How to Become a UX Designer

Published 2021-12-28 21:54:16.0

It's booming UX -Job market still? Would you want to work as a UX designer in a startup or an established company? What is it like working as a UX designer now that remote work is becoming the new norm? And most importantly, how can you successfully start a new career and pursue your career path as a UX designer?

So many questions! But no worry. By the end of this post, you will have a clear overview of the current UX job market (spoiler alert: UX designers are still in high demand, and the prospects are pretty exciting).

You'll also find a handy step-by-step guide that shows you exactly what you need to do to become a UX designer.

1. What is UX and what does a UX designer actually do?

The term “user experience” (or UX) describes a person’s interaction with a product or service.

Imagine you're shopping online or trying to book a trip. In an ideal world, you come across a website or app that is easy to use and allows you to quickly find what you are looking for. Before you know it, you've made a purchase and are on your way again. That's what we call a good user experience.

If you're unlucky, you'll end up on a website or app that isn't that user-friendly. Maybe the page takes forever to load, or the layout is so confusing that you're going around in circles.

When you finally find the item you are looking for, the purchase process seems impossible: first you have to fill out a page-long form, then pop-ups ask you whether you would like to add more items to your shopping cart. In the end, you admit defeat, close the website in question, and vow never to return. That's what we call a bad user experience.

Good and bad user experiences are not a coincidence; they are the result of good or bad design! This is where UX designers come into play. They consider every single element that shapes the user experience - whether it's a digital product like an app or website, or a physical product you can hold in your hand like a smartphone.

How does the user feel about it? How easy is it to use? Is the user able to complete the task they want without too much thought or effort?

UX designers combine market research, product development, strategy and design to create seamless user experiences for products, services and processes.

With user research, task analysis, empathy and lots of ideas and tests, they build a bridge to the customer and help the company or product manager to better understand and meet the customer's needs and expectations.

How can I gain a foothold in this area?

Unfortunately, there is still some confusion on this issue. If you want to be a doctor, study medicine. If you want to be a lawyer, study law. But there just aren't that many traditional ways in UX end up; So how do you become a UX designer?

UX is a favorite of career changers who move from one field to another and bring their expertise - their transferable skills - with them.

They also come from an extraordinarily wide range of backgrounds. They range from positions in technical fields such as digital marketing, visual design and software development to seemingly unrelated positions in teaching, banking and office administration.

So it is possible to become a UX designer without any prior industry experience.

So how do they do it? And how can you do it?

We'll show you exactly how to do this in section six, where you'll find our step-by-step instructions. But first, let's move on to the next section where we look at the state of the UX industry in 2022.

If you want to work remotely, remember that working remotely as a UX designer presents unique benefits and challenges.

2. Are UX designers in demand in 2022?

Before you invest a lot of time and money into a career change, you want to be sure that your future job prospects are solid. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to have a global impact on so many aspects of life - including work - that it is important to assess the state of your future industry.

So what does the current job market look like for UX designers?

A quick look back at 2021

Last year, there was no sign of the demand for UX designers slowing down - in fact, both UX designers and product designers made Glassdoor's list of the 50 best jobs in America for 2021. They also made the list best jobs in America for 2022 . Kununu even reports that the demand for UX designers will continue to increase in the coming years (including in Europe).

Vacancies for UX designers galore

What about UX specifically? At the time of writing, there are over 3,887 job openings for UX designers on indeed.com (in the DACH region). You can find over 2,500 open positions on LinkedIn. If you focus your search on "Product Designer" - a role that requires many UX skills and principles - you will find over 6,200 open positions. That's a whole lot of opportunity for anyone looking to get into the UX field!

Growing need for inclusive, user-centered designers

UX designers have always been crucial to the success of a product or service, and the Covid-19 pandemic has made the importance of a good user experience even clearer.

Given remote work and social distancing measures, many companies are looking for new ways to provide value to their customers. For some, this means going digital. For others, it means reviewing and improving their UX to gain a competitive advantage.

In summary, UX designers continue to be in high demand.

They are an integral part of a successful business, and this is more true than ever as businesses look to attract and retain customers amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Good UX is something that never goes out of style. As long as companies want to offer pleasant, effective products and services, they will need UX designers to lead the way. So the future is bright for aspiring UX designers.

3. How has Covid-19 impacted the UX industry?

Fortunately, there are still plenty of UX design jobs available - and we expect this will continue to be the case in 2022 and beyond. That’s not to say that the global pandemic hasn’t changed things in the UX industry. With the increase in remote work and certain sectors performing better than others, UX designers should prepare for some changes to their workplace and the way they work.

So what can you expect from the UX industry during (and after) the Covid-19 pandemic?

Greater potential for remote work

According to this Forrester report, remote work has increased 300% compared to pre-pandemic times. If you're applying for a UX job, be prepared to find more and more remote work opportunities (and In this post, we take a closer look at working as a UX designer remotely.

The need to adapt certain processes

Remote work brings unique challenges, which is why today's UX designers must be prepared to adapt. For example, you may need to conduct user research remotely and become familiar with various remote tools. At the same time, you need to find ways to communicate and collaborate effectively with key stakeholders, even when you're not in the same room.

The good news is that if you complete an online degree, you will already be well versed in working and collaborating remotely.

Higher demand for UX designers in certain industries

As we spend more and more time within our own four walls, the demand for digital products and services is greater than ever - and some industries have boomed as a result. Although UX designers are needed everywhere, we expect higher demand in healthcare, fitness, meditation and wellness, media and entertainment, online education, and logistics and delivery services.

Increased focus on mindful, inclusive design

McKinsey reports , as a result of the pandemic, consumers are becoming more conscious about where they spend their money and which brands they support. As a UX designer in 2022, it is more important than ever to create inclusive and accessible design that has a strong social consciousness.

4. Will it be harder for new UX designers to find work in 2022?

We found that UX designers continue to be in demand. If you're a new or aspiring UX designer, you're probably wondering what your chances are of finding a job after your chosen program or bootcamp.

Below we have identified unique selling points that new UX designers should use:

Your experience as an online student is a huge advantage in an economy where employers are increasingly Remote positions will occupy.
Your “newcomer status” is actually very appealing to employers. Unlike experienced designers, you'll come with no (or few) biases, and good employers will value and seek the fresh perspectives you bring.

At the same time, good companies want to invest in people they can train and develop, and that often means hiring newly qualified designers with little or no experience. The key is to recognize the unique skills and perspectives you bring to the industry and highlight these in your applications.

Your “newcomer” status won’t hold you back in the UX industry. In many ways it will even be of benefit to you. As we've seen, UX design jobs are still plentiful. As long as you target the right companies (e.g. in high-growth sectors) and market yourself correctly, you should have plenty of opportunities in this area.

5. How much can UX designers expect to earn in 2022?

Another important factor to consider when changing careers is salary. How much you earn as a UX designer depends on several factors, such as: B. where you live, the type of company and industry you work for, and your level of experience.

Regardless of location, experience, seniority, and expertise, the average annual salary of a UX designer at the time of writing is:
in Germany between EUR 34,800.00 and EUR 74,500.00
in Switzerland between CHF 58,220.00 and CHF 129,223.00
in Austria between EUR 35,889.00 and EUR 50,000.00

The best way to estimate your earning potential as a new UX designer is to check salary data for your region on sites like kununu , Glassdoor or talent.com .

It's a great time to become a UX designer!

Hopefully you now have a clear understanding of the UX job market and the opportunities and challenges you might face as a UX designer in 2022. Now is a particularly exciting time to become a UX designer.

Creating thoughtful, enjoyable and inclusive user experiences has never been more important - and as a UX designer, you can help shape the products and services of the future.

Sounds good? Let's look at how to become a UX designer step by step.

6. How to Become a UX Designer: An 8 Step Guide

Below we'll walk you through the steps you can take to become a UX designer.

Of the eight steps we're sharing today, the first three are largely exploratory and will help you determine if UX is really for you.

The next five steps are about building the technical expertise - the hard skills - and professional capital - the soft skills - that you need to convince design leads and hiring managers that you're the right person for the job are.

If you feel like you've already completed some of the first steps, simply select a later step in the list to jump straight to it.

1. Start learning about UX. Ask yourself, “Is this for me?”

So you are interested in UX. Fine. But what does that actually mean?

Does this mean you love quantitative data analysis and are eager to get into UX research? Or does it mean that you love developing rapid prototypes and testing on real users, creating an industry-leading experience through iteration? Or maybe you're a microscopy genius who can convey a compelling, on-brand message with just a few characters.

Your first step is to understand the different disciplines that make up the broad field of modern UX design. So explore the inside of the church, from the altar to the nave, before deciding whether it's right for you - and ultimately whether you want to hone your skills in a particular area of user experience.

So how should you gather all this knowledge from the far corners of the world and the Internet? Well, do what you normally do. If you already spend too much time on Instagram, then unfollow UXBites (and of course all the other excellent channels out there).

Get easy-to-digest tips and advice straight to your feed every day. If you have a little more time on your hands, it's worth subscribing to the following YouTube channels: AJ&Smart , CareerFoundry , The Futur etc. Among the blogs are UX Planet , UX Collective and InsideDesign by InVision the most popular.

Do you prefer a nice cup of tea and a good book? Then we have a few recommendations for you here too.

Start with “The Design Of Everyday Things,” a groundbreaking book by Don Norman, considered the father of UX design. After that, you can move on to “Don’t Make Me Think” and “100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know” About People.

Of course, if you want to get serious about UX, you can do all of the above: reading the books will give you a solid foundation, subscribing to the blogs will keep you up to date with the latest trends and developments, and following social media -Accounts gives you an exciting insight into your feeds every now and then.

Oh, and if you like podcasts: InVision has its 15 best design podcasts compiled.

2. Learn key UX principles

So you're ready to dive headfirst into UX principles - but what are they, and where do you start?

The golden rule of UX design is user-centricity, and you'll find that all of the more specific rules and best practices you learn are based on this one ever-present principle.

But what exactly does user centricity mean? Well, it's about putting the user at the center, designing with real people in mind, and making decisions based on their actual needs - not what you assume they need.

As a UX designer, your job is to advocate for the user while keeping the company's stakeholders happy. This means that you need to understand who your target users are, find out what they need and expect from the product you are designing, and then develop a solution that is user-friendly, technically feasible and in view the budget and company goals are achievable.

You can think of user-centricity as the pillar of UX. Based on this pillar, there is a whole set of rules and principles to help you make intelligent, user-centric decisions. The book Universal Principles Of Design offers no fewer than 125 laws and guidelines for good UX - and that's quite a chunk to start with. If that's too much for you, consider these seven universal design principles that can help you make your designs more inclusive.

Recommend new and aspiring UX designers start with just five key UX design principles: hierarchy, consistency, confirmation, user control, and accessibility.

For further reading on UX principles, we also recommend taking a look at the user experience fundamentals outlined by usability.gov, Steve Jobs' six UX principles .

3. Get to know the most important UX design methods and processes

Once you understand some of the key principles of UX practice, you can move on to the methods and techniques that actually make UX design possible.

Before diving into specific methods, it's important to understand the UX design process as a whole. In this phase, you should get an overview of all the steps you go through to design (or redesign) a successful user experience.

The UX design process can be divided into four main phases: research, design, testing and implementation.

In the research phase, you determine the goals and requirements of the respective project.

Who are your target users and what do they need? In what context do they interact with the product or service in question? What are the boundaries of the project? For the latter, you need to contact key stakeholders - e.g. the product owner or the CEO - to set the budget and time constraints, for example.

In the design phase, you develop solutions and begin turning them into tangible artifacts. If you follow some of the Instagram accounts we mentioned in the first section, you've undoubtedly seen your fair share of wireframes. This is exactly the type of thing you will create in the design phase.

Ultimately, your wireframes become high-fidelity prototypes that can be tested with real and representative users in the testing phase. User testing is an important part of the UX design process because it allows you to highlight any usability weaknesses or gaps in your solution before releasing the product to market.

After several rounds of user testing, you enter the implementation phase. This is where you hand your designs over to the developers, who code them and turn them into a fully functional, market-ready product (bonus points if you're a full-stack designer who knows programming. We're big believers in designers learning to code themselves should).

With this overview in mind, you can begin to familiarize yourself with the specific methods and processes used in each phase. To get you started, we've put together a small list of some of the top methods and techniques UX designers use:

User research
User personas
Wireframing
Prototyping
Information architecture
User testing
Usability-Tests

This is just the tip of the iceberg; If you do your research, you'll find that many of the methods listed above include additional, more specific techniques (particularly user research and user testing).

So where can you learn about the countless UX design methods? As always, the internet is full of practical guides and beginner-friendly tutorials.

4. Structure your learning with a credible UX course

So far, your journey in the UX industry has been all about discovery; a more autonomous endeavor that involved looking through various blogs, books, and YouTube channels. By now you should have a good idea of what UX design is all about - and whether or not you want to seriously pursue this career.

Assuming you actually want to become a UX designer, then it's time to take it a step further. As you've probably noticed, there's an overwhelming amount of content out there that, while ideal for background reading, won't turn you into a employable UX designer. What you need now is a structured, hands-on approach to learning.

When choosing a UX design course, make sure you get the best value for money. After all, it's an investment in your future, so you have to do it right - and not all UX design courses are created equal.

So what exactly should you look for when choosing a UX design course? We've put together a checklist of pointers that will help you distinguish the best from the rest:

Project-based learning

Look for a course that requires you to be hands-on. Employers want to see that you have mastered the right practical skills, so just learning the theory isn't enough. A good course should combine technical content with practical exercises to test what you have learned.

A strong focus on building a portfolio

This goes hand in hand with the point above. It's important that you complete your chosen course with something tangible, and the first thing employers will look at is your design portfolio. Choose a course that will not only get you working on at least one portfolio project, but will also help you refine and polish your portfolio for the job market.

Human support

It's not easy to learn a completely new field from scratch - there are no two ways about it. You don't want to spend a lot of money on a UX design course only to struggle through the content alone. The most effective courses on the market are those that offer human support as part of the curriculum. Choose a course that pairs you with at least one industry expert, be it a mentor, a tutor, or (ideally) both. We've covered the importance of mentorship in more detail in this article.

Expert Curriculum

Beware of curated content. Many course providers rave about their expert curricula, which upon closer inspection turn out to be a compilation of third-party content. It's normal for a UX design course to direct you to other resources for further reading, but ideally the core curriculum is written (and continually updated) by experienced curriculum authors.

Career support

Mastering the right skills is only half the battle. If you're serious about breaking into the industry and getting a job in UX, you should look for a course that offers specific career support.

In addition to the points mentioned above, also consider your personal situation. How much time can you devote to learning UX per week? How much flexibility do you need in terms of your schedule? What is your budget?

Before you commit, here's what you should do:

Conduct thorough market research
check reviews from past students and customers
speak to a career counselor
look for reputable graduate success stories

If you're serious about pursuing a career in UX, you'll need to structure your learning to combine theory and practice. A good UX design course will give you a logical path to follow so that you cover all the bases in the right order.

5. Practice as much as you can

If you want to become a UX designer, the best thing you can do is practice what you learn. Aside from the portfolio projects you work on as part of your UX design degree, you can give yourself a real advantage by doing as much extracurricular design work as possible.

If you're not lucky enough to land a paying client while you're still learning, you'll need to be proactive - and creative - in looking for ways to gain experience. To help you get started on the right path, here are three key strategies you can use to gain practical design experience.

Make your design skills available

Hiring designers can be expensive, and there are many charities and nonprofits that would love to benefit from your budding design skills. Volunteering is a great way to gain hands-on experience while putting together some interesting projects for your portfolio.

Not only that, volunteering is also a great way to expand your network and make valuable contacts in the industry - not to mention the feel-good factor! Use platforms like VolunteerMatch to find suitable volunteer opportunities.

Redesign without being asked

Have you recently used an app or website that was a little lacking on the UX front? Maybe there's a particular user experience that's stuck in your mind for all the wrong reasons. This is the perfect opportunity for an unsolicited redesign.

An unsolicited redesign is essentially a voluntary design challenge that you take on just for fun (and to gain valuable UX experience).

If you want to learn more about this popular UX practice, check out digital designer Sean Hervo's article on the value of unsolicited redesigns and heed Jason Li's advice on how to do an unsolicited redesign that actually means something to people means.

Apply UX design to your current job

Maybe you're working full-time while learning UX and don't have all the time in the world to devote to passion projects or volunteer work. If that's the case, you should look for opportunities to practice UX. Identify a potential challenge in your current workplace and try to solve it using UX methods.

Maybe you work in a store and want to improve the customer experience. Why not just conduct interviews with customers to find out what they want? Maybe you work in an office and can't stand the chaos of the company's digital filing system.

This could be an excellent exercise in information architecture. This third strategy requires you to think outside the box a bit, but once you get into the mindset of a UX designer, you'll see opportunities everywhere.

6. Learn the tools of the trade

Learning the tools of the trade goes hand in hand with mastering the most important UX methods and processes. Employers will expect you to be familiar with well-known UX design tools like Sketch and InVision, but it's also a good idea to experiment with others.

Every designer has their own preferences, so try out a few different options and see which you like best.

So what exactly do you need in your UX design toolkit? Here are some of the most popular tools for the different stages of the design process:

User research tools

Wireframing- und Prototyping-Tools

User testing and usability testing tools

UsabilityHub
Hotjar
Optimizely
Usabilla

We've only listed a handful of tools here - there are dozens, if not hundreds, more out there. To familiarize yourself with UX tools, we recommend consulting lists curated by designers. Joanna Ngai, UX designer at Microsoft, shares her favorites in this comprehensive List of UX design tools .

If you still don't know which tools to focus on, ask other designers what they use. Get a feel for which tools are most popular in the industry by browsing job postings for UX designers - which tools are commonly cited by employers? Your UX design course will also likely give you recommendations.

7. Create your UX portfolio

We've said it before and we'll say it again: your portfolio is your most valuable asset as a UX designer. In simple terms, your portfolio is a personal website where you can introduce yourself and showcase a selection of your work. But when done right, it can do much more than that: it tells a story and takes the viewer on a journey.

Why is that so important? Well, employers don't just want to see pretty finishes and finished products - they want to know how you got there. Your portfolio should show your process: How do you solve problems? What are your thought patterns and processes as a UX designer?

In section five, we looked at three techniques you can use to collect valuable case studies for your portfolio. The next challenge is to present them in a way that tells the all-important story.

So what should you include in your UX design portfolio? What exactly are employers and customers looking for?

Tiffany Eaton, designer at Google, presents five key components what makes a good portfolio project:

context - the problem you are trying to solve
Scope - the internal and external factors surrounding the problem
rationality - Your design process
Visuals - the look, feel and function of the final design
Effect - what people take away from your design solution

Before you start creating your own portfolio, take some time to get informed and inspired. Dive into the wonderful world of the UX design portfolio and learn about industry best practices.

8. Network with other designers

So you're ready to build an industry network - but where do you start?

Networking is often touted as the secret gateway to any industry. While this is simple advice, it is perhaps one of the hardest strategies of all to implement.

Because not everyone feels at home in the networking scene; for many of us it can feel quite uncomfortable. Especially if you don't consider yourself a "real" UX designer yet, you might be a little nervous about stepping into a room full of industry experts.

Especially in a creative field like design, networking offers many benefits - and it's not just about finding your way to a job. Connecting with other designers will inspire and motivate you - whether you're meeting like-minded newcomers or industry veterans. You'll also discover countless opportunities to learn, collaborate, work out your frustrations, and just have fun.

You don't necessarily have to attend a large, formal event to make valuable industry contacts. If you're just getting started in the world of UX, we recommend starting small.

If you're not yet ready to network in person, online platforms like Slack or LinkedIn groups are a great way to get started.

From there, you can muster the courage to take your networking efforts offline. If there is a UX designer at your current company, invite him for a coffee and chat with him. Search at the same time meetup.com by local groups and events as well as online events.

However you build your network, remember that it's not about exchanging business cards and collecting LinkedIn contacts. Focus on making meaningful connections and building genuine relationships with the people around you. After all, UX design is about empathy and human interaction.