ensure that a client who switches from a desktop website to a mobile website finds continuity in the design and is able to use the product with ease. A good UI anticipates needs, it limits the time spent searching for information and creates a logical flow from one step to the next.

Explaining the difference between UX/UI

Still confused on the differences between UX/UI design? Check out some of our favorite explanations and analogies:

• UX designers are primarily concerned with how the product feels...UI designers are particular about how the product is laid out. Lo Min Ming, Founder of Pixelapse via FastCompany
• UI without UX is like a painter slapping paint onto a canvas without thought; while UX without UI is like the frame of a sculpture with no paper mache on it.  Rahul Varshney, Co-founder of Foster.fm via CareerFoundry
• User experience (UX) is the end result of User Interface design (UI). Jacob Cass, Just Creative
• Compare the process of building a website or application to a house. The beginning stages —deciding where the  house is on the lot, where the sun will hit and the architect creating blueprints, that would be the UX side of things. UI is where the interior designer would come in. It’s turning the shell that was crafted into a home. Sarah Doody, UX Design Consultant via Talking Code podcast.

FURTHER READING: The Gap between UI and UX Design – Know the Difference

UX/UI Bootcamp Options

Whether you want to take a UI/UX online course or just a UI design course online, there are numerous bootcamps to choose from. Some coding bootcamps offers front end developer courses with a UI/UX component, while others offer a strict UX or UI bootcamp. See the full list or check out some courses below:

• Bloc offers an online UI/UX bootcamp in addition to their Part-Time Web Developer Program. 
• Brainstation offers a Product manager bootcamp that covers product design and also offers courses in UX design.
• CareerFoundry is adding a UI design course online in addition to their offerings in UX and web development.
• Designlab offers part-time UI/UX courses online.
• General Assembly offers a UX immersive bootcamp and part-time courses in visual design and UX design.
• Springboard offers a part-time UX Career Track.

UX/UI Design Skills Employers Want

Startup Institute talked to their instructors, who are also experienced practitioners who have hired UX designers and built product teams, to find out what skills hiring managers look for.

Hiring managers want to know:

• Can you communicate effectively?
• Will you both learn from and challenge the team?
• Do you take initiative to learn?
• Are you talented or creative?
• Does your portfolio show your potential?

Find out more about what skills you need to be a UX designer.

UX/UI Design Job Titles

For some companies, the roles of UI and UX designer are combined. In fact, the role could also be combined with Product Design and even Web Development.  Below are some common job titles along with typical salaries and job descriptions.

UI Designer

UI Designers live in Adobe Creative Suite, using tools like Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop to develop and prototype consistent visuals and concepts. In addition, companies rely on UI designers to stay abreast of current design trends, ensure consistency across all forms of media (web, mobile, etc.,) and collaborate with developers and product managers to bring web and mobile applications to life.

• UI Designer - Levatas
• Average Salary - $92,000

UX Designer

UX designers interact with clients and customers to design and get feedback on their experience using a product or tool. They usually participate in research, concept design and wireframing. UX designers need stellar communication skills and empathy to communicate concepts to non-technical users as well as developers and engineers.

• UX Designer - WillowTree
• Average Salary -$94,000

UX Researcher

UX researchers tend to focus on designing customer usability studies, testing and analyzing concepts and communicating those results to the team of product managers, developers and executives. Rather than wireframing or designing concepts themselves, the UX researcher will offer feedback to the UX designer based on research. This role is ideal for analytical minds that enjoy working with a variety of stakeholders.

• UX Researcher - MuleSoft
• Average Salary - $102,000

UX/UI Designer

UX/UI design roles combine the functions of UX/UI and will look different at every company. In addition to user research and concept design (UX), UX/UI designers will also build the components of the interface design (UI).

• UX/UI Designer - bluewolf
• Average Salary - $92,000

Product Designer

Product Designers work on all aspects of a product from user flows to sitemaps and components. The Product Design role may include UX research, but is heavily rooted in design. Product designers work with a variety of stakeholders including engineers and other product designers.

• Product Designer - Credit Karma
• Average Salary - $82,000

Web Designer

Web designer roles combine the duties of a UI designer and web developer. In addition to designing and wireframing visuals and concepts, a web designer would be responsible for designing how these components interact by building interactions in HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

• Web Designer - Red Ventures
• Average Salary - $66,000

Check out UI/UX bootcamp reviews to determine which design bootcamp is best for you.