Dec 19, Read time: 4 mins. What is a UX Designer? UX Designers have to be agile in order to perform multiple tasks. The table below stipulates the differences between these two career paths: UX designer Web designer Designs websites, apps and other software elements. Designs websites. Works primarily for web-based businesses. Works for any business. Advanced knowledge of complex information architecture.
Informed by thorough research. Informed by client. This could be an excellent exercise in information architecture! Start with the big names such as InVision and Sketch before experimenting with some of the newer tools on the market, like Figma. Learning the tools of the trade goes hand-in-hand with mastering the most important UX methods and processes. Every designer has their own individual preferences, so play around with a few different options and see which ones you like best.
So what exactly do you need in your UX design toolkit? Here are some of the most popular tools for various phases of the design process:.
To start your education with UX tools, we recommend consulting designer-curated lists. At the same time, get a feel for what tools are most popular in the industry by browsing UX designer job ads —what tools are commonly referenced by employers?
Your UX design course will probably provide recommendations, too. As you gain real-world experience, fill your portfolio with detailed case studies.
For each case study, describe your process; showcase how you solved the problem at hand and eventually reached the final design solution. You want your portfolio to tell a visual story, so keep hold of all artefacts that were part of the project. Watch this video for top portfolio tips, and keep reading to learn more about why a portfolio is so important.
In the simplest of terms, your portfolio is a personal website that introduces you and showcases a selection of your work. But, if done properly, it does much more than that; it tells a story and takes the viewer on a journey. Why is this important? Your portfolio should demonstrate 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 gather valuable case studies for your portfolio.
The next challenge is to present them in a way that tells that all-important story. So what should you include in your UX design portfolio? What exactly is it that employers and clients are looking for? Tiffany Eaton, interaction designer at Google, outlines five key components that make up a good portfolio project : context —the problem you are trying to solve; scope —the internal and external factors surrounding the problem; rationale —your design process; visuals —the look, feel, and function of the final design; and impact —what people take away from your design solution.
As a newcomer to the field, the thought of creating a stand-out portfolio might seem like a rather daunting task—but no need to feel intimidated. As you can see, both designers have detailed the problem they set out to solve as well as the tools and processes they used, together with visual artefacts that document the evolution of the final design. Before you get started on your own portfolio, take some time to explore and get inspired.
Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of the UX design portfolio, and read up on industry best practices. For further portfolio inspiration, check out these fifty essential UX portfolios , as well as these CareerFoundry student portfolio projects:. Attend local meet-ups, reach out to seasoned designers on LinkedIn, invite your UX colleagues out for coffee, and join dedicated Slack channels.
This is just a handful of ways you can put yourself out there and experience the industry first-hand. Networking is often hailed as the secret doorway to any industry.
The reality is, not everyone feels at home on the networking scene; for many of us, it can feel pretty awkward. In a word, yes. From there, build up the courage to take your networking efforts offline. At the same time, search meetup. Focus on making meaningful connections and building up a genuine rapport with those around you. UX design is all about empathy and human interaction, after all!
We can also recommend this video on how to build a long-term networking strategy. So, what do you think? Is UX design for you?
Instead of baseless guarantees, look for a bootcamp that matches your experience level, background, and needs. Your UX portfolio is your personal expression of why UX matters to you. One of the missing skills in most UX education and portfolios is learning to communicate your design choices, research, and process properly.
But with tens of thousands of people coming out of UX programs with similar portfolios, how you tell your story can be the difference between an interview and being just another resume in the pile. Because in the end, UX design is all about communication. You need to show how you can articulate your decisions, present work with clarity and conviction, and handle challenging questions with tack and thoughtfulness.
In every UX case study you present either on your portfolio or during an interview, make sure you answer:. Whether on Twitter, Slack communities, or through your bootcamp brethren, your designer network will help you when you need it most. Or even just encouragement when the going gets tough. Networking can also help build your confidence.
The path to a career in UX design is never a straight line. In most cases, people come to UX later in their career after working other jobs in tech or elsewhere! With so many different people coming into the industry, the key to getting hired is in writing your own narrative:.
Showing your work through a UX portfolio will get you noticed. But telling your story is what will make you stand out. Get comfortable with all of them. While anyone can learn the fundamentals of UX design, we genuinely believe that graphic designers are incredibly well-equipped to make the transition.
Ready to switch careers? Is it really worth it? But beyond our opinions, there are some hard facts about why UX design is a great career choice for the future:. The real education starts when you start designing experiences. But those first few months as a UX designer can be stressful. There are so many different paths and approaches to becoming a UX designer. But the best thing you can do on your journey is to just start.
Browse some blogs. Listen to a podcast or two. Take a free course like our 7-day UX fundamentals! And start to understand if this is the right career for you.
Getting started. Ludovic Delmas. What is UX? What does a UX designer actually do? Who can become a UX designer? What skills do you need? For a deeper dive into the many options you have for how to get structured training in UX design, have a look at these articles:. The skills needed for UX are really varied. Most people are surprised that user experience design is less about being a stereotypically creative type and much more about soft skills like communication, organization, and critical thinking.
Obviously, you need to be comfortable conducting user research, visualizing user journeys, and wireframing and more UX-specific processes and technical skills , but it is more important to have skills like empathy, enthusiasm, time management, and the ability to negotiate.
A strong awareness of how businesses work is critical too, especially being able to ask the right questions to elicit answers around what the client is trying to achieve. But the most important character trait of all is a keen interest in problem solving. CareerFoundry was created in order to solve a problem that the founder, Raffaela Rein, had experienced. UX guru Sarah Doody also recommends looking for problems in your everyday life to help hone your problem solving skills.
Remember that the role of a UX designer is constantly evolving, and it really comes down to how you keep up to date with new technologies and trends, and continuously study UX advances.
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