Short course

Skills Bootcamp in UX/UI

Short Course from the University of Birmingham UX/UI Boot Camp. In the modern digital economy, design is the latest buzzword. Employers everywhere are looking for creative thinkers capable of transforming their businesses through imaginative interfaces and beautiful user experiences

Start date
13 February 2023
Duration
24 weeks
Time commitment
9 hours per week in the classroom and a further 20 hours minimum per week studying and completing assignments
Mode
Online
Cost
Scholarships available
Subject
UX/UI
Level
CPD
Credit
Non-credit
Assessment
Portfolio

Endorsed by

In the modern digital economy, design is the latest buzzword. Employers everywhere are looking for creative thinkers capable of transforming their businesses through imaginative interfaces and beautiful user experiences. You too can join the ranks of these industry-shaping creative professionals.

Throughout the course, you will gain experience with a host of popular tools and methods such as Adobe XD, Figma, InVision, agile methodology, user-centered design research, and rapid prototyping. You will also learn how these concepts are leveraged within design fields from UX research to UI development, as well as best practices for using these skills to add value to your organisation.

This programme is offered through the University of Birmingham in partnership with edx Education Services, a 2U, Inc. brand.

Is the programme right for you?

Our UX/UI Boot Camp could be a smart career move if you are:

  • A design professional, such as a graphic designer or visual designer, who wants to attain a broader skill set in the wake of your organisation’s digital transformation.
  • A technical professional, such as a developer or help desk technician who wants to transition into the UX/UI arena and understand how to apply design thinking to your organisation's problems.
  • A manager who wants to supercharge his/her skill set to better understand the product management and/or design side of their organisation.
  • A tech enthusiast looking to get his/her foot in the door in the world of design. 

What you will learn

By the end of this course you will be able to:

  • Conduct user research using proven methodologies to understand design needs
  • Learn how to communicate your design decisions to stakeholders in compelling form through wireframing and storyboarding
  • Test your assumptions and biases by analysing user experiences through UX interviewing
  • Master the art of rapid prototyping using tools like InVision, Adobe XD, Figma, and more
  • Manage your time and projects using agile methodologies and widely used project management tools
  • Keep business branding and continuity in mind when designing for clients
  • Design for more than the look of a product as you use interaction design to develop the ideal experience for your users
  • Bring designs to life in web prototypes using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and some of the most popular front end skills around

What the course provides

The 24 week UX/UI Bootcamp has two components - an 8-week fundamentals course, followed by the main 16-week Skills Bootcamp in UX/UI. The structure, pacing, and time requirements are similar across all 24 weeks. Students successfully completing both components will receive a Certificate of Attendance and Professional Certificate in UX/UI from the University of Birmingham.

You’ll attend informative lectures and take part in a variety of individual and team exercises, working independently and in groups, in the virtual classroom and at home. Homework assignments provide an opportunity to apply what you’ve learned and build on it. The goal is to give you a comprehensive learning experience and true insight into the role of a design professional.

Go beyond aesthetics - Learn how users interact with digital products and services, focus on front-end web development, and harness cutting-edge tools to create friction-free, user-centric experiences.

Build your portfolio - Curate a portfolio that showcases the full extent of your UX/UI skills – from storyboarding and prototyping to interactive app development and responsive website design.

Get dedicated support - Benefit from a wide range of career support services, like CV and professional branding support, interview preparation, portfolio reviews, and coaching.

Earn a university credential - Receive a University of Birmingham Certificate, and demonstrate your new skills and showcase your achievement to future employers.

How to apply

In order to enrol on the programme:

  • You must be over 18 years of age
  • You must have a GCSE grade A-C or 9-4 in maths
  • You must meet the English Language proficiency requirements outlined below
  • You must have passed the admissions interview, skills test, and academic interview

Scholarships

For 2022 entry, the University has £4000 scholarships available.  Contact admissions for more information.

Women in Tech Scholarship

The Women in Tech Scholarship will be available to students who are:

  • Female residents from the West Midlands looking to enter or progress within employment in the digital sector
  • Students must have a passion for technology and commitment to a career in the tech industry

Diversity in Tech Scholarship

The Diversity in Tech Scholarship will be available to groups who are under represented in the tech industry. The funding will provide support for:

  • Unemployed leaders moving into digital employment 
  • Those in employment looking to re-train (working in low paid, insecure employment to retrain to move into digital employment) 
  • Low-waged residents to enable them to enter new digital occupations and careers (household income is below the national average below £42,875) 
  • Enhancing BAME presence in boot camp cohorts and supporting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students to enter or progress within employment in a digital sector. 

 The scholarship will only be available to students who are:

  • A resident from the West Midlands (learners resident in the West Midlands are eligible, provided that they meet the other eligibility criteria)
  • Age 19 or older (on the first day of learning, a resident must be aged 19 or older on 31 August within the 2022/2023 funding year) 
  • Self-funded (you must be self-funding your tuition fees or applying for a study loan to pay your fees and living expenses) 
  • Applying to a University of Birmingham Boot Camp programme (learners must intend to be enrolled as a part-time student in a University of Birmingham Boot Camp programme in the 2022/2023 academic year) 

 The information that you have provided in this application will be reviewed alongside your application for admission to the Boot Camp. 

Over the course of 24 weeks, you’ll attend informative lectures and take part in a variety of individual and team exercises, working independently and in groups, in the virtual classroom and at home. Homework assignments provide an opportunity to apply what you’ve learned and build on it. The goal is to give you a comprehensive learning experience and true insight into the role of a design professional.

The skills you will gain

You will complete the program with UX/UI skills, including:

Adobe XD and Figma

Bootstrap

CSS

Github

HTML

User interaction

UX design

UI patterns and libraries

Module 1:

The “U” of UX/UI

Learn to understand the user journey through leading research techniques and methodologies. You will learn:

  • UX/design thinking
  • User-centred design research
  • Empathy and users
  • UX interviewing
  • Insight synthesis
  • Persona creation
  • Decision mapping
  • Prototyping
  • User testing

Module 2:

Interface design

A deep dive into the necessary skills, technologies, and frameworks designers need to master in order to create functional and immersive applications. You will learn:

  • User interaction
  • User interface and affordance
  • InVision
  • Project management
  • User-centred design
  • Accessibility and usability
  • UI patterns and libraries
  • Atomic Design
  • Adobe XD and Figma

Module 3:

Visual design theory

Learn the many other aspects of visual design that UX/UI developers rely on to build highly engaging user experiences. You will learn:

  • Typography
  • Heuristics, usability, and UI iterations
  • Continuity and branding in UX and UI
  • Iconography

Module 4:

Web prototyping and interaction design

Create live web applications as full-fledged prototypes and experiment with more complex user interactions. You will learn:

  • HTML
  • CSS
  • GitHub
  • Bootstrap
  • JavaScript
  • jQuery

Module 5:

Final project

Work in small groups to put into practice the software, skills, and techniques you’ve learned.

You will receive:

A University of Birmingham Certificate

Your boot camp certificate will showcase your accomplishments and specialised skills to future employers, and help you propel your career.

 Career services

Our career services will help you prepare for post-graduation technical roles. You will have access to career content and practice sessions, online career events with industry professionals, soft skills training, and one-on-one career coaching.

Project Demo Day

As a boot camp graduate you will be invited to participate in our Project Demo Day, a quarterly networking event with local professionals to whom you will showcase your final project.

Portfolio

You will graduate with a robust portfolio of projects to demonstrate your in-demand knowledge of user interface design.

Employability

Our reverse-engineered curriculum — tailored to meet local tech skills shortages — combined with our extensive career services equip our students for employment success, and demark them from graduates of other training providers.

As one of our course graduates, you will be qualified for many professional roles, such as:

  • UI designer
  • UI developer
  • UX designer
  • UX researcher
  • UX writer
  • UX engineer
  • Information architect
  • Visual designer
  • Graphic designer
  • Product manager
  • Product designer
  • Interaction designer
  • Web designer

Culture and collections

Schools, institutes and departments

Services and facilities