Nurturing UX / UI design with Bath Spa University

Since March 2023, Transform Digital has partnered with Bath Spa Short Courses — delivered by Bath Spa University — to host a series of webinars on building websites, designing for accessibility, and creating a design portfolio for UX / UI design students.

Georgine, Senior Graphic Designer, and Nick, Senior Multimedia Designer, have also conducted mock interviews for each cohort, giving students the opportunity to hone their interview skills. In this blog post, we catch up both George and Nick on what the past six months have taught them.

How did Transform Digital get involved with Bath Spa’s Skills Bootcamp in UX / UI Design?

George: I actually studied with the course leader, James Shaw, at Bath Spa University years ago. He reached out earlier in the year looking for professional speakers for the course and I thought: one of our company values is to foster curiosity, particularly across the South West, so the whole business might want to get involved. One Lunch & Learn later — which is where we talk things through with the team (and distract them with food) before rushing ahead with anything — and I’d managed to rope the rest of the team in.

Nick: As George mentions, I was very much roped in — but I'm glad she did. My path into this industry wouldn’t be classed as traditional, so I was happy to share my experience to help students feel they have more options than they thought.

Why is this kind of partnership important to the industry?

George: I loved professional lectures when at university. They were a great insight into how real-life designers worked, making the transition from student to professional worker bee far less scary. It’s also an amazing opportunity to impart a few nuggets of knowledge — like: how to make designs more accessible — and help inspire the next wave of designers. This can only lead to a more diverse and innovative industry.

Nick: The industry is always looking for passion, and being able to give students the opportunity to see the potential of their passion is an incredibly powerful tool. While I certainly don’t pretend to know everything, sharing different experiences from real world examples can make a real difference with how students focus that passion going forward.

What have you learned from the students?

George: To stay curious. At the end of each webinar, the students had great — sometimes challenging — questions. And even when I didn’t know the answer, it inspired me to find out more. It reminded me we’re always learning, no matter how far along in our career we are.

Nick: The great resources that are available, but don’t know about until someone mentions them. I've got at least four new bookmarks on my work computer now for resources, so I can't complain!

Here at Transform Digital, we actively look for social outreach opportunities like these wherever possible, to support and work with people who are interested in going into a design and digital marketing career wherever possible — as do our sister companies, Transform Comms and Transform ESG. If you want to discuss speaking opportunities with us, get in contact today by emailing info@transformdigi.co.uk.