Bootcamp Highlights: What UX Design is like outside of study

Written by Justin EspinasMichael was joined by an experienced panel who have all been through the strategic path of UX design outside of study. The panel consisted of Stephanie, Walt and Anna who were kind enough to give us their insight on UX design and answer all of our many questions.The difference between UI and UX has always been sorta hazy for us students so the panel was able to help us on this matter. UI focuses on the more visual aspect of programming which includes how things will look, what colours are used, and all that jazz. UX on the other hand focuses on the why. Why should something look like this, why should something be this colour. UX is the strategy behind the programming.Being a UX designer, you'll be immersed in a world collaboration, communication, curiosity, and problem solving. When a UX designer makes a decision, their goals are usually to either increase user experience, or increase profits. To do this, research is heavily involved in their work so that they can reach the conclusions that they want.UX design can also be valuable knowledge if you aren't planning taking it as a career path. As a software developer, it can protect you from making a bad decision because you'll start to think about your projects from a users perspective when typing up code. It will also help you understand how UX developers work so you will be able to collaborate efficiently with them.Getting a job in UX design for the panel members required getting involved with the UX community. There are many UX meetups that you can learn about online which can be a great way to mix and mingle with current UX developers in the industry.The panel also gave us a few tips going forward in to the summer of tech programme:- During the meet and greet, strategise who you talk to. There are lots of companies and even more fellow students wanting to talk to them so having a plan of who you want to talk to will save you lots of time.- Having some sort of portfolio or way to show your work goes a long way when talking to industry employers.- Don't lie. Don't pretend to know everything. Accept that you have gaps.