If you are a creative person who likes to solve problems and look for a career that will let your creativity shine, UX design might be a perfect choice!
Becoming a user experience designer, you can spend most of your time designing websites and user interfaces that are easy for people to use.
The UX designer field is rising, with many organizations investing in better user experience. So, keep reading to understand this profession better!
Job Description
What is UX design?
User experience (UX) design refers to enhancing user satisfaction and developing the complete user experience.
Professionals in the field of UX design must have a robust understanding of psychology, design, and sociology to identify and handle real users’ problems.
Moreover, it requires tactical skills, such as user research, concept iteration, usability testing, and prototyping.
One of the most critical skills for the UX designer is communication.
What is a UX Designer?
UX designers refer to courses that use the art and science of designing an app/web with better accessibility and usability from the beginning, allowing users to get a more pleasant experience.
These professionals must learn the basics of app/website design and development, master standard UX design tools (such as Sketch, Photoshop, Mockplus, and Illustrator), and know how to check out an app/web design for better UX.
Education Requirements
This multifaceted career can be considered as drawing from elements of visual design, communications, computer science, and psychology.
That is why any degree in those areas can be used as a stepping-stone toward becoming a UX designer.
Many employers require their candidates to hold a bachelor’s degree, while a certificate (optional) can increase the chances of employment.
Depending on the team function the employer is trying to look for, a degree in a specific field might be preferred.
Essential Skills
Whether you have design experience or a degree, you need to strengthen the following skills:
Ability to Collaborate
A new product is typically designed and made by one team. So the ability to collaborate and communicate with other team members is indispensable.
Ability to Solve Problems
To solve any problem of customers effectively, you need to master problem-solving skills to become a successful UX designer.
Understand User Psychology
It is essential to know the client’s psychology while designing the user experience of new products.
Interface Design
To develop a better UX, professionals in this field must create interactive prototypes to check the feasibility of their design idea.
As a result, it is also essential to design interfaces and interactive prototypes.
Interactive Design
Once you understand user needs better, you must find the proper solutions to fulfill these needs. Many UX designers draw a UX flow and produce simple product prototypes to check their solutions.
Demand Analysis
As a UX designer, you must design the user experience based on the real user’s needs. Hence, the ability to perform user research and analyze their requirements is so essential.
Essential Tools
Here are some common Tools and Apps favored by many UX designers:
UX design tools
- Asana
- SurveyMonkey
- Miro
- Figma
- UsabilityHub
- Optimizely
Tools for UX research
- Typeform
- SurveyMonkey
- Google Forms
UX Tools for Ideation
- Miro
- Mural
- Lucidspark.
Tools for Prototyping and Wireframing
- Sketch
- Figma
- AdobeXD
- Balsamiq
User Testing Tools
- HotJar
- UserZoom
- Optimizely.
- UserTesting
- UsabilityHub
Job Outlook
The BLS predicts that jobs for industrial designers, including user-experience designers, will decrease by 4% from 2019 to 2029
The demand for these professionals is increasing steadily. LinkedIn said UX design is one of the top five in-demand skills as of 2020. Meanwhile, Glassdoor added it to the list of the best 50 jobs in 2022.
The reason is that more and more companies understand the importance of UX design and how it can affect their overall business goals and revenue.
Google even added it to their ranking algorithm. If Google thinks your users do not have a good experience on your site, your site’s ranking may suffer.
Besides, businesses are forced to invest more in their UX to maintain a competitive edge in today’s tech market.
Salary
The average annual salary for a UX designer in the US is $102,454. It equates to $49.26 per hour, $1,970 per week, and $8,537 per month.
Most UX designer salaries range from $80,000 to $120,000, with top earners getting $141,000 across the United States.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Like most professions, being a UX designer has both pros and cons, including:
- UX is fascinating
- Study UX design online
- UX design improves lives
- UX design is a future-proof career
- Easy access to learning resources
- A UX designer’s day is never dull
- A great career choice for job changers
- An incredible range of job opportunities
- UX designers earn above-average salaries
- It may require you to spend long days in front of the computer screen.
- It can also be stressful.
- There are many battles to contend with.
FAQs
What’s the Difference Between UX And UI Designers?
UI design involves the visual appearances of a product and is considered a subset of UX design. But what UX designers and UI designers do is different.
In other words, their core concerns, the design tools they choose, and the colors they use for app/web design are different.
How to Become a UX Designer Easily?
Many different pathways allow you to pursue this profession. But if you do not know where to start, these 9 steps are worth a try.
Step 1. Define your motivation
Step 2. Read books to grab the fundamentals of UX design
Step 3. Join a UX design class/course.
Step 4. Learn and master several essential design tools.
Step 5. Practice and enhance UX design skills via actual projects.
Step 6. Create social media accounts and follow the best UX design websites.
Step 7. Make portfolios/resumes online.
Step 8. Search for a UX designer job and prepare for one interview or more
Step 9. Never stop practicing and learning.
How Long Will It Take To Become a UX Designer?
There is no exact answer as it depends on your personal conditions and many other factors. Everyone has different times to learn something, and learning UX design is no exception.
But, if you take a UX design course with the guidance of an expert designer, your path to becoming an expert in this field will be significantly shortened.
Can Graphic Designers Become UX Designers?
The short answer is yes. With basic design skills and knowledge, it is faster and easier for a graphic designer to learn UX design and gain a UX design job.
Do I Need to Code to Be One UX Designer?
No. It is not necessary to code to become a UX designer. But if you have time and prefer to expand your design knowledge, learning about coding is a good idea.
Knowing how to code a new product or an interface will help broaden your minds, successfully making a web design for better and easier development.
What Are the Most Common Job Titles in UX Design?
There is a vast diversity in UX design job titles, as UX Designers can work across many industries. Here are some of the most common UX Designer job titles you can encounter during a job seek:
- UX Analyst.
- UX Engineer.
- UX Designer.
- UX Architect.
- UX Strategist.
- Usability Tester.
- UX Researcher.
- UX Developer.
- Visual Designer.
- Content Strategist.
- Product Designer.
- User Researcher.
- Interaction Designer.
- Experience Designer.
- Information Architect.
- Information Architect.
- UX Product Manager.
How do I know I am a good fit for a career in UX design?
- You thrive on a variety
- You put people first
- You’re a stickler for detail
- You’re an excellent collaborator
- You enjoy problem-solving
- You want to make a difference
- You want long-term job security
- You’re interested in technology
- You want to earn a decent salary
- You want the chance to branch out
- You have dreams of going freelance
- You want to be creative and analytical
- You’re prepared for a steep learning curve
Is UX Design a Good Career?
Yes, it is a promising career. UX design is a growing field that pays well and holds various day-to-day tasks. You will flourish here well if you are one creative guy with technological knowledge.
Why Is UX Design Important?
If someone’s experience with your app or website is good, they will use it again and again! Good design makes this user experience, and it is often why customers continue to use an app or site.
What Industries Are Hiring UX Designers?
Most people assume that UX designers work in the tech field. But technology has reached everywhere, so the designer is becoming more specialized.
Here are some industries where UX design is making a significant contribution:
- Business
- Retail
- Education
- Advertising
- Healthcare
- Telecommunications
- Government and Military
- Non-profit Organizations
- Computing, Software, and IT
- Finance and insurance
- Consultants
- Emerging Technologies
- Aerospace and Automotive
- Media, Printing, and Publishing
Who Gets Paid More, UX or UI?
UX designer salaries are usually higher than those of the UI design field.
What Soft Skills Do UX Designers Need?
Soft skills are personality skills that help a designer connect with users and work as part of a team. Following are the critical soft skills that a UX Designer should have:
- Empathy
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
Career Advice
Becoming one UX designer is not a task you can get overnight. It requires hard work, determination, and time, especially for people with no related design degree or any design experience. However, this doesn’t mean it is not feasible.
Just study in related fields, then hone and strengthen your skills and knowledge continuously, even if you become a UX designer. That way, you will soon become a successful expert in this field.