Steve Voong and Ally Taylor are two UX Academy graduates who’ve both recently landed UX designer jobs at WebstaurantStore. Before UX Academy, Steve was working as a graphic designer, and Ally as a pastry chef. Their past experiences made them an ideal fit for this restaurant supply and distribution company.
Choosing and Learning UX Design Through UX Academy
“What motivated me to learn UX design was my stagnant growth in design, and I wanted to learn more in order to expand my passion for design,” says Steve.
He had heard from numerous people that UX design is a hot field to learn, and while he realized that UX isn’t widely known in his hometown of Las Vegas, he made the decision to stay ahead of the game.
Ally on the other hand, a designer of fine pastries, felt so lucky that she was able to explore her passion for baking as a first career. But, she confesses she started to feel burnt out after a while, and became curious about what other jobs were like.
After deciding to take a break from baking, Ally worked in a coffee shop. “Every morning I took orders for a design team down the street. I found out they created the branding for the coffee shop as well as the restaurant that my boyfriend was a chef at. I loved their work but knew I didn’t want to do graphic design. This curiosity led me to UX design! By the time the first wave of the pandemic hit I was researching how I could use my creativity and problem-solving skills,” says Ally.
Both Steve and Ally did their due diligence in researching UX design bootcamps, and ultimately settled on UX Academy for similar reasons.
“I read these success stories, which gave me the confidence to pursue UX Academy. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and also did a price comparison. At the end of the day, I felt like the higher-priced bootcamps wouldn’t make me a better designer or give me more connections, rather, it was about the amount of effort and work you put in,” Ally says. “I also chose Designlab because I heard great things about the student community and mentors!”
Steve says, ”After researching the pros and cons of each bootcamp, I found that Designlab gives the most at the best price. The most important thing that I needed in learning UX was a mentor; someone who can guide me on whether or not I was learning correctly. UX Academy was one of the few things in my life that I’ve had ZERO regrets about. I’m happy to say that I can talk about my designs with much more confidence now!”
Ally was initially on the UX Academy full-time track and later switched to part-time. “At first, I was trying to prove to myself that I could complete it quickly. I then realized it's okay to learn at your own pace. The flexibility to switch tracks was super helpful. I was able to take my time and really absorb what I was learning. I also thoroughly enjoyed the mentorship, it was very encouraging and I needed that support,” she says.