My Journey to becoming a UI/UX Designer

I have always loved tech, even if I didn’t know how to get started or where to focus on. I came across a post on Facebook by Precious Chukundah concerning a 1 month Product Design bootcamp, and I thought I should give it a try. I had known about the term UI/UX before, however never had a thought of what it was actually about, or how significant it was in creating new products or enhancing existing ones.

The journey was a sweet but not so sweet one, as it was really intense. Our instructors were one of the best you could ever come across, as we were taught with real experiences and didn’t have to rely on textbook knowledge. We went through the various processes involved in product creation.

The bootcamp ran for a month with everyday being more interesting than the previous one. I looked forward to the next class because I knew I was going to learn something new, and from the best hands. We were made to carry out individual projects of our choice.

During the time, as a result of the pandemic, we had to stay indoors, and markets shut, I experienced how difficult it was to get fresh foodstuff without going to the markets, and I decided to design an app that solves that problem.

I came up with the app FoodMarket.ng, which is an app that allows people in Port harcourt shop for their fresh foodstuff online. The app also makes provision for partnerships with delivery companies and local food vendors who would want to expand their businesses.

We were taught research is essential in enabling us pinpoint the core features users need before jumping straight into designing any product. So I began researching about my target users and how the app would help solve their existing problems. Based on my research, I figured this app will be needed mostly by busy people, and those looking for an easy yet convenient way to get their fresh foodstuff online.

After I was done with the research I went ahead to create the user personas based on their goals, needs, and behaviors which I discovered during the research phase. Creating the personas made it possible to create user flow diagrams depicting the path each user will take to achieve their goal while using the app.

When I had the user flow diagrams figured out, I started the low-fi wireframe, and Hi-fi wireframes. Wireframing looked easy until I had to figure out how each page should look. I was able to complete my wireframes and then moved to prototyping.

The journey was really an interesting one, and I think I have finally found a path in tech I could pursue and become a master at. Am I a certified UI/UX designer now? Of course not, but I am headed there as I have a good basic foundation of the processes involved, which is the most important.

Thanks to Chigisoft for the opportunity to tread this path, it was an awesome choice I made, and willing to pursue further. Our instructors Precious Chukundah and Micheal Ajah were simply the best. I won’t forget Ayoleyi Lurogho who always ensured we carried out all taskes successfully.

Here is the mobile app I designed during the bootcamp. I can say I learnt a lot in such a short while.

User Personas

Low-fi