Are UI Design Bootcamps Worth It?

A UI design bootcamp is an immersive course that runs in an accelerated format and is designed to prepare you for an entry-level job within a relatively short time frame. Bootcamps typically cost anywhere from a few thousand dollars to $20,0000 or more. While this is a significant investment, it is both cheaper and faster than pursuing a college degree. If you want to learn UI design quickly, a bootcamp can definitely be worth it. This article contains more information about UI design bootcamps including what makes them unique, and how they compare to other types of classes.

What Is UI Design?

People interact with digital products like web pages and apps through a user interface (UI). UI design is the process of designing all of the visual and interactive elements that make up that interface. UI Designers work to create an interface that is both aesthetic and functional. Their goal is to help users have an experience that is enjoyable and intuitive. The most common type of user interface is a graphical user interface, which is used on computers and smartphones. However, there are also other types of interfaces including voice-controlled interfaces such as Siri and Alexa.

What Can You Do With UI Design?

UI design skills can be used in a number of different design-related careers. You could work as a UI Designer. You could also work as a UX Designer, which involves working to make digital experiences better for users. Other design-related jobs that often include UI design are Visual Designer, which is someone who creates designs for a variety of different platforms and products, and Product Designer, which involves creating and refining the visual and functional aspects of a variety of products. With an education in UI, you could also choose to upskill and work to actually create some of the interfaces that you have been designing. This includes roles like Mobile Developer, Front End Developer, Back End Developer, and Full Stack Developer. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a government agency that reports a variety of U.S. labor market statistics, between 2022 and 2032, web development and digital design jobs will grow by 16 percent, which is significantly faster than the average U.S. job growth rate of 3 percent. The agency explains that one factor contributing to this growth is the use of mobile devices. It explains, “The continued use of mobile devices to search the web is expected to generate demand for web developers and digital designers to create websites and interfaces that work on mobile devices with many different screen sizes.” 

Why Learn UI Design in a Bootcamp?

Bootcamps are accelerated classes that generally last a number of months and are designed to give you the knowledge and practical skills that you’ll need to get a UI design job. When you learn in a bootcamp, a professional will help guide you through the learning process, and you can be confident that you’re covering all the skills that you’ll need in order to work in the UI industry. In addition, bootcamps are designed to get you career-ready, so you won’t be left guessing about what you need to do to find a job and how to do it. Instead, instructors will give you clear guidance about how the industry works and how to succeed in the job search process. They will also provide advice and feedback on your portfolio. Some schools are so confident that their bootcamps will help you get a job that they offer a job guarantee, refunding your tuition if you don’t find employment within a certain amount of time. Most bootcamps are designed to fit a range of different types of students, from beginners to people wanting to change careers, to students who want to update and enhance their current skill set.

A number of recent studies also show that students who graduate from a bootcamp are likely to earn more than those who don’t. For instance, in a 2022 article, Gallup reports on the results of the Gallup-2U Boot Camp Graduates Study, where almost 4,000 U.S. adults were surveyed about their bootcamp experiences. It says, “One year after graduation, the median salary for all boot camp graduates surveyed was $11,000 higher than what they reported making the year they graduated. And the median income growth in the year following boot camp graduation was 17%.” It says, “Median pay increased across all groups of boot camp graduates surveyed, regardless of race, gender, age and urbanicity.”

Bootcamps Compared to College

A college degree is the traditional way to gain an education, and typically takes around four years. When you follow this educational path, you’ll receive a comprehensive education that will be valued by many employers. However, obtaining that education is likely to take a lot of time and money. Most college programs have numerous admission requirements, which can include standardized test scores, a minimum high school GPA, an essay, and letters of recommendation. Colleges also typically run on a quarter or semester system, so if you want to attend one, you need to plan in advance so that you won’t miss important deadlines. The cost of obtaining a college degree is often significant. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, for the 2022 to 2032 school year, the average cost of tuition and fees at a four-year institution ranged from almost $10,000 to more than $40,000 depending on the type of school, with public schools being less expensive than private ones. 

Because of the costs, requirements, and time commitment required to obtain a college degree, alternative learning paths have become increasingly common in recent years, and the bootcamp is one of the most popular of these alternatives. Like a college degree program, a UI design bootcamp is designed to prepare students for a career in this field, however, a bootcamp is typically far quicker and cheaper. Most only take a number of months to complete, and typically cost somewhere between $10,000 and $30,000 in total. In addition, bootcamps often include a lot more hands-on work, giving students valuable experience working on real projects and setting them up for success in their job search and future careers. 

In recent years, a growing number of employers report that they have become less focused on degrees and more focused on finding employees who have demonstrable skills and experience, making bootcamps a viable alternative to learning UI design in college. Wall Street Journal reporter Lauren Weber discusses this in a February 27, 2024 podcast. She says, “It's called skills-based hiring, that's what this approach is known as. So that might mean . . . [that companies use] different types of assessments to really try to determine whether someone has the communication skills, or the writing skills, or the teamwork skills, or the technical skills, that you're looking for. So it does change the way companies have to think about their hiring process.”

Bootcamps Compared to Self-Paced Courses

Another way to learn UI design is to take a self-paced course through a website like Udemy or Coursera. Self-paced courses are made up of a series of pre-recorded lessons and exercises, and students work through this material at their own pace, without the guidance of a live instructor. There is a lot of flexibility in this format, since you don’t have to follow along with a class. You can set your own learning schedule, stopping and starting whenever you want to. You can pause or rewind sections of the course that you need more time with, or fast-forward through material that you have already mastered. Because there is no live instructor, self-paced courses are usually relatively inexpensive. Some websites even offer certain basic self-paced courses for free.

However, while a self-paced course can be a good way to learn some basic UI design skills, most are not as comprehensive as a bootcamp. In addition, since they are pre recorded, they are more likely to contain outdated information. The biggest downside to self-paced courses, however, is the lack of a live instructor. Without guidance and feedback from an expert, it can be difficult to know how you’re doing, and to get help when you need it. It can also be challenging to stay engaged, motivated, and on track. In fact, research shows that most self-paced courses have a much lower rate of completion than other types of classes; without the accountability of a live class, some people simply lose interest or give up before they finish the course. 

Another downside to an on-demand class is that most do not include the same level of career support that you’ll get with a bootcamp. Many bootcamps are designed to help students find a job after they graduate and include access to a career coach who can provide help with building your resume and offer advice on searching for a job and attending an interview. Some bootcamps even include private mentoring sessions or access to professional networks or internship opportunities. Most bootcamps also include work on a portfolio as part of the curriculum, and experts agree that this is an important part of searching for a job. A strong portfolio allows you to showcase your skills to potential employers and clients and can make a big difference in whether or not you stand out in your job search.

Bootcamps Compared to Free Training Options

Using free training options is another way to learn UI design. You’ll find a wide range of different free resources online, such as tutorials, seminars, and forums. On the one hand, you don’t have a lot to lose by utilizing these free options, and you’ll have the flexibility to pick and choose what you want to use and direct your own learning in whatever way you want. However, on the other hand, with free resources, it can be difficult to know whether what you’re learning is up-to-date or accurate, and most free resources are unlikely to be comprehensive enough to really allow you to master all the complexities of UI design. For these reasons, if you’re trying to learn UI design in order to work professionally in this field, a bootcamp is likely to be a much better fit. With a bootcamp, you’ll be guided by an expert instructor and you’ll know that you’re receiving accurate and up-to-date information. In addition, you’ll get feedback on your progress, and in many cases, instructors will share valuable tips and tricks that it could take years to figure out yourself. When you try to teach yourself by using free resources, you won’t have access to any of this support. 

Free training options also lack the benefits that are associated with learning as part of a group of peers. When you enroll in a bootcamp, you’ll be interacting with fellow students who are in a similar position to yourself and they can be a source of support now and in the future. Not only can a peer group enrich the learning process, but it can be a valuable professional resource for career support or job opportunities.

Learn UI Design with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop is based in New York City and offers a number of different UI design-related classes, with both short courses that can help you quickly master the basics, and longer, more comprehensive programs that are intended to prepare you for a career in this field. Its classes can be taken in person at its Manhattan facility or in a live online format. Noble Desktop is licensed by the New York State Education Department. All courses include a certificate of completion and the option of a free retake within one year.

One of Noble’s most popular UI design classes is the UI Design Certificate, which is a multi-week course where you’ll learn about composition, typography, color, interactivity, user interface elements, best practices, and all the other things you’ll need to understand in order to work in UI design. You’ll learn to retouch photos in Photoshop, use Adobe Illustrator’s drawing tools to create graphics, icons, and logos, and create UI designs and prototypes using Figma. You’ll also create a portfolio of website and app designs that you can show to potential employers or clients. This class also comes with eight one-on-one mentoring sessions that you can use to work on challenging concepts, review your portfolio, or receive professional advice about applying and interviewing for jobs.

Noble Desktop also offers a UX & UI Design Certificate. This course covers the fundamentals of both UI and UX design. You’ll learn how to conduct user research and testing. You’ll also learn to design digital products and build clickable prototypes using Figma. In addition, as part of the class, you’ll work on projects that you can include in your design portfolio. The class comes with six one-on-one mentoring sessions.

Another option is the Web Design Certificate, which includes instruction in UI design. In this class, you’ll learn to use Figma for designing UI, you’ll build websites with WordPress, and you’ll work on a variety of coding skills. You’ll also learn how to use Git to track changes in your code and to collaborate with other developers, JavaScript for animation and interaction, and Bootstrap for building layouts. Eight one-on-one mentoring sessions are included.

Noble Desktop also offers classes in Figma, which is a popular UI design tool. The Figma Bootcamp takes a number of days to complete. In this bootcamp, you’ll learn a variety of Figma skills including optimizing designs for mobile, tablet, and desktop screens, extracting image assets, designing on grids, and sharing designs with clients. You’ll also learn to create animations and build interactive prototypes. In addition, the class covers components, and working with team libraries.

Another Figma option is the Figma Masterclass, which will take you from a beginner to an advanced level. In this class, you’ll learn to create UI and UX designs for websites and apps, designing layouts that are optimized for various devices. You’ll also learn to build interactive prototypes, make animations, use components, work with team libraries, and use conditionals.