The web has changed the way we do things, from shopping to searching for a job.
And with this change comes a need for people who design websites that can help us get what we want more efficiently.
Designing for the web has become an important skill and is fast becoming a growing area of the labour market.
If you’ve ever wondered if UX design is suitable for you, this article will give you a sense of what this field demands — and whether or not it is a career change you’re interested in.
By the end of this post, you’ll have an actionable, step-by-step guide outlining everything you need to know to become a UX designer.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- What exactly does a UX designer do?
- Will UX designers be in high demand in 2022?
- What impact has Covid-19 had on the industry?
- What should UX designers expect to earn in 2022?
- A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a UX Designer
As we approach 2022, there has never been a better time for a new beginning. Are you ready for yours? Let’s get started!
What Is UX and What Exactly Does a UX Designer Do?
The term “user experience” (or UX) refers to a person’s interaction with a product or service.
Consider trying to shop online or book a vacation.
In an ideal world, you’d find a website or app that’s simple to use and allows you to quickly find what you’re looking for. You’ve made a purchase and are on your way in no time. That’s what we mean by a good user experience!
If you’re unlucky, you’ll end up on a website or app that’s difficult to use. Perhaps the page takes a long time to load, or the layout is so confusing that you end up going in circles. This is referred to as a bad user experience.
Good and bad user experiences are not accidental; they are the result of either good or bad design! That’s where user experience designers come in.
They consider every element that influences the user experience, whether it’s for a digital product, such as an app or website, or a physical product, such as a smartphone.
To create seamless user experiences for products, services, and processes, UX designers combine market research, product development, strategy, and design.
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding how to be a UX expert. If you want to be a nurse, you must attend nursing school. You go to law school if you want to be a lawyer. However, there aren’t as many traditional paths that lead to UX; so, how do you become a UX designer?
In section 5, where you’ll find our step-by-step guide, we’ll show you exactly how. But first, let’s move on to the next section, where we’ll look at the state of the UX industry in 2022.
Will UX Designers Be in High Demand in 2022?
Before you invest significant time and money into a career change, you should be certain that your future job prospect is secure.
While many industries were severely impacted by the global Covid-19 pandemic, the technology industry was among the first to recover.
There are over 4,500 job openings on LinkedIn. If you narrow your search to “product designer,” a role that requires many UX skills and principles, you’ll find over 29,000 open positions.
That’s a lot of opportunity for anyone starting in the UX field!
In light of remote work and social distancing policies, many businesses are looking for new ways to provide value to their customers. This has meant going digital for some. For others, it has meant reviewing and improving their user experience to gain a competitive advantage.
UX designers have always been critical to the success of any product or service, and the Covid-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of a positive user experience even more.
What impact has Covid-19 had on the industry?
Fortunately, there are still plenty of UX design jobs available, and we expect this to continue into 2022 and beyond.
That’s not to say the global pandemic hasn’t had an impact on the UX industry; with the rise of remote work and certain industries faring better than others, UX designers should expect some changes in where and how they work.
So, what can the UX industry expect during (and after) the Covid-19 pandemic? Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new:
- Demand for remote work has increased.
- The need to be up to date with trending processes
- More industries have a greater need for UX designers.
- There is an increased emphasis on thoughtful, inclusive design
We’ve only scratched the surface of the state of the UX industry in 2022. Check out this round-up of key UX trends for a more in-depth look at what to expect.
What should UX designers expect to earn in 2022?
Salary is another important factor to consider when changing careers. The amount you earn as a UX designer is determined by a variety of factors, including where you live, the type of company and industry you work for, and your level of experience.
A UX designer’s yearly salary in the United States ranged between $69,600 and $114,300 at the time of writing, depending on location, experience, seniority, and specialized skills.
The best way to determine your earning potential as a newly qualified UX designer is to look at salary data in your area on sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, and Payscale.
Now that you have a better understanding of the UX job market
It’s never been more important to design thoughtful, enjoyable, and inclusive user experiences — and as a UX designer, you can help shape the products and services of tomorrow.
Does that make sense? Let’s take a step-by-step look at how you can become a UX designer.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming a UX Designer
We’ll walk you through eight steps to becoming a UX designer.
The first three will assist you in determining whether UX is truly for you.
The next five are all about developing the technical expertise (hard skills) and professional capital (soft skills) you’ll need to persuade design leads and hiring managers that you’re the right person for the job.
Without further ado, here are the eight steps required to become a UX designer:
- Start learning about user experience (UX)
- Understand the fundamentals of user experience design
- Discover the most important UX design methodologies and procedures
- Invest in a reputable UX course to help you organize your learning
- Use everything you’ve learned to work on real-world tasks.
- Acquire a working knowledge of the tools of the trade.
- Create a UX portfolio.
- Make connections with both aspiring and seasoned designers.
Are you prepared to be a user experience (UX) designer? Excellent. So let’s get started.
1. Start learning about user experience (UX)
This is where you ask yourself “Is this is for me?”
You should aim to develop a broad understanding of the field and then you should develop an understanding of its current status.
You can do this by spending your time in UX communities, listening to podcasts, chatting with people in the field, browsing established UX blogs for beginners, purchasing the most authoritative introductory books, or a combination of all of the above.
2. Understand the fundamentals of user experience design
User-centricity is the golden rule of UX design, and each of the more particular principles and best practices you come across feeds into this one universal idea.
But, exactly, what does “user-centricity” imply? It’s all about putting the user first, which means designing with real people in mind and making decisions based on what they need rather than what you think they need.
It will be your role as a UX designer to advocate for the user while also keeping business stakeholders satisfied.
This entails determining who your target consumers are, learning what they require and anticipate from the product you’re creating, and then providing a solution that is user-friendly, technically possible, and financially successful.
We also recommend checking out usability.gov’s user experience basics, product designer Andrew Zacek’s five principles of design for a better user experience, and Steve Jobs’ six important principles of UX for more study on the subject of key UX concepts.
3. Discover the most important UX design methodologies and procedures
It’s time to start studying how to do UX design now that you have a good understanding of what it entails.
From conducting user research to sketching wireframes to constructing prototypes and running user testing, UX designers use a variety of methodologies and strategies.
Identify the key processes that make up the UX design process and discover what goes into each as part of your induction into the profession. This will allow you to begin working with your hands.
Familiarize yourself with the UX design process as a whole before diving into individual techniques. You’ll want to gain a general understanding of all the steps involved in designing (or redesigning) an effective user experience at this point.
As a starting point, check out UX Mastery’s A-Z of UX techniques and UX Planet’s big bumper guide to some of the most common UX design methods.
If you prefer to learn through video, the CareerFoundry YouTube channel has a wealth of information.
4. Invest in a reputable UX course to help you organize your learning
As you may have noticed, there is an abundance of content available, and while this is great for background reading, it will not turn you into an employable UX designer. What you require now is a methodical, hands-on approach to learning.
When it comes to selecting a UX design course, you want to make sure you’re getting the most value for your money. After all, it’s an investment in your future, so you want to get it right — and not all UX design courses are created equal.
So, what should you look for when selecting a UX design course? Based on our extensive industry knowledge, we’ve compiled a checklist of pointers to help you distinguish the best from the rest:
a. Project-based education
Look for a course that requires you to work with your hands. Employers will want to see that you have mastered the necessary practical skills, so simply learning the theory will not suffice.
b. A strong emphasis on portfolio development
This is related to the previous point.
It’s critical to graduate from your chosen course with something tangible to show for it, and your design portfolio will be the first thing employers will look at.
Choose a course that will not only get you started on at least one portfolio project but will also assist you in refining and polishing your portfolio in preparation for the job market.
c. Human guidance
There are no two ways about it: learning a completely new field from the ground up is difficult.
What you don’t want to do is pay a lot of money for a UX design course only to be left to go through the material on your own.
The most effective courses on the market include human support as part of the curriculum.
Choose a course that connects you with at least one industry expert, whether it’s a mentor, a tutor, or (ideally!) both.
d. Curriculum designed by experts
Be cautious of curated content.
Many course providers will wax lyrical about their expert curriculum, which, upon closer inspection, is a collection of third-party content.
It’s common for a UX design course to direct you to additional resources for further reading, but the core syllabus should be written (and updated regularly) by expert curriculum writers.
e. Career Support
Only half of the battle is won when you have the necessary talents.
Look for a course that offers specialized career help if you’re serious about breaking into the field and securing a UX role.
5. Use everything you’ve learned to work on real-world tasks
Because UX design is such a hands-on field, you’ll want to get as much hands-on experience as possible.
Fortunately, UX ideas and methods can be applied to almost everything, so this isn’t as difficult as it may appear.
Unless you’re fortunate enough to get a paying customer while you’re still learning the ropes, you’ll have to be proactive — and creative — in your search for experience.
Here are three crucial ideas for getting hands-on with design to get you started on the right foot:
- Volunteer your newly acquired talents to non-profit groups
- Perform unannounced redesigns, or look for ways to incorporate UX into your present job
- Take advantage of every opportunity to learn by doing.
6. Acquire a working knowledge of the tools of the trade
Employers look for mastery of the correct tools when it comes to recruiting UX designers.
To get started right away, you’ll need to be familiar with the most important design software.
Prototyping software, UI design tools, and user testing platforms, to name a few, are all part of the designer’s arsenal.
There is no hard-and-fast rule about which tools you should employ because there is such a large selection.
Before playing with some of the newer programs on the market, such as Figma, start with the big names (such as InVision and Sketch).
7. Create a UX portfolio
Your portfolio is your golden ticket to a career as a UX designer.
It demonstrates to employers that you have mastered the necessary abilities and know how to apply them.
Fill your portfolio with detailed case studies as you obtain real-world experience.
Describe your process for each case study; illustrate how you solved the challenge and came up with the final design solution.
Keep all project materials in your portfolio if you want your portfolio to tell a visual tale.
To learn more about what a portfolio should include, click here.
8. Make connections with both aspiring and seasoned designers
Never downplay the importance of a strong industry network.
You’ll pick up a lot about the industry just by being among other designers, so start networking early.
Join dedicated Slack channels, attend local meet-ups, reach out to seasoned designers on LinkedIn, invite your UX colleagues out for lunch, and attend local meet-ups.
This is just a small example of how you can put yourself out there and gain first-hand experience in the field.
Takeaway: How to become a UX designer
Whether you have previous industry experience or a current job title, following the eight important steps mentioned in this article will put you on the right track to becoming a certified UX designer.
Are you prepared to make it a reality?
Check out the following resources from careerfoundry for further information:
Also, don’t forget to you can get free resources at your fingertips by following TechSage on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for UX design insights and advice.
