iOS iOS Course: UX/UI design useful or not?

[grandM]

So I'm following this course to learn to program in iOS. It's a good course. I also can ask questions etc.

Now they are offering an extra course for 39 dollars. It involves UX/UI design. I was wondering what is that good for and do I need this? Or is it just a waste of money?

 

[dejo]

Now they are offering an extra course for 39 dollars. It involves UX/UI design. I was wondering what is that good for and do I need this? Or is it just a waste of money?

Without knowing the details of the course (what they claim to cover, how long it will last, etc.), it's hard to say. But, in general, if the apps you're planning on building are going to have any kind of front-end (screens, dialogs, etc.) with user interaction, it's probably a good idea to have some knowledge of UI/UX.

So I'm following this course to learn to program in iOS. It's a good course. I also can ask questions etc.

I'm curious. Is this course you're taking now not covering any UI/UX? What kind of apps are they making you write?

 

[grandM]

Without knowing the details of the course (what they claim to cover, how long it will last, etc.), it's hard to say. But, in general, if the apps you're planning on building are going to have any kind of front-end (screens, dialogs, etc.) with user interaction, it's probably a good idea to have some knowledge of UI/UX.



I'm curious. Is this course you're taking now not covering any UI/UX? What kind of apps are they making you write?

The course being offered has following description:

Our iOS Design course teaches you everything you need to know to be a UI/UX designer. Along the journey, you will learn the principles of UI/UX design, the fundamentals of typography, color, shapes and space, and how to make it all a reality in Sketch.

Why use Sketch over the Adobe’s Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Illustrator)? Get in depth reasons from some of the industry’s leading designers: Meng To and Khoi Vinh.

By the end of the course you will be able to design your own iOS app from scratch. That includes icons, splash pages, and UI components that conform to the Apple UX guidelines.

Topics covered:

• Sketch: Getting started with this revolutionary design tool

• Learn commands and workflow enhancing techniques

• Understand the value of plugins

• Design by mimicking: popular icons and full applications

• Design by innovating: from conception, to wireframing, to finalizing your design

• Understand how to export and use SketchMirror to test your designs on other displays

• Understand color theory and typography and their importance in UI design

• Apple UX guidelines

• And so much more

Why take this course and how much time does it take to complete?

UI/UX designers are in high demand in the tech industry. Glassdoor estimates the average salary for a UI/UX designer to be $90,000/year. Getting one of these jobs is usually based solely on portfolio projects (which you will get in this course) rather than which prestigious school you went to and what your GPA was.

Our course includes over 30 hours of video plus exercises for you to complete on your own. Most people take between one and two months to finish the course if they work consistently. However, you have lifetime access so you can move at your own pace.

Do I have to purchase Sketch?

Sketch 3 comes with a 2 week free trial period, however, it costs $99 for lifetime access (as opposed to the Adobe Creative Cloud which costs upwards of $20/month). If you are serious about designing your own interfaces or becoming a professional designer, we think the $99 investment is more than fair.

What are the technical requirements to take the course?

Sketch 3 requires OS X 10.8+.

Do I need any previous design experience?

No design experience is needed. You don’t even have to be artistic. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to get you designing your own apps.

At the moment I am following the iOS course of bit fountain (same firm so). I like it but did not run into something of design. As it is the same firm I reckoned it will not cover it. Good course though

https://forums.macrumors.com/album.php?albumid=1386&pictureid=4410
https://forums.macrumors.com/album.php?albumid=1386&pictureid=4411

 

[1458279]

Several problems here:

1. ANYONE that makes a claim like "Our iOS Design course teaches you everything you need to know to be a UI/UX designer"
-Raises a red flag

or has the phrase: "UI/UX designers are in high demand in the tech industry. Glassdoor estimates the average salary for a UI/UX designer to be $90,000/year"

... This sounds so much like a well prepped sales pitch designed to help you rate the "awesome" value of the product they just happen to be selling.

Too much sales pitch is a strong red flag for me.

2. You've mentioned nothing about what your goals are. The design of an app is VERY important, and complex in that different types of apps require different design. Games and social media are different from business apps or a calculator.

Many have said that app development might bring the end to the "full stack" developers and usher in the era of specialized areas like UX/UI...

I'd start with setting some goals, if it's a job, I'd look at the job market in your area.

When I was in college, what was taught as "real world" was nothing like the real world when I got there. There's a difference between the theories in a classroom and how the business of software development is done.

I'd get online and find a user's / programmer's group that meets in your area and talk with them about this as well as head hunters (tech recruiters) and be careful of short term trends that leave you chasing a rabbit down a hole.

Start with defined goals. However, $39 for a class is cheap.

 

[grandM]

Several problems here:

1. ANYONE that makes a claim like "Our iOS Design course teaches you everything you need to know to be a UI/UX designer"
-Raises a red flag

or has the phrase: "UI/UX designers are in high demand in the tech industry. Glassdoor estimates the average salary for a UI/UX designer to be $90,000/year"

... This sounds so much like a well prepped sales pitch designed to help you rate the "awesome" value of the product they just happen to be selling.

Too much sales pitch is a strong red flag for me.

2. You've mentioned nothing about what your goals are. The design of an app is VERY important, and complex in that different types of apps require different design. Games and social media are different from business apps or a calculator.

Many have said that app development might bring the end to the "full stack" developers and usher in the era of specialized areas like UX/UI...

I'd start with setting some goals, if it's a job, I'd look at the job market in your area.

When I was in college, what was taught as "real world" was nothing like the real world when I got there. There's a difference between the theories in a classroom and how the business of software development is done.

I'd get online and find a user's / programmer's group that meets in your area and talk with them about this as well as head hunters (tech recruiters) and be careful of short term trends that leave you chasing a rabbit down a hole.

Start with defined goals. However, $39 for a class is cheap.

There are also some free videos of the course at http://bitfountain.io/course/ios-design/.
I was also looking at this course for 18 dollars but it seems shorter: Udemy course. Other discounted courses are alsof from Udemy. For the Udemy courses I also have to decide fast or the promo is over.

I myself won't be making games. I'm aiming at some business apps and social apps. I'm also not thinking of the job market. I would like to work freelance. Job market is a bitch in Belgium anyways with the HR plague.

 

[1458279]

What value does Sketch has over developing a UI with Xcode?

Does it generate code or interact with other parts of Xcode?

The prices seem right, but I didn't see where they really covered much of what the class was all about.

I like to read the table of contents before I buy a book and they didn't seem to have much of a detailed course outline.

Do they have any online reviews?

 

[grandM]

What value does Sketch has over developing a UI with Xcode?

Does it generate code or interact with other parts of Xcode?

The prices seem right, but I didn't see where they really covered much of what the class was all about.

I like to read the table of contents before I buy a book and they didn't seem to have much of a detailed course outline.

Do they have any online reviews?

this is the table of contents
Course Curriculum
Section 1 - Introduction to the Course
Welcome! (01:23)
Preview
Get Sketch (01:00)
Start
Why Sketch? (02:00)
Start
Section 2 - A Brief History of Graphic Design
Why Design? (02:42)
Start
A Brief History of Graphic Design (07:45)
Start
Section 3 - Introduction to Sketch
Toolbar (02:49)
Start
The Left Bar: Layers and Tags (10:58)
Start
Group Elements (04:43)
Start
Merging Shapes: Union, Subtract, Intersect, Difference (07:06)
Start
Symbols (01:24)
Start
Mockup Introduction (05:29)
Start
Creating a Symbol (02:55)
Start
From Text to Outline (04:07)
Start
Text Styles (08:52)
Start
Shared Shape Styles (06:37)
Start
Resizing Pixel by Pixel (03:43)
Start
Reshaping/Resizing Using the Space Bar (03:31)
Start
Balancing Elements' Visual Weights (06:12)
Start
Mail Icon: Quick Exercise (02:52)
Start
Section 4 - The Fundamentals of Form
Shape and Form (08:34)
Start
Pictographs (02:00)
Start
What is Gestalt Psychology? (04:05)
Start
Section 5 - Skype Logo
Importing an Image (01:13)
Start
Generate Art Boards (02:34)
Start
Adding Shapes (03:04)
Start
Groups and Shape Properties (03:05)
Preview
Adding Text (03:30)
Start
Exploring Some Property Tools (02:43)
Start
Section 6 - What's the Golden Ratio Grid?
Golden Ratio Grid (04:28)
Start
Golden Ratio Exercise
Start
Section 7 - A Lesson About Color
Color Lesson intro (00:29)
Start
Color Lesson Categories (03:40)
Start
Color Lesson Hue, Chroma, and Values (03:01)
Start
Color Lesson Further Considerations (03:38)
Start
Color Exercise
Start
Section 8 - Thinking About Shape, Form, and Color
Weather Icon: Part 1 (06:56)
Start
Weather Icon: Part 2 (07:05)
Start
Weather Icon: Part 3 (06:02)
Start
Photo Icon (05:11)
Start
Designing a Color Palette (03:23)
Start
A Different Approach to Color Palette Creation: 3x3 Color Palette (07:19)
Start
Evernote Logo (09:16)
Start
3D Shapes without Modeling (14:32)
Start
Section 9 - A Lesson About Typography
Typography Intro (01:04)
Start
Typography Initial Terminology (04:49)
Start
Typography Space between characters (06:57)
Start
Typography Organizing Text (04:34)
Start
Typography In Application Exercise
Start
Section 10 - Apple Developer Tips
Apple Developer Tips (18:46)
Start
Section 11 - Noke, our first App
Our first App (01:29)
Start
Brainstorming (05:48)
Start
Let's start with the Logo! (03:19)
Start
Building a Screen (02:49)
Start
Modifying the Main Control Bar (03:11)
Start
Wireframing: Friends Screen (08:02)
Start
Wireframing: Stats Screen (05:17)
Start
Wireframing: Check-In Screen (13:37)
Start
Wireframing: Profile Screen (07:05)
Start
Get This Plug In! (01:02)
Start
Adding Some Realistic Visual Information (04:41)
Start
Professional Manners: Keeping Our Elements Organized (07:37)
Start
Noke Stats Screen Update (05:53)
Start
Noke Check-In Screen Redesign (13:51)
Start
Noke Profile Screen Update (08:26)
Start
Noke Check-In Notification Screen Update (05:24)
Start
Creating a Parameters Icon for the Noke App (07:55)
Start
File Crash: Recovering From A Potentially Devastating Experience (03:46)
Start
Let's Redesign Our Icons! (15:57)
Start
Creating a Consistent Visual Vocabulary (11:14)
Start
Lost in Your Document? Center the Canvas! (01:25)
Start
Updating the Noke Icon (11:45)
Start
Creating a Launch Screen (01:04)
Start
Section 12 - Exporting our Content
Exporting our Art boards (05:14)
Start
Exporting Individual Elements (04:47)
Start
Slices (03:39)
Start
Exporting Slices (05:36)
Start
Exporting in Batches of Different Sizes (12:57)
Start
Section 13 - Design Parameters iOS
Design iOS: Part 1 (07:13)
Start
Design iOS: Part 2 (17:51)
Start
Looking into iOS App Anatomy (04:48)
Start
Section 14 - Logo Design
Logo Design: How to Begin (05:28)
Start
When Considering the Typeface (02:26)
Start
Making Intelligent Use of White Space / Don't Over-do It / Make It Active (05:40)
Start
Logos and Colors (15:40)
Start
Complementary Colors (04:49)
Start
Flexible Use of Color In Logos (02:56)
Start
iPhone 6 / iOS 8 Resource (01:29)
Start
Section 15 - Noke Assignment
Noke App Assignment (04:20)
Start
Noke App Assignment Tips / Things to Consider (05:07)
Start
Section 16 - My Solution to the Noke App
Noke Personal Results (03:33)
Start
Noke Results: Icons and Launch Screen (04:28)
Start
Noke Results: Add Multiple Friends Page (03:17)
Start
Noke Results: Friends Page (06:18)
Start
Noke Results: Find Friends Page (01:47)
Start
Noke Results: Graphs Tutorial I (06:01)
Start
Noke Results: Graphs Tutorial II (06:12)
Start
Noke Results: Circular Graphs (03:13)
Start
Noke Results: Donut Graphs (07:32)
Start
Noke Results: Check-In Page (07:47)
Start
Noke Results: Edit Profile Screen (10:22)
Start
Noke Results: Maps (09:17)
Start
Noke Results: Grey Version (03:04)
Start
Section 17 - Making the iOS 8 Settings Icon
Settings Icon: Part 1 (05:55)
Start
Settings Icon: Part 2 (09:04)
Start
Settings Icon: Part 3 (15:48)
Start
Settings Icon: Part 4 - Alternative Solution (03:20)
Start
Section 18 - Getting Sketch Assets Into Xcode
Adding Assets from Sketch into Xcode 6 (01:04)
Start
Section 19 - Design and Redesign: Facebook App
Facebook App Introduction (01:18)
Start
Facebook App: Document Setup / Observations (02:23)
Start
News Feed: Introduction (01:12)
Start
News Feed: Creating the Frame for Posts (04:00)
Start
News Feed: Like / Comment / Share Buttons (06:48)
Start
News Feed: Status / Photo / Check In Buttons (06:34)
Start
News Feed: Tab Bar Icons (10:06)
Start
News Feed: Replicating Text (06:41)
Start
News Feed: Making Our Icons Into Symbols (How to add your own shortcuts!) (03:40)
Start
News Feed: Placing Items / Finishing Screen (03:16)
Start
News Feed: Second Screen (06:31)
Start
Why People Use Facebook (04:11)
Start
News Feed: Ideas / Workflow (04:12)
Start
News Feed: Editing the Drop Down Menu (06:01)
Start
News Feed: Adding Notifications (01:13)
Start
News Feed: Left Tray Menu (05:39)
Start
News Feed Exercise (02:09)
Start
Notifications Explanation (03:59)
Start
Notifications Exercise (02:31)
Start
Profile Page Explanation (03:02)
Start
Profile Exercise (00:28)
Start
Requests Exercise (01:19)
Start
Facebook Parting Thoughts (02:07)
Start
Section 20 - Coming Soon...
Sketch Toolbox
Start
Designing the Evernote Logo with Vectors
Start
How to: Grids

 

[1458279]

From what I can determine, it looks like a pretty good tool. From the sounds of it, you'll be developing many apps and a good UI tool can be very helpful.

In looking at the appstore comments, it sounds like they still have a few bugs to work out, but that's pretty standard.

I'd say go for it and report back just how well it turned out.

 

[grandM]

From what I can determine, it looks like a pretty good tool. From the sounds of it, you'll be developing many apps and a good UI tool can be very helpful.

In looking at the appstore comments, it sounds like they still have a few bugs to work out, but that's pretty standard.

I'd say go for it and report back just how well it turned out.

I have bought the course. When I've finished my iOS course of them I'll dive in. If anyone sees a discount on sketch DO TELL The iOS course of bit fountain rocks by the way. I'm taking it bit by bit without exaggerating (still have other things to combine and taking it slowly somehow seems to help learning). I'll let you know how it turned out!

 

[grandM]

Without knowing the details of the course (what they claim to cover, how long it will last, etc.), it's hard to say. But, in general, if the apps you're planning on building are going to have any kind of front-end (screens, dialogs, etc.) with user interaction, it's probably a good idea to have some knowledge of UI/UX.



I'm curious. Is this course you're taking now not covering any UI/UX? What kind of apps are they making you write?

Thanks for the help!

 

[firewood]

Our iOS Design course teaches you everything you need to know to be a UI/UX designer.

Hardly. UI/UX design is a rare skill. It requires both artistic talent and a strong understanding of human psychology and behavior. There's a Stanford graduate program that may teach much of what's needed, but that program requires a strong background to even apply.

 

[1458279]

Hardly. UI/UX design is a rare skill. It requires both artistic talent and a strong understanding of human psychology and behavior. There's a Stanford graduate program that may teach much of what's needed, but that program requires a strong background to even apply.

That's one thing that I was thinking, it's too much of a sales pitch. The mention the job market and pay rates and seemed to focus on one product.

However, the price was hard to argue against, about the cost of a book.

I still don't understand the Sketch tool, does it generate code or does it tie in with Xcode or replace IB or is it a stand alone tool that is just for laying out screens?

Didn't seem very clear, but I guess you still have to build the screens in Xcode after using Sketch.

Either way, it seems like it's a tool to help you build screens after you know how the screens should be laid out.

 

[firewood]

... it seems like it's a tool to help you build screens after you know how the screens should be laid out.

In several tech talks, Apple's own app designers recommend pencil and paper for prototyping "screens". Don't let some tool get in the way of solving the real (human) problems.