The importance of UI and UX has accentuated tremendously over the last few decades. UX Designer is quickly becoming one of the most popular career choices in the design industry. The design heads of the industry have realized that creating a positive user experience for a product or service is crucial to achieving their brand and business goals.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of perks attached to being a UX designer; you get to do a lot of creative work, flexible working hours, and not to mention the attractive salary. Now we know why people get enticed by the job role of a UX designer. However, most of them are confused about how to get started. If you\u2019re curious about becoming a UX designer, but have no idea where to start, you are not alone. In this article, we will guide you on how to start your journey of becoming a UX designer, and that too a successful one.<\/p>\n
First things first, anyone can become a UX Designer. One of the biggest myths out there is that you need to be a born artist or some kind of design prodigy, but that\u2019s simply not true. There is no specific professional or educational background necessary. Yes, you need a certain skill set, but that can be learned.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not necessary that you start your career as a UX designer. Many people get into UX designing quite late in their career. However, it is very important to understand that UX is a very diverse field and before you take the first step, it\u2019s important to understand the diversity of the field, to see if the various skills you\u2019ll require complement your current skill-set and interests.<\/p>\n
This is how you can start learning UX and become a successful UX designer:<\/p>\n
The field of UX design is absolutely vast and it is essential to zero-down your focus on certain UX areas or fields. Decide what parts of user experience you want to learn and focus on. Ask yourself, what type of designer you want to be? The answer can be anything from an interaction designer, UI designer, motion designer, or product designer?<\/p>\n
There may be a case that you want to focus on both design and research. It\u2019s absolutely critical to understand the difference between various disciplines by exploring them and focus on the ones you enjoy the most or are keen to learn.<\/p>\n
Whenever you start learning something, it\u2019s important to learn how to do it properly. There are several popular ways you can learn UX design, like academic learning at a university, applying for a UX training program, self-learning, etc. Breaking a common myth here – You don\u2019t necessarily need a university degree to become a UX Designer.<\/p>\n
While you can opt self-learning or go to a university, applying for a training program is a better option. A training program can help you learn the theory behind UX practices in a structured manner which will make the process of learning UX more straightforward.<\/p>\n
Other resources to gain knowledge are social media channels, podcasts, Youtube channels, blogs etc. If you follow social media sources, you might end up being overloaded with information, and not all of it is useful. It can create a lot of confusion and may even lead you in a direction that you don’t want to go. Try to stick to 1-3 sources at the max. Follow verified and renowned industry experts. Prepare a list of 10 best UX blogs and subscribe to them to get regular learning material.<\/p>\n
Meeting people and getting in touch with the design community will help you in not just learning the art, but also understanding how things are done in this industry. Join slack communities, local communities, participate in conferences, industry meetups, UX seminars, events etc. to get started. You will be able to share your thoughts and understand what other people think, who have been in the industry for some time now. Get into conversations with people across the UX community to understand what you actually want to learn or improve.<\/p>\n
\u2063Find mentors who can help you with your questions. Finding yourself a mentor is great advice, no matter what industry you want to break into. Especially in UX, where project work is so important, a mentor can really help you to improve your work and educate you about industry standards.<\/p>\n
In terms of software, it\u2019s absolutely crucial that you get apt prototyping software. In a research, it was concluded that problem-solving skills are the most important skills which hiring managers look for while hiring a UX designer, followed by knowledge of UX tools. That said, it\u2019s not easy to choose the right tools. There\u2019s a plethora of tools available in the market and often the best option is unclear.<\/p>\n
The task of choosing a tool can be even harder for someone who has only taken their first step into the field of UX. It\u2019s advisable to select a tool that will help you iterate your design; a design tool should allow you to swiftly move from a rough low-fidelity prototype to a high-fidelity implementation.<\/p>\n
Once you have gained the basic knowledge of UX designing, learned whatever you could from various resources, it\u2019s time to deep dive in the vast ocean of UX. Put some of this new-found knowledge into practice and find a way to apply UX in actual project work. This will help you gain vital experience. You can take on small UX projects in your current company, find a local non-profit organization and offer to design for free, or even redesign your favorite online service.<\/p>\n
With enough practical experience, you will be ready to take up a full-time UX designer role in a design house or a company. To further enhance your skills and career, you may opt for a Master\u2019s degree specializing in UX designing. Once you get a specialized degree in UX design, there are various avenues to explore. You may choose to specialize in UX research, information architecture, or even voice design.<\/p>\n