The average UX designer earns around $113,000 per year before taxes, so if you are considering a career change, becoming a UX designer could be a good choice. But this begs the question, how to get started in UX design?
In this blog, we have broken the process down into five easy steps for you to follow. These are designed to give you the skills and confidence you need to go out and find your first job in this demanding but exciting industry.
Step 1: Decide why you want to be a UX designer
So, you want to be a UX designer, but what is it about UX design that makes you want to do this for a living?
You may not realise it now, but UX design covers a wide range of disciplines, from graphic design to qualitative analysis. In the real world, UX designers specialize in one or two of these disciplines, NOT all of them.
So, step one in how to get started in UX design is to think about what skills you already possess that will benefit your UX design career. Are you creative or analytical, do you like solving problems, are you a people person?
The answers to these questions will ultimately determine the type of UX job to apply for once you have learned the basic UX design tools and processes. Showcasing your existing skills during the interview stage can also help you to secure your first job.
Step 2: Learn basic UX design principles
So, you are ready to make your first steps to becoming a UX designer. The first place to start is to learn the five foundation UX design principles. These include; hierarchy, consistency, confirmation, control and accessibility.
There are several ways to do this, and one of the most popular is to read a few books on the subject. Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug is a must-read for new and experienced UX designers alike.
You could also immerse yourself in blogs and podcasts focused on the industry. We often share UX design tips and interview experienced designers on our blog, for example.
But one of the best ways of learning these skills is to sign up for a structured online course. There is nothing wrong with books; we advocate that all students read as much as they can on the subject and continue to do so throughout their careers.
But after more than five years of teaching UX design, we’ve found that students who learn through books alone often have gaps in their knowledge. That’s what stimulated us to create the UX Pathfinder course. This easy to follow UX design course provides a comprehensive overview of the skills and toolsets you need to master to become a successful UX designer.
Step 3: Learn UX design methods and processes
Once you have mastered the five basic UX design principles, you are ready to move on to the methods and processes UX designers follow to deliver successful user-centric designs.
A typical UX design project is broken down into four key phases; research, design, testing and implementation. You will notice that these are four very different disciplines, each of which requires in-depth knowledge.
Let’s look at each of them in more detail:
Research – This is the stage where you seek to understand user intention and behaviours. Qualitative analysis of website data combined with session tracking software and user interviews are used to highlight problems with the current interface.
Design – During the second phase, UX designers generate ideas to solve the problems identified in phase one. The tools used for this process include wireframing and prototyping tools like Sketch, Figma and Protopie.
Testing – Once the initial designs have been created, they need to be tested with real users. This will prove that the design solutions made life easier for users. Common products used for this process include Userlytics and CrazyEgg.
Implementation – The final phase is when the new design is published live to the web. User behaviour needs to be carefully monitored during this phase to ensure the website is performing as expected.
UX designers need to familiarise themselves with the above processes and learn the skills and tools used during each phase. This is a lot of work but it can be done by following a structured learning path.
Step 4: Build a portfolio of work
Once you have learned the basic UX Design principles and mastered the four UX design processes, it’s time to put your newfound skills into practice by building your portfolio.
UX students use a few methods to do this, with the most popular being to carry out an unsolicited redesign of a popular website interface such as Wikipedia. But by far the best method is to get real-world work experience with an actual company.
This will allow you to write a case study that proves the UX work you completed solved the problems identified by the client. In short, you delivered a website that improved both the customer experience and conversion rates.
We know that this is one of the most challenging parts of becoming a UX designer. That’s why at The UX Philosophy, our course includes the opportunity to work on real-world projects that can be used to build your UX portfolio.
Step 5: Look for a job
The final stage to becoming a successful UX designer is to find your first job in the industry. This profession is in demand with literally hundreds of jobs available across Australia.
But competition for the best UX design jobs can be intense, and you’ll be competing with UX designers with several years of real-world experience. So, how do you stand out in the crowd?
We have launched a new course to help new UX designers land their first job. This intensive course covers all bases, including building a standout LinkedIn profile, showcasing your skills and knowledge and what to include on your resume.
We’ll also cover how to handle the UX job interview, what type of questions you’ll be asked and how to respond. This comprehensive course is unique in the UX design industry and it has already helped hundreds of potential UX designers land their first job.
How to get started in UX design – Your next step
Are you ready to get started? We offer several online courses to help new entrants learn UX design and land their first job in the industry. Our most popular course, the UX Pathfinder, provides all the skills you need to become a successful UX designer, including working with real clients!
Our Design Launch course is designed to help new UX designers secure their first job. It covers everything from developing standout social media profiles to help with difficult interview questions.
Finally, if you are unsure if a career in UX design is right for you, why not try our Intro to UX Design course? This short course showcases the industry and highlights the skills you need to learn to build a successful and rewarding UX design career.
