I’m from just outside London on the UK and I work, login in and learn from my little design studio.
It’s a field I find myself working in more and more frequently and I wanted to offer more value and expertise to my clients/future clients. I’ve always been a fan of clear communication and my approach to design is always informed and strategic so I wanted to build on this skillset whilst honing my skills in UX/UI.
I enrolled in the UX/UI Bootcamp because it seemed the most rounded that hit most of the touch-points that were relevant to me. I want to get better at UX research as it allows me to back up and support design thinking decisions and UI design has fascinated me since I first landed on Dribbble about 12 years ago!
The community side of Memorisely has been a huge bonus as well - the slack channels are vibrant and fun and everyone wants to join in, collaborate and help out.
I also found Zander’s enthusiasm infectious and I just wanted to get involved. I’m definitely drawn to inspired people doing great things.
I went in a little nervous, not sure what to expect, thinking everyone was going to be a UX/UI master and I would feel like a fraud with very little direct experience but everyone has been great and supportive and encouraging. There are people with such varied experience and a range of background and it pulls out some amazing ideas, input and solutions from a range of different places that might be missed in a more streamlined team with only a single view point to think from.
The team support and the office hours are brilliant, with direct support and feedback along with wider ideas, suggestions and tips for where to look, how to overcome a problem or a website, product or case study that is doing something special.
The regular sessions are brilliant for progression and accountability. Each session works towards two complete case studies by the end of the Bootcamp, giving you context for a full product launch process. I’ve been surprised by the quality of the support, information and guidance throughout the Bootcamp. I already feel so equipped to add value to a product or team in UX/UI.
For me, it’s time. I am lucky enough to be busy at work and carving out time to grow myself and learn has been a challenge. Fortunately, the structure and regularity have forced me to remain focused and progress along with the course.
I am also lucky to have a design background which has helped a little but learning research techniques and understanding how to synthesise data has been a steep learning curve that I needed to push through.
My workshop sessions are at 8 am so I get to the studio early and make time to clear emails and get a tea or coffee ready for the class to start.
After an hour there is a quick 5-minute break just to re-fill my mug and reset for the second half of the session (which is really useful to maintain focus)
After the call, which always involves some great new ideas, strategies and techniques, I need a good 15/20 minutes to process everything (as it’s full-on) and I often add a few things to my notes or explore a topic that was discussed on the call.
I’ve also found myself looking at UX/UI agencies and reading case studies for more context and creative thinking which I wasn’t doing before - I think I’m getting addicted...
Then after getting back on with work I try to set some time aside in the afternoon or evening to go through the homework tasks and catch up with my team-mate for the case study.
I do most of my work on the office days (not after the calls) but I know some other designers that prefer to maintain the momentum and crack on after the sessions.
Luckily there isn’t any forcing the homework and it’s easy to take an hour or two at the weekend to pick things up if you’re having a busy week.
It’s hard not to be excited for the next session at the end of the day when you look at the diary.
Answer here.
