Working on a real project is a mandatory part of the program at the Brainster UX/UI Design Bootcamp.
Through this way of working, students have the opportunity to upgrade their skills and apply all the knowledge gained from the lectures. That is why we organized and held another hackathon at this Bootcamp.
The attendees of this hackathon were the students from the UX/UI Design Bootcamp and the Coding Bootcamp. Their challenge was to create an e-shop platform, in just 48 hours, for the client, Altius.
According to the hackathons’ conditions, the participants were divided, into four teams, each with four members. To each team, a mentor was assigned, available all the time for advice, support and assistance. Although it was quite difficult and unpredictable, there was a lot of fun. We studied, worked and socialized online via the Zoom platform.
Choosing the winning solution was not an easy process.
A new hackathon at the UX/UI Design Bootcamp
But, in the final, two teams together, under the mentorship of Martin and Barbara K. came to the winning solution.
Team 1, composed of the members: Aleksandra, Anastasija, Bozikaliev, Jana, Mile were under the mentorship of Martin Tenovski. They joined the forces with Team 2: Marija, Elena, Ivana, Damjan, Zoran, under the mentorship of Barbara K. Vidinovski.
Next, we will share with you the atmosphere at the hackathon, as well as the challenge that the students faced. The teams and one of the mentors will share their experience with us first-hand and will tell a little bit about the whole process that every UX/UI designer has to go through working on a real project.
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Brainster: Colleagues, the end of the Bootcamp is approaching. You have worked hard on real projects, case studies, participated in two Hackathons, and now you are coding your portfolio.
Congratulations on everything you have achieved during this period. How do you feel about the newly acquired skill set and the achievements of the past year?
Thank you for the congrats. We had a great time, quite dynamic and had an unforgettable experience. Through socializing, hard work and learning, we got to where we are today, with a solidly built base for the beginning of a new era on a professional level. We can now say that we feel much more confident and self-assured, both personally and professionally.
Brainster: How difficult was it for you to master the technical part (the tools) of the Bootcamp? How much did the project work help you to be more confident in using these tools?
To master any tool and to feel confident working on it, can be achieved by practising and working on real projects.
Brainster: Which module unexpectedly “tired you out”? And where did you go easier than you expected?
Frontend (sorry Gorjan 😀) tired us the most because it requires a lot of practice and practical work. But the instructor is great and tries to teach us the material in the easiest way possible and to reveal the tricks for easier work and learning.
Now, with coding the portfolios, we have the opportunity to practice more, and that gives us more confidence in the work.
When it comes to the easier than expected module, for us was the Storytelling with design, with the mentor Zlatan Mujcin.
Brainster: The real project that was given to you as a challenge for this Hackathon was making an online store. What is the difference between creating an online store and a website?
It is much more complex. Each project has its specifics. It all depends on the type of the product/service, the client’s requirements and the target group we want to reach.
Brainster: This time you also had a mentor who helped you. What is your experience of this Hackathon compared to the previous one?
The experience from the second Hackathon was different. In the first hackathon, we organized ourselves and the responsibility for success fell on the whole team.
While this time we organized together, with the help of the mentor. He was at our disposal all time and we learned a lot from him in a short time. The complexity of this project, the brief and the client requirements were different. That’s why the organization and the experience corresponded to the magnitude of the challenge we faced in this Hackathon.
Brainster: What was the biggest challenge you faced these 48 hours?
The biggest challenge was to be able to do everything within 48 hours and also to achieve the goal of the project itself, in terms of functionality and impressive design.
Brainster: Is there a recipe for successfully overcoming the challenges and if so, what is it?
Yes, the recipe is “to never stop learning” – mindset. Also, it’s important the continuous improvement of the practice of technical tools.
We also asked a few questions to one of the mentors who participated in the Hackathon.
Brainster: Martin, you were a mentor to team 1 at the hackathon. Do you think that this methodology of learning through competition, teamwork on making a real project helps in overcoming UX and UI design challenges?
Above all, it was a great pleasure to be a mentor to one of the groups that participated in the hackathon. I think that the competition itself was an opportunity to learn many new things, as well as to improve what students already know. However, the good company and the atmosphere were some of the key factors for this hackathon to be successful.
This kind of learning contributes to greater awareness when it comes to teamwork and much more taking into account the focus and the level of the student’s professionalism, as well as their commitment to complete the project on time and offer a realistic and functional solution.
The theoretical part is nothing without practical work. Therefore, such competitions, ie working on real projects are the ones that build quality future UX/UI professionals.
Brainster: What do you think students get from this type of learning?
They show their creativity on a more advanced level, they learn a lot of new things, they socialize, and they see the view of design as their future profession from a real aspect and understand how it works. All this makes future generations of UX/UI designers fall in love with their profession.
So another hackathon ended at the UX /UI Design Bootcamp.
The students completed the project and were part of an unforgettable experience. Congratulations on the winning solution!
If you want to learn further about UX/UI Design and master your skill, we invite you to join our remote and live Bootcamp.
