JENNY MARQUETTE'S EXPERIENCE AT CODECRAFT AS A UX DESIGN STUDENT
This is a series of blog posts written by CodeCraft student Jenny Marquette who is attending our part-time User Experience Design bootcamp. The series will cover her entire journey – from preparing for the program to getting her first job in the industry.
The first few weeks of the UX Design cohort were comprised of remote classwork to be completed at home. On the first day of the cohort we had a Google Hangout orientation with the instructor, Michelle Coutinho. I was not able to attend the live Hangout because of a scheduling conflict, however I was able to watch a recorded version.
On the first day, we also received email links for access to the Codecraft Student Portal, details on how to download software programs we’ll be using at a discount, and access to CodeCraft’s Slack channels including one specific to my cohort. The Codecraft student portal is easy to follow and a great resource to help break tasks down by week and provides all the links for our coursework in one place.
The majority of the remote coursework was tutorials and guided practice. During the remote classwork, I primarily used Sketch and then Invision for my prototyping as well as a small amount of Photoshop.
I really loved learning Sketch and getting more hands on practice with the program. Coming into the cohort, I was very familiar with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, but Sketch was completely new to me and honestly it’s a lot of fun to use. For our first project, we were to take an existing mobile app or website and make a mock copy using Sketch. Once we had designed the copy in Sketch we used Invision to make a clickable prototype. Invision is also a new program for me and took a little bit more time to get the hang of than Sketch, but equally fun to use.
The remote coursework project was a great opportunity to gain additional practice and understanding with some of the software programs we’ll be using throughout the cohort. It was really exciting to be able to build an actual working prototype just based on what I’d learned so far. Even more exciting was the realization of just how creative you can get with the programs and to see the possibility of how you can use the software to create incredibly useful apps and websites.
I really liked that the first few weeks gave me the chance to learn at my own pace at home. While I enjoyed the remote coursework, which helped me feel both more confident and prepared, I am definitely ready to begin the in-person classes and take on more challenging projects.
ABOUT OUR UX DESIGN BOOTCAMP
Our part-time, 20-week, evening and weekend schedule bootcamp lets you get the skills you need without quitting your job. The program was designed by three UX design experts working for innovative companies like Google and Akamai who create products used by hundreds of millions of users. As a result our unique curriculum is rich with insights, best practices and real-world tools and techniques that you won’t find anywhere else.
Learn More or Apply!