A group of people sit around a table, picking out colours and features to design a website.
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IBAT College introduces UX/UI design diploma due to skills shortage

26 Aug 2021

Following an analysis of the Irish jobs market and conversations with students, the Dublin institution has launched a diploma in UX/UI design.

In a bid to fill a skills gap in the Irish jobs market, IBAT College Dublin is introducing a new diploma course focused on user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design.

The enterprise-focused third-level institution is bringing in the online diploma in UX/UI design this autumn, along with a number of other new courses.

Joe Gorey, principal at IBAT College, said it had carried out a “comprehensive review” with a “thorough analysis of the skills gap in the Irish job market for working professionals”, which led to its decision to launch the new diploma courses.

Feedback from IBAT College students was also a major influence on the decision, he added, and it saw demand for online short courses soar during the pandemic as people looked to upskill during lockdown.

The online diploma in UX/UI design will start on 22 September and will run for 11 weeks, with teaching hours taking place every Wednesday evening.

Students will learn the principles of interface design, as well as how to apply these to real-world and business settings. They will also learn concepts, practices and techniques to improve user experience.

Many companies require UX and UI designers on their teams to ensure their websites and online services are user-friendly and fully interactive. A 2019 report showed a 320pc increase in UX design jobs in Ireland in recent years.

Last year, Siliconrepublic.com found out from Litha Ramirez, a UX designer at Chicago-based digital transformation agency SPR, that people with her skills were more in demand than ever, and will continue to be post-pandemic, as many companies look to their design teams to help them navigate new challenges.

The importance of UI design was also demonstrated recently when Twitter’s new look prompted users to complain about the appearance of the follow and unfollow buttons as well as the typeface change.

The new course at IBAT will prepare students for the future of UX and UI design, as well as the social and psychological impact of design.

Graduates who wish to avail of further career progression opportunities in web development can progress on to IBAT College’s diploma in web design or its advanced diploma in front-end development. For information on how to apply, see here.

Blathnaid O’Dea
By Blathnaid O’Dea

Blathnaid O’Dea joined Silicon Republic in 2021 as Careers reporter, coming from a background in the Humanities. She likes people, pranking, pictures of puffins – and apparently alliteration.

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