If you want to be a UX Designer, there are some specific steps you will need to take. Understanding design fundamentals, product development, strategy, user and market research are among the top requirements. While numerous designers begin in development or design, there is no one way to advance in this career. The majority of people working as a UX Designer started in a related area and then learned the skills they needed to make the transition. Anyone passionate about UX can find a way to utilize their current skills and learn the ones they need to succeed.
What Are the Fundamentals of UX Design?
You will need to develop and learn a variety of technical skills to become a UX Designer. Collecting data for strategy and user research, user interface design, prototyping and wireframing and responsive web design will be some of the key skills to tackle.
It is essential to have a great soft skills foundation that includes communication skills, collaboration, and project management to work in this field.
Partaking in bootcamps and UX design courses is the perfect way to perfect these skills and start your UX design career. More organizations value experience and demonstratable skills over diplomas and credentials. The hands-on aspects of UX design bootcamps will give you the immersive learning atmosphere you crave. These bootcamps often discuss strategy and cover design research, usability testing and prototyping along with responsive design and user interface design. You can plan on spending 20 to 25 hours a week to finish projects and approximately 40 hours in the classroom. Once the program is done, you will have some sparkling new skills and a portfolio that is industry-ready to show off.
Understanding and Implementing Essential Design Tools
There is a wide range of digital tools you will learn to create specific user experiences. These include plenty of wireframing tools including Adobe XD, Sketch, Figma, Illustrator, Marvel, Axure and InVision Studio to name a few. You will get familiar with Photoshop to access interface design as well. Gaining the skills now to master these programs will help your creativity shine.
The most popular platform for prototyping is InVision; however, Sketch is also commonly used. When you require advanced prototyping and micro-interactions and testable models, there are plenty of choices including ProtoPie, Framer, Flinto and Principle. These programs are fun and exciting to work with. Don't try to master everything in one day. Understand there is a learning curve to this and be patient with yourself.
Master Your UX Design Skills By Working On Projects
In theory, understanding how to create UX design projects is one thing but of course, it is another to complete it. Creating your own projects will help you refine your skills and practice your abilities. This is a great way to decipher new challenges and gain experience. You can take comfort in knowing that all the work you are generating can become part of your UX design portfolio at the end of the day.
Starting up your own UX jobs will give you ample opportunities to apply your newfound skills to every aspect of the UX design scape. Undertaking user research and market research and growing your personal development will help you craft a logical and artistic journey. You will incorporate wireframing, information architecture, user testing, prototyping and use the knowledge along the way to help you complete a variety of projects.
There are many kinds of projects that will be beneficial for you to practice developing. This will help you strengthen your UX design skills in a variety of areas. Delve into projects that use your design thinking process and ones that test your UX design fundamentals knowledge. Try different research strategies, and user research strategies to obtain practice with responsive designs and developing UI design elements.
As you work ahead, you will master many skillsets including enhancing your soft skills. Your work will have you collaborating with project stakeholders and teammates alike. Being able to think like someone who uses your product will allow you to creatively solve problems and build designs that are responsive to their ideas and feedback.
Preparing for Relevant UX Design Jobs
Since UX Designers work within a variety of industries, there is understandably a major diversity in UX design job titles. The following is a list of some of the most popular UX design job titles that you may run into while searching for jobs:
- Content Strategist
- UX Researcher
- Product Designer
- UX Engineer
- Visual Designer
- UX Developer
- UX Analyst
- UX Product Manager
- UX Designer
- Usability Tester
- Information Architect
- UX Strategist
- Interaction Designer
- UX Architect
Create Your UX Design Work Portfolio & Showcase Your Skills
After you have mastered your UX skills, you will be able to concentrate on creating your portfolio. This will allow you to streamline your application process when applying for UX design roles. There is a strategy to consider when you are developing your portfolio. Many people think more is better and want to include every detail that they have learned. It is wise to research any company before you apply to them. This will allow you to focus on your objectives. It may be better to choose 5 sites that relate directly to the achievements of the business and highlight the active role you will be contributing to their success.
Ensure that your portfolio offers an accurate representation of who you are. Be authentic and personal with your biography and include a portrait. Have this vibe overflow into the work you choose to showcase. Consider having each portfolio aspect acting as a story around the project life cycle. Include your process, your unique abilities and all the creative energy you have to offer.
Can You Become a UX Designer With No Experience?
Yes, you can become a UX Designer without any previous work experience. While experience or education in a design-related field is a great first step toward becoming a UX Designer, it isn’t an absolute necessity. In fact, it’s also quite common to have a background in psychology or the social sciences, which can be leveraged in the user research phase of UX.
Tech consulting is one of the industries that UX Designers migrate from. Understanding what is involved with user research and using these tactics regarding experience design will help you be successful.
There are a variety of transferable skills that can get someone ready for this role such as collaboration, brainstorming, accepting constructive criticism, empathy, active listening, accepting feedback and more. You will be working in a team environment and communication is essential. You will be ready to begin your skills training once you have developed these skills.
Is UX Design Growing?
Among technology fields, UX design is one of the quickest growing. In the USA, there are over 20k jobs for UX design, according to statistics from Glassdoor.
UX demands are growing with things like online shopping becoming more popular. Businesses that have totally embraced UX principles for most of their customer interactions have done the best during Covid-19. They are set up to deal with clients remotely and many operate thriving business models.
More and more, retailers are offering experiences and services that extend far beyond their central product offerings, and UX is at the core of it. Even in the world of eCommerce, brands are increasingly focused on trying to anticipate what you want and when you want it, using advanced personalization methods to cater to their clients’ wants and ultimately boost their sales.
What Aspects Do I Need To Learn As A UX Designer?
There is a variety of skills you will want to master in this line of work including the basics of user interface design, learning the fundamentals of user experience and responsive design among others. They are described in greater detail below:
Strategies for User Research
To anticipate and understand users' needs, behavior, and motivation and how to transfer this information into product designs and specific requirements are vital. You will learn how to conduct user research to maximize these strategies.
Maximizing User Interface Design
Grow your skills with color, images, typography, and illustration to create an eye-catching end product. Maximize your ability to utilize industry tools including Sketch. Learning various methods for maintaining and designing user interface pattern libraries and how to design professional interfaces will deliver greater usability and creativity.
Fundamentals Of User Experience Design
Your training needs to cover a variety of elements to be thorough. Developing solutions for problem spaces you identify and having experience with design sprint methods is essential. It is important to know how to create prototypes and wireframes by using design tools such as InVision and Sketch.
Strategies for Design Research
A key element of UX design is user research. Make sure your training covers how to conduct user research thoroughly. It is necessary to acknowledge users' motivations, needs and behavior. This knowledge is necessary to ensure you can communicate complex interactions and experience maps visually and with clarity.
Creating Responsive Design
You can create both high-fidelity and low-fidelity websites and apps by applying industry-standard design principles. Know how to maximize breakpoints and grids in your design process to deliver projects that offer a seamless experience that is responsive regardless of the screen size.
Never forget, in this field, your learning is continuous. You will be growing your skills as a UX Designer and updating your abilities all the time. Staying abreast of new trends and learning new tools as techniques emerge will become your norm. You will stay on top of trends as they evolve, discover new tools and streamline fresh techniques.
How Much Does A UX Designer Make?
On average, a UX Designer's salary ranges between 85K and 135K.
