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UX Design
- Do you like art and technology?
- Do you pay attention to how things look?
- Are you also interested in how things work?
- Are you fascinated by how people interact with tools and technology?
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UX Design could be your future career path
User Experience (UX) Designers are people who design many of the products we use - physical objects, websites, apps, games, etc. As more and more products and services are digital, the need for UX Designers grows.
UX Designers focus on the experience that users have while using the product. They make sure it is functional, accessible, and enjoyable. UX Designers make decisions about what appears on a user’s screen, what functions a user will need when using the product, and make sure the product works for everyone. UX Designers consider everyone’s needs when they design a product.
In this Toolkit you’ll explore what UX Designers do and how you can get started in this career field. There are activities for you to figure out whether you enjoy this kind of work. If you persist through the activities, you’ll realize that this may be a good career path for you. UX Design could be your future career path
Want to get started right now?
Design a T-shirt. Click on the link to a custom clothing design site and go through the process of designing a custom T-shirt. As you design your T-shirt, consider:
- Who will wear the T-shirt (your audience)? What is your purpose/message of the T-shirt’s design - is it decorative only or do you want people to respond or react?
- If you want people to take notice of your T-shirt, is there a call to action? Let’s say your message is to create awareness of climate change. What image would you use? Is there a slogan or something to do?
Use the site to add images and text to the design of a plain white T. Use a template or create your own design. You can save it to see how it would look - but you don’t have to buy it! The process for designing your T-shirt is similar to the process for designing user interfaces on a screen. The questions about how your audience might respond to your T-shirt are the same questions a UX designer considers – the only difference is that the design is on a computer screen instead of a physical object.
Now try out your own UX Design Project
This is a Beginner UX Design Project that you can do in 30 Minutes
Step 1 - Create a free Figma account. Figma is a popular tool used to design apps, websites, screens, prototypes. It’s easy to get started, and free to sign up.
Step 2 - Once you sign up for your free account, click on this template. The click “Duplicate”
Step 3 - Click on this free video workshop produced by Bitesize UX. Work through the steps. It will take 30 minutes, and you’ll create your project step-by-step using Figma.
As you watch, take note of these UX Designer terms and practices that you will be using:
- User Research - Getting feedback on our designs by talking to the people who use our app. By listening to their feedback, we can create better designs to solve their problems.
Now try out your own UX Design Project
This is a Beginner UX Design Project that you can do in 30 Minutes
Step 1 - Create a free Figma account. Figma is a popular tool used to design apps, websites, screens, prototypes. It’s easy to get started, and free to sign up.
Step 2 - Once you sign up for your free account, click on this template. The click “Duplicate”
Step 3 - Click on this free video workshop produced by Bitesize UX. Work through the steps. It will take 30 minutes, and you’ll create your project step-by-step using Figma.
As you watch, take note of these UX Designer terms and practices that you will be using:
- User Research - Getting feedback on our designs by talking to the people who use our app. By listening to their feedback, we can create better designs to solve their problems.
- Wireframe - A simple design to show the layout of an app or website. Think of it as an outline of what the screen will look like. They’re usually greyscale, and don’t have a lot of color or visual design.
- Low Fidelity Prototype - sketches on paper that simulate the product. You can use pencil and paper to quickly outline what your app will look like.
- User Flow - diagram that maps the steps a user takes when using the product or app.
- Mock-Up - realistic visual model of what the final app will look like
- High Fidelity Prototype - An interactive design of an app or website. Prototypes often look and feel like a “real” app, however, they are generally just used to test out the design.
- Usability Testing - testing out the design with some people who may use the app, and seeing what parts of the app are easy to use, and which ones need to be improved.
Do you enjoy doing this kind of work? Are you good at it?
No matter how much time you spend on these activities, you should get an understanding of whether you would enjoy tackling these kinds of challenges everyday. This could be your future career in UX Design.
Understand the Business
Consider where you can work.
What’s most important to you when choosing a place to work? Consider questions like: Do you enjoy a lot of structure - like school- or do you prefer to set your own schedule and pick your own projects? Are you comfortable working on a big team, or are you more comfortable working alone? Do you want to focus mainly on UX design, or are you interested in broadening your skill set? These are some places you can work as a UX Designer:
Who do UX Designers work with?
UX experts often work within larger Product teams. Product teams can be broken up into cross functional groups or “Pods” that group different types of experts. Pods can have one or more UX Designers, and one or more Developers or Software Engineers, who use your design or prototype to create the product. There is usually also a Project Manager who makes sure the product is built on time and according to the company specifications.
Here is an organization chart within a large company. It shows a hierarchy of roles. Each box represents a person. The CEO is the Chief Executive Officer and the head of the company. A VP is a Vice President. Locate the UX Designer - who is their manager?
This is an example of a Pod. Each Product team includes a Product Manager and a Software Developer. Who does the UX Designer work with?
https://uxstudioteam.com/ux-blog/ux-team-structure/
Freelance
Freelancers are self-employed UX designers who are hired by clients for their independent services. Being a freelancer gives you a lot of freedom, including setting your own schedule and picking the projects you want to work on.
Agencies
Work on a wide variety of projects.Work with a bunch of different brands, clients, and teams.A lot of collaboration when designing the product with other UX Designers. Work with a small or large team.
Small business or Start up
Small businesses are privately owned businesses with few employees. You get to work closely with fewer people. You have more input on the design of the product.
Big Companies
A lot of collaboration when designing the product with other UX Designers.UX teams at larger companies tend to be more compartmentalized by specialization, making it easier for you to become an expert in one particular area of UX.
The Job Outlook
UX Design is considered one of the 50 best jobs in 2022. CNN money predicts the demand for UX Designers to grow by 13% over the next decade.
The Department of Labor considers UX Design a Bright Outlook career.
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Skills to Pay the Bills
Take stock of the skills you already have:
You are the kind of person who can express emotions and feelings through music or visual arts. People say they learn from your songs or drawings. UX Designers are storytellers.
You are always asking questions. You like doing research and finding out new things. UX Designers do a lot of research to get multiple perspectives.
People say you are a good listener. You demonstrate empathy and understanding of others. UX Designers always consider how other people experience things.
You can learn the technical aspects if you bring your appreciation of storytelling and research. Most people who pursue a UX Design career path get familiar with the software and digital tools on their own. You can start now by signing up for a free trial of tools like Adobe XD, Figma and Sketch. See if you enjoy learning these tools.
Skills you will Learn
Postsecondary training is essential for a career in UX Design. Your choices include:
- Pursue a college degree - Associate or Bachelors - and major in web design or digital communication.
- Pursue a certificate program like Google’s UX Design
- Enroll in a bootcamp like General Assembly
- Take low-cost online workshops like Bitesize UX where you will learn on your own but meet a community of UX Designers.
Take a Free UX Design Course
Since you are using this Digital Careers Toolkit you are eligible to take a FREE online course at Bitesize UX by using the promotional code shared100
Review a Job Description
Job Descriptions are the way a company recruits and hires talent. You can learn a lot from a Job Description about the skills and qualifications you need to prepare for the job. Even if you are not ready to apply for a job now, learning to read the Job Description can help you prepare for what you need to learn after high school.
This company is hiring a Junior UX Designer. This is an entry level job. Read the job description and take note of all the skills you need to apply for the job. As you read, look for the technical skills that you will need to learn, and the human behavior skills that you are already good at.
GET PREPARED
Make Your Plan
Be ready to apply to this job in a few years by writing a paragraph of less than 250 words explaining why you want the job and why you will be a good fit for the company.
- Why you want to pursue a career in UX Design and specifically what aspects of the job interest you
- What skills you have that will be an asset for this kind of job
- What skills you need to learn after high school
- What is the career path you see for yourself in the future?
Keep this paragraph as part of your career plan.
