Hi, I’m Elle! I work as a product designer at Getaround and as an industry mentor here at Pathrise. I help our fellows land great jobs in product design through technical workshops and 1-on-1s. Check out my review of UX Design Institute.
- What does UX Design Institute do?
- Who is UX Design Institute for?
- What does UX Design Institute cost?
- Ratings and reviews of UX Design Institute
- Alternatives to UX Design Institute
- How does UX Design Institute compare to Pathrise?
What does UX Design Institute do?
UX Design Institute is an online bootcamp for people who want to learn the necessary skills to land a job as a UX or product designer. They offer 6-month and 12-month courses in UX design certified by Glasgow Caledonian University. Their courses are all remote. In addition, students do not need to have any prior experience.
The UX courses are self-paced and they require about 5 hours of work a week. Students can choose to follow a 6-month structured path or work on their own with the 12-month self-directed option. In the more structured course, students get video lessons and projects to complete on a deadline. Mentors meet monthly with students to hold them accountable and discuss coursework, projects, and UX design in general. Alternatively, students who choose the 12-month self-directed path get immediate access to all of the course materials to complete at their own pace. They lose access to the material after one year.
The curriculum follows the real life cycle of a UX project, covering topics like user research, analysis frameworks, interaction design, prototyping, and wireframing. Therefore, students learn by doing, building real-world projects for their UX portfolio throughout the program. The course culminates in a 2 hour final exam. In the end, students graduate with 16 projects in their portfolio and a UX certificate to help them become a UX designer.
Experienced mentors work 1-on-1 with students to help them through the technical curriculum. The program also includes career services, networking opportunities, portfolio reviews, and job search training.
Who is UX Design Institute for?
People who have no experience in UX design but want to land an entry-level job in the field can benefit from UX Design Institute. In addition, the bootcamp is especially helpful for people interested in a self-paced program with lots of hands-on learning.
What does UX Design Institute cost? How much work is involved?
Tuition for both the 6 month and 12 month courses is $2,550. However, discounts are available for early registration.
The admissions process begins with a brief application form. Next, applicants then move on to a behavioral interview to assess their skills, commitment to the program, and proficiency in English. People do not need to have any prior experience. In the end, they are admitted on a case-by-case basis.
Ratings and reviews
UX Design Institute has received mostly positive reviews. In fact, the course holds a 4.8/5 star rating on Switchup and 4.3/5 stars on Career Karma. A student on Reddit described the course as “well structured” with “decent support.” Another grad on Reddit felt “The course provides a great overall understanding on the entire UX process” but warns that students “need to put in some extra effort outside the course to get more depth on the subjects.” Other grads appreciate that the course was “easy to understand” with lots of opportunities to build a portfolio.
Their program was one of Switchup’s best bootcamp winners of 2021. One Switchup reviewer described the program as “well structured” and “digestible”, with great mentoring and Slack community support. However, the grad only rated the job support 3/5 stars. Another grad appreciated that the course was project-based and self paced, recommending the program to students “looking for flexibility.” A student on Career Karma was impressed by the “excellent content” and lots of “staff support” but wished students got more “help with finding your first UX job.” Overall, students praised the program for its hands-on curriculum and personalized support, but some would have liked more help finding a job.
Alternatives to UX Design Institute
If you decide not to enroll in UX Design Institute, there are a number of alternative bootcamps and resources that can help you launch a career as a UX or product designer.
- One of the most well known bootcamps, General Assembly offers full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on a variety of topics like UX design. Their program features experienced mentors, a huge global network, and thousands of hiring partners. Read more about General Assembly in our review.
- Aspiring UX designers and software engineers who are looking for a full-time bootcamp can also consider Kenzie Academy. Their programs are hands-on with mentoring opportunities. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our program review.
- Students interested in taking online self-paced or instructor-led product design courses can check out DesignerUp. Graduates of their paid master course get 1-on-1 mentorship and an accredited design certificate. Learn more about DesignerUp in our review.
- HackDesign sends weekly design lessons right to your inbox for free. It is perfect for aspiring or current designers looking to sharpen their skills at a relaxed pace.
- The popular bootcamp BrainStation offers programs in UX/UI design and other topics. Like UX Design Institute, their program is hands-on with opportunities for students to build a portfolio.
- Aspiring designers can check out Designlab, a bootcamp that teaches students all the skills needed to launch a career as a UX designer. Read more about Designlab in our review.
- Or, they can consider Bloc and Big Nerd Ranch. Both cover web dev and design, but Bloc is online and Big Nerd Ranch is on campus.
- Another resource is Gymnasium. They offer courses and tutorials in UX design. Many of their courses are completely free and students get help with the job search through Gymnasium’s partner staffing agencies.
More alternatives
- Springboard is an educational resource that teaches UX courses and courses on other subjects as well. If students don’t land a job within 6 months of graduating, they get a full refund. Learn more about Springboard in our review.
- Students seeking on 1-on-1 mentorship can consider Thinkful, a bootcamp that teaches courses in UX/UI design. Like UX Design Institute, their program includes career coaching and projects students can add to their portfolios.
- Another affordable program with self-paced learning, Coursera offers UX design courses taught by professors at accredited universities.
- Similarly, edX is a popular online learning platform that hosts self-paced UX design courses from top schools like Harvard and MIT, and even tech companies like Microsoft. Learn more about edX in our review.
- Students can also check out Udacity. They offer self-paced courses on UX design with mentoring opportunities. Learn more about Udacity in our review.
- Finally, UX Pro Academy, Memorisely, Beginex, Design Sprint School, Avocademy, and Miami Ad School have UX design courses for beginners as well as more experienced people.
How does UX Design Institute compare to Pathrise?
UX Design Institute is an online bootcamp for people who are interested in launching a new career in UX design. Pathrise fellows should have some background in their field of interest so that they can fully benefit from our technical workshops.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that has helped 600+ students and professionals land their dream jobs. Our mentors have experience on both sides of the hiring table, which helps them provide data-backed assistance on every component of the job search. Fellows in our program work 1-on-1 with mentors on their resumes & portfolios, reverse recruiting and cold emails, behavioral and technical interview preparation, salary negotiation, and more.
Our program is flexible. There are only only 4 hours of group sessions per week and fellows can schedule 1-on-1 sessions as needed. Our curriculum is personalized to match each fellow’s specific needs. We also offer an income share agreement (ISA) so fellows only pay when they land a tech job. On average, fellows find a tech job within just 3-5 months of joining our program.
Pathrise optimizes the job search through 1-on-1 mentoring. Fellows in our program see their interview scores double and their application responses triple. If you are interested in working with one of our experienced mentors to land your dream job faster, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
