When researching how to become a UX designer, you probably encountered at least one UX design bootcamp course. Given the rising demand for UX designers, you’ve probably come across more than one UX bootcamp.
In fact, there is an abundance of courses, bootcamps, and degrees to accommodate the increasing popularity of UX design. Although having a wide variety of study methods to choose from is a good thing, it can also prove challenging.
How can you tell whether attending a UX bootcamp is the suitable study method for you and your career goals? You read through today’s actionable guide.
In today’s guide, we’ll address what a UX design bootcamp is and how it differs from UX online courses. Additionally, we’ll explore the components of an excellent bootcamp course, as well as the benefits of studying one. Lastly, we’ll reveal the best UX bootcamp courses to help you thrive as an aspiring UX/product designer.
What Is a UX Design Bootcamp?
UX design bootcamps are in-depth, immersive programs that teach both UX designers and digital interface designers about user experience design.
Typically, UX bootcamps offer students a solid foundation of product design knowledge and design skills, like wireframing and prototyping.
The goal of any UX bootcamp is to prepare its students for a career in UX design. For this reason, UX bootcamps also focus their curriculum on employability skills and crafting professional portfolios to attract future employers.
Ultimately, UX bootcamps are great for those who wish to gain a comprehensive understanding of UX design quickly.
A UX Bootcamp vs. A UI/UX Online Course: Is There a Difference?
Given that you’ve shown an interest in studying UX design, you may have come across a UI/UX online course. There are many similarities between a UX online course and a UX bootcamp. For instance, they are both shorter and usually more affordable than design degrees.
However, to make the right decision about what kind of course you study, you must know how the two differ.
Bootcamps typically require their students to study on a full-time basis over a specific time period.
Courses, on the other hand, offer their students more flexibility as they work through the modules provided. That being the case, UX/UI courses can often take longer to complete. In this regard, a UI/UX bootcamp is more intense than an online UX course.
Another key distinction between bootcamps and courses is the tuition costs. UX/UI bootcamps are typically more expensive than online courses. For example, General Assembly’s UX Design Bootcamp costs its students $11,408 for the entire course. In contrast, The Interaction Design Foundation’s User Experience: The Beginner’s Guide course is free, provided that you have a membership. This membership costs $11 per month.
Whichever type of course you choose, make sure that you can obtain a professional certificate of completion at the end. This certificate will serve as proof of your attendance and acquisition of in-demand skills.
What Makes an Excellent UX Design Bootcamp?
What makes an excellent UX design bootcamp course will vary depending on your unique circumstances, like your level of experience. Nonetheless, there are many aspects of a UX bootcamp that you should consider before enrolling in one.
Below, we’ve discussed some factors of a bootcamp course that you should investigate prior to your studies.
1. The Course’s Reliability
Some bootcamp courses may have you studying elements of UX or UI design that you don’t need/want to study. Alternatively, some courses may even omit content that you need to pursue your desired career.
Out of all of the design challenges a UX/UI designer faces, finding the appropriate course has a simple solution.
You must research the quality of all of the bootcamps you investigate. Be sure to look at student reviews and ratings. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Did UX experts create the course’s content?
- Does the course cover all of the latest methods, design trends, and tools that UX designers typically use?
- Do other UX design professionals revere the course?
2. The Course’s Content
As you learn more about UX, you may find that your career goals waiver. For instance, after studying visual design theory, you could see yourself as a UI designer rather than a UX designer.
The best UX design bootcamps are comprehensive enough that you can comfortably experiment with other UX subsectors. What’s more, the best bootcamps cover a range of topics in great depth, granting you access to better employment opportunities.
We recommend that you look into bootcamps that explore a wide range of UX-related aspects, including the following topics:
- UX research
- Visual prototyping
- Usability testing
- UI design
- Decision mapping
- Wireframing
- User personas
- Information Architecture
- Interaction design
- Design frameworks
Some courses may even touch on responsive designs, teaching you how to create immersive applications for mobile devices.
Best of all, the right course for you and your career will enhance your employability. From coaching you through mock interviews to helping you draft portfolios, the best bootcamps focus heavily on getting you job-ready.
3. The Course’s Delivery Methods
As you know, many UX/UI courses and bootcamps are available online. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the delivery method is precisely the same for every course you peruse.
You should choose a course that delivers its content in a way that doesn’t force you to compromise other commitments. With this in mind, we suggest that you seek out courses that offer both live and pre-recorded content.
This way, you can still actively participate and receive feedback without the worry that you’ve missed crucial information.
4. The Course’s Approach to Professional Portfolios
We mentioned earlier that the best courses help you create professional portfolios.
As a visual resume, your portfolio can make the difference between a new job and a missed opportunity.
The best bootcamps will provide you with portfolio projects that will help you convey your abilities to prospective employers. It’s worth noting that you should tailor your portfolio to the specific UX career you hope to attain.
With that in mind, we suggest looking at portfolios of former students of your chosen course.
5. The Course’s Fee Structure
Although UX bootcamps are less expensive than universities, they can still prove a costly endeavor.
Thankfully, some UX bootcamps offer payment plans. Some bootcamp course providers, like Designlab, even partner with companies that offer short-term loans.
Payment methods such as those can help you avoid the significant financial repercussions of paying your tuition fees upfront. As a result, you can learn more about what you love without the additional worry of financially supporting your studies.
What Is a UX Certification?
We’ve discussed what the best bootcamps typically contain; it’s also good to know what they can offer you post-graduation.
While universities award their students degrees, bootcamps offer a UX certification to their successful graduates.
UX design certifications are credentials that will prove you know how to design meaningful user experiences and digital products. Many successful UX/UI designers, product managers, marketing experts, and UX framework designers have credentials such as UX certifications.
Why? UX certifications, like portfolios, enhance the credibility of your professional profile and help you stand out against other candidates.
Although a design degree could potentially open up more doors for you, it would take years before you receive one. You can acquire a UX certification in the time it takes for admission teams to accept their student’s applications!
Are UX Design Bootcamps Worth It?
Now that we’ve examined UX bootcamps in more depth, it’s a good time to answer the ultimate question. Are UX design bootcamps worth it?
Ultimately, only you can decide if a UX design bootcamp is worth it. However, there are many benefits to studying a UX/UI bootcamp that could influence how you feel about them.
We’ve explored some of those benefits below.
- Many UX bootcamps don’t require their students to have prior experience with UX/UI design.
- You can learn from experts who already work in the industry.
- They are fast-paced and often very affordable, allowing you to start your UX career quickly.
- A UX bootcamp covers many UX-related topics. By taking a UX bootcamp course, you can acquire many different positions in the UX field. Other than UX/UI designers, some of these positions include UX researchers, UX product designers, and even UX writers.
- You usually learn with peers and mentors, allowing you to develop a connection with the broader UX community.
- UX bootcamps focus heavily on practical skills, preparing you for the reality of working within the UX industry.
- There is an equally heavy focus on employability skills, helping you convey your prowess to prospective hiring managers.
- UX bootcamps allow for online/remote participation, allowing you to study wherever you feel comfortable.
Is There a Free UX Design Bootcamp?
By now, you’ve probably got a good idea as to whether or not to pursue a UX bootcamp. However, like many other aspiring product designers, you may still have concerns about a typical bootcamp’s hefty tuition fees.
Fortunately, there are other ways around such costs; you can consider enrolling in a free UX design bootcamp.
Below, we’ve listed some of the best free bootcamp courses to help you find the right bootcamp for you.
- BaselineHQ
- Springboard’s Free UX Design Course
- CareerFoundry’s Free UX Design Short Course
- Udacity’s Free Product Design Course
- General Assembly’s Intro to UX Workshops
The Best UX Design Bootcamps You Should Consider
Although opting for free UX bootcamps is a valid option, we still recommend looking at other bootcamps too.
You never know; perhaps some of the more pricey UX bootcamps can offer precisely what you’re looking for.
Just as we did with free UX bootcamps, we’ve listed some of the best UX design bootcamps below.
- Flatiron School’s UX/UI Product Design Bootcamp
- Thinkful’s UX/UI Design Bootcamp
- Springboard’s UI/UX Design Bootcamp
- Designlab’s UX Academy Bootcamp
- General Assembly’s UX Design Bootcamp
- CareerFoundry’s UX Design Bootcamp
- Ironhack’s Remote UX/UI Design Bootcamp
- Memorisely’s UX/UI Design Bootcamp
UX Bootcamps: The First Step to A Rewarding Career in UX Design
Hopefully, you’ve finished reading this guide feeling more confident about your decision to study UX design.
Finding the best UX course means finding a way to study your passions and have them also propel your career. Make sure to research your potential courses thoroughly and always look for reviews and ratings. Most importantly, find a course that doesn’t clash with your daily schedule.
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