UI:UX Design Career Track - IXC - Syllabus [PDF]

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UI/UX Design Career Track  Syllabus & Course Overview



   



Introduction  Does a career that combines creativity with impact appeal to you? If so, then UI/UX would be  perfect for you. As a UI/UX designer, you’ll be focused on building products that users love - both  aesthetically and functionally - to achieve user, business and product goals.     The demand for UI/UX designers is at an all-time high. Companies are constantly seeking out  digital opportunities to improve their product experience. As a result, competition is growing  amongst employers for designers who can build products that are both beautiful and easy to use.  Today,​ UI and UX designers enjoy high job satisfaction, varied creative challenges, a chance to  work with ever evolving technologies, and great pay.    Springboard’s ​UI/UX Design Career Track​ is designed to train you on job ready UI/UX skills,  including core design principles, tools and best practices. You’ll work on 4 ​ portfolio projects  covering different types of design techniques that you’ll use as a UI/UX designer. By the end of  the course, you’ll have a complete UI/UX skill set to succeed in any design role.     We’re so confident in our program that we’ll refund your tuition if you don’t find a job within 6  months of graduating! G ​ et a job in the UI/UX design industry or your money back.  



Who’s It For?  The UI/UX Career Track is for people who demonstrate strong visual, creativity and  communication skills. All backgrounds are welcome.   



 



How It Works  1. Cost and schedule: ​The course costs $ ​ 1,099 per month​. It is fully online and  flexibly paced, so that you can study anytime, anywhere, even if you have a  full-time job. Most students complete the course in 9 months if they dedicate 15 to  20 hours of work per week. You’re welcome to complete in less or more time —  you pay only for the months you’re enrolled.   2. Enrollment: W ​ e have monthly cohorts — enrollments open a few weeks before  each class is set to begin. If enrollments are closed, you can sign up for a future  cohort.   3. Mentor-matching process:​ Once you enroll, you’ll be asked to fill out a profile,  which includes questions about your background, your availability during the week,  and the skills you want to develop. Your student advisor will use this information  to match you with a mentor who suits your specific needs.  



4. A curriculum curated by experts:​ ​We believe that diverse perspectives lead to  better learning outcomes. Our online curriculum is packed with quality UI/UX  design resources, some are handpicked from around the web by industry experts  and others created by Springboard. Our instructional designers then build these  resources into a curriculum that includes projects and quizzes.   5. A Springboard support team​ that includes a student advisor, mentor, community  manager, and career coach.   a. Your s ​ tudent advisor​ will match you with a mentor, help you prepare for the  course, and answer your general questions.   b. You’ll have 1-on-1 calls with your ​mentor ​each week. They’ll provide  feedback on projects, answer questions about the curriculum, and give you  career advice and industry insight.   c. Your​ ​community manager​ can answer questions about the curriculum and  UI/UX industry.  d. Your c ​ areer coach​ will help you during your job hunt and can give you tips  about how to network, create a strong UI/UX resume, and more.   6. The Springboard community:​ While online learning may sound isolating, it’s  important to remember that you have a whole community learning alongside you.  You’ll get access to this community so you can share triumphs and trials, get  feedback, and attend weekly live Office Hours.   7. Career services:​ In addition to learning about UI/UX, you’ll also work through  sections of the curriculum that cover career material that will guide you through  your job search.  8. Certification: O ​ nce you finish the course material and submit your capstone  project, you’ll get a certificate of completion.  9. Job guarantee: ​We guarantee that you’ll have a job offer within 6 months of  graduating, or you can get 100% of your tuition refunded. Eligibility criteria and  terms ​here​.



         



How is it different from the UX Design Career Track? The UI/UX Design Career Track will prepare you to succeed in both UI and UX roles while  the UX Career Track focuses solely on preparing you for UX roles.      



UX Career Track 



UI/UX Design Career Track 



6 months 



9 months 



~350 



~700 



 



 



 



Curriculum 



 



 



UX foundations 



Yes 



Yes 



Advanced UX topics 



Yes 



Yes 



Business of UX 



 



Yes 



UI foundations 



Yes 



Yes 



Advanced UI topics 



 



Yes 



UI/visual design practices 



 



Yes 



 



 



 



Projects 



 



 



Yes 



Yes 



 



Yes 



Design Sprint 



Yes 



Yes 



Industry Design Project 



Yes 



Yes 



 



 



 



Job Guarantee 



 



 



UX roles 



Yes 



Yes 



UI roles 



 



Yes 



Duration  # of hours 



Capstone  Capstone 2 



 



Syllabus  Each module of this 700+ hour course covers key aspects of user experience and user  interface design. Each module features a combination of materials, including resources  that teach crucial theory, design exercises, and career-related coursework. The  recommended time allocation is based on a total of 700 hours of work and can be scaled  according to your needs.  



  Modules Include:   Foundations of Design    



Grounded in empathy and a hands-on, iterative approach to problem-solving, design  thinking is the mindset designers like you will use to create effective user experiences.  This section of the course will introduce you to the core stages of design thinking. You’ll  also learn about UI/UX design roles and the skills every designer needs to be successful.     Topics Covered:    1. UI and UX Design Roles and the Skills You Need to Land Them  2. UI vs. UX Design  3. Design Tools: Sketch, Figma, and Adobe XD  4. The Core Stages of Design Thinking  a. Empathy  b. Define  c. Ideate  d. Prototype  e. Test  5. Divergent and Convergent Thinking  6. Brainstorming and Gamestorming   7. Observational Empathy       



Conducting Research  



  At its core, design is about solving problems, so identifying the problem and the user  you’re solving it for will help you to create an exceptional solution. When you begin a new  design project, you’ll frequently need to conduct research to understand the problem 



space you’re working in and form a hypothesis. You’ll also need to conduct user research  by talking with users and synthesizing their feedback to understand why the problem  exists and what users want to see resolved. Of course, once you’ve collected all this  information, it’ll be time to synthesize your findings through the use of tools like empathy  maps and personas before presenting your findings to stakeholders.  



 



Topics Covered:    1. UX Research Methods and How to Choose the Right One for Your Work  a. Generative Research  b. Secondary Research  c. Competitive Research  d. Quantitative Research  e. Qualitative Research  2. Competitive Usability Testing  3. Usability Heuristics  4. Research Plans   5. Recruiting Users with Screener Surveys  6. Conducting Interviews   7. Synthesizing Your Research   8. Empathy Mapping  9. Creating Personas  10. Writing Problem Statements  11. Creating Journey Maps  12. Presenting Your Synthesized Research to Stakeholders      



  Designing, Ideating, & Information Architecture     



In this section of the course, you’ll learn how to make design decisions and ideate a  variety of solutions to the problem you’ve identified through your synthesized research.  One tool you’ll use to do this is user stories, which will help you identify the functional  needs of your product. Once you’ve identified a solution, you’ll use information  architecture best practices to figure out how your user will move through and interact  with your product.          



Topics Covered:    1. Solution Ideation  2. Creating User Stories  3. Information Architecture   a. Navigation  b. Sitemaps   c. User Flows   d. Content through Card Sorting      



  Foundations of UI Design  



  From the beginning of the course, you’ll build out your UI design toolbox with the help of  UI exercises woven throughout the course. In this section, you’ll begin to apply these skills  to your designs, digging deep into the fundamental and advanced UI design techniques  every UI designer should know.     User Interface (UI) design is what makes a design engaging and delightful to use; it  inspires a user to feel a particular way when engaging with a product. Using typography,  colors, and layouts, you can inspire feelings of trust and delight as users navigate your  site or app. You’ll develop style guides that define the visual language of your projects.     Topics Covered:    1. Visual Principles  a. Balance   b. Scale and Proximity  c. Alignment  d. Visual Hierarchy  e. Repetition  f. Contrast  g. Negative and Implied Space  h. Color Theory  2. UI Principles  a. Usability Heuristics  b. Ease-of-Use  c. Consistency  d. Progressive Disclosure 



e. Reducing Cognitive Load  f. Information Hierarchy  g. Space Distribution  h. Discoverability  i. Feedback — Error and Success Responses   3. UI Elements  4. UI Patterns  5. Material and iOS Guidelines  6. Interaction Behaviors and Principles  7. Designing for the Different States  8. Understanding Brand Platforms  9. Using Brand Platforms to Define a Product’s Visual Style   10. Developing Design Systems  11. Style Guides  a. Logo  b. Color Palettes  c. Fonts  d. Grids  e. Iconography  f. Photography and Imagery        



Sketching & Wireframing   



Creating low fidelity design sketches is the first step in the march towards high fidelity  designs. Sketching is an easy, affordable way to get your ideas out of your head and onto  paper, where you’ll more easily be able to see the changes or adjustments that you’ll need  to make. Once you’ve created sketches of your product, the next step is to create  wireframes. Wireframes are often digitized versions of your sketches. Creating a low  fidelity digital version of your product will enable you to identify critical design decisions  that you need to make, while still offering enough flexibility that you don’t need to fixate  on perfecting your designs yet.    Topics Covered:    1. Sketching Principles  2. Sketching Red Routes  3. Guerilla Usability Testing 



4. Responsive Design  5. Wireframing  6. Creating Wireflows    



    High-Fidelity Design    



Once you have your style guide sorted out and a series of wireframes to work with, it’s  time to create high-fidelity mockups of your design. However, this doesn’t just mean  making your designs look beautiful (which you’ll do — don’t worry!); it also means making  your designs accessible and inclusive so that everyone can use your product. You’ll refine  your style guide as you work on your screens and you’ll also learn how to create  animations that align with your style guide and brand platform.  



 



Topics Covered:    1. Inclusive Design and Designing for Accessibility  2. Building High-Fidelity Mockups  3. Designing Efficiently with Tools  4. Interaction Patterns  5. Animation tools  6. Designing animations and interactions     



  Prototyping & Testing   



As any designer will tell you, prototyping and testing are essential tools used to identify  problems and validate design decisions. In this section of the course, you’ll build a  clickable prototype, learn how to set up and facilitate usability test sessions, and  synthesize your findings to determine if you need to redesign your prototype.     Topics Covered:    1. Building a Prototype  2. Conducting Usability Tests  a. Remote Usability Testing   b. Moderated Usability Testing 



3. Other Evaluative User Research Methods  4. Synthesizing Test Findings 



5. Prototype Iteration   



Communication Best Practices   



As a UI/UX designer, you’ll be in frequent communication with developers, team  members, clients, and other project stakeholders so being able to collaborate and be a  team player is essential. It’s also important to be able to share information about the  work you’ve done and tell a compelling story about your designs. This section of the  course will teach you how to effectively communicate with different audiences.  



 



Topics Covered:    1. Collaborating and Communicating with Developers  2. How to Prepare for Handing Off Designs   3. Handoff Tools like Zeplin   4. Presenting Your Work to Different Stakeholders   5. The Components of an Effective Presentation   6. Creating a Case Study    7. Receiving and Giving Feedback  8. Email and In-Person Communication   9. Prioritization and Time Management      



  Special Topics 



  This course will go beyond the basics of UI/UX design to take on some of the specialized  skills that hiring managers find highly valuable. You’ll use these specialized skills to show  off your knowledge and experience with the latest trends in UX and UI design.  



 



Topics Covered:    1. Product Types: Best practices and solutions  a. Ecommerce & Browsing  b. Social Media & Messaging  c. Dashboards & Data Design  d. Music & Media 



e. Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer Products  2. The Psychology of Design   a. Persuasive Design  b. Anticipatory Design   c. Gamification and Behavior Change   d. Dark Patterns   3. The Business of UX  a. The Product Life Cycle   b. Working with Constraints   c. Competitors and Success Criteria  d. Competitive Research     



   Career Components ​(35+ hours)  Our career material is designed to help you create a tailored job search strategy based on  your background and goals. You’ll learn how to craft a resume that stands out from the  pack, evaluate companies and roles, ace interviews, and negotiate the best possible  salary. Your career coach will be with you every step of the way, offering feedback and  providing personalized tips based on your goals.    Topics Covered:     1. Types of UI/UX Roles   2. Job Search Strategies for the UI/UX Industry  3. Building a Network and Using It to Land  Interviews  4. Creating a High-Quality Resume, LinkedIn  Profile, and Cover Letter  5. Preparing for Technical and Nontechnical  Interviews  6. Successful Negotiation   7. Building Your Portfolio  



    Building a Portfolio ​(20+ hours)  Your portfolio is the key to landing a role in the UI industry. A good portfolio will allow you  to showcase your skills and demonstrate your expertise to potential employers. We will  teach you how to create a portfolio that incorporates all the projects you will work on as a  part of this course, including your Industry Design Project.     You’ll work through the process of what to include and what to leave out to create a  cohesive, in-depth, and engaging collection of work. You’ll also tailor your portfolio to  show off your unique skills and interests. While working on your portfolio, you’ll learn how  to:  ● Refine your case studies and get your work portfolio-ready  ● Write an engaging bio and create a personal logo  ● Build your portfolio site    ● Critique and review your portfolio        



UI Practice  



  Visual skill takes time to develop and requires a lot of practice! To that end, you’ll be  introduced to industry-standard design tools early on in order to complete UI exercises  that have been woven throughout the course. These UI exercises are designed to help  you build your visual skills, including how to evaluate designs as well as improve designs  based on visual principles (such as balance, scale, alignment, hierarchy, and others).   



End-to-End Projects    



While working through this course, you will  complete four projects that you can showcase in  your design portfolio: three end-to-end projects  (two Capstone projects and a Design Sprint  project) and an Industry Design Project.    These projects are an integral part of the  curriculum that will allow you to apply all of the  skills you develop while working through the 



course. While working on the portfolio projects, you’ll gain hands-on experience with each  stage of the design process, from identifying a problem and building high-fidelity  mockups, to testing your prototype and communicating your findings.     Design Sprint Project   While working on the Design Sprint, you’ll use agile design processes to answer key  business questions by quickly designing, prototyping, and testing your ideas.  



  Industry Design Project​ (40 hours)  We know how crucial real-world experience is for an aspiring UI/UX designer. Yo help you  gain that experience and build a job-ready portfolio, we’ve partnered with a number of  companies and accelerator programs that will ask for your insights and support to  develop new products and improve their existing solutions. The work you create while  working on the Industry Design Project will be a fantastic addition to your portfolio,  especially if you have limited real-world UI/UX design experience.     Other benefits include:     ● Exposure to the industry by working with a company  ● An opportunity to dive deeper into an aspect of the UI/UX design process  ● Experience working in collaboration with design teams and/or directly with clients  ● Experience that will distinguish you from other bootcamp graduates       



 



Ready for the next step? Learn more and​ a ​ pply here​.



 



 



 



Email us at ​[email protected]​ with any questions.