A good UX/UI designer is increasingly in demand these days, together with the rise of digital marketing. Boosting your content marketing and SEO campaign is not enough to deliver profitable results for your business online. Customer satisfaction is critical, and UX/UI design perfectly executed contributes to that. UI or UX design is not just applicable to websites and web apps but also to mobile apps.
But first, we need to differentiate UX and UI. The terms need to be appropriately defined, so we do not get confused as we go further in this article.
User Experience (UX)
Have you used any applications recently? Is the navigation user-friendly or left you confused or lost? Where did you find out that you have to press to get where you want to go?
User experience design enhances customer satisfaction by making goods more functional, affordable, and pleasurable. The term User Experience (UX) is the designer’s responsibility to make this as lovely as possible.
You would be designing with the end-user or consumer as the major, if not central, focus of your design. UX designers create seamless user experiences by using market research, product development, strategy, and design.
By helping the company or product or service owner better understand and fulfill the customer’s needs and expectations, they help customers build a better connection to their company.
User Interface (UI)
Any type of interface’s purpose is to aid the user in achieving their goals. The whole point of being a user interface designer is to consider and anticipate the end-user’s needs to construct an environment the user can appreciate.
One of the most time-consuming processes for UI designers includes constructing wireframes, mood boards, and real interfaces using Sketch, Figma, and Photoshop. To make sure that the software is under requirements, they perform testing of the user interface.
An application is yours to design and creates the look and feel of. You must inquire about specific details related to the design. You may ask,
“Is the color scheme effective and not distracting?”
“Was the app aesthetically pleasing?”
“How can I make the application’s UI user-friendly and efficient?”
“Will a flat UI framework jive with this visual design?”
Another detail you need to consider as a UI designer is a typography. Typography is used to express significance and hierarchy by using the different measurements, shapes, and elements of form. This aspect dramatically helps in communicating and interacting with the consumer.
Your function is generally aligned and will interact closely with interactive design, which includes interacting with consumers to figure out what they need, designing personas, and developing user stories that explain how a user can handle your application.
As you may know, both UX and UI designers must work closely together because they develop a product that will produce a common experience for the end-user. Listed below are general guidelines as you begin to pursue your passion as a UX/UI designer.
1. Begin to research about UX and UI
Research and study is an essential tool for what you desire to do. That also goes well with UX and UI design. Start with basic materials. Look for sources that are aimed at beginners.
It is good to start immediately but not rush into advanced lessons when you haven’t gotten the proper foundation laid out yet. Start by learning about the various UX design disciplines and explore their various individual levels before deciding if you want to become a member of the broader UX design community.
There is a wealth of sources for further research in different youtube channels, podcasts, blogs, and even books (both digital and actual).
2. Learn essential Principles and Practices
Having the proper foundation and information architecture laid out is essential, especially in a field wherein data has been gathered and has determined what principles and practices do work. According to the golden rule of design (UX and UI), the aim is to concentrate on the end-user’s needs.
There are different ways to get results, but it’s vital to build things with the people who would use them in mind and base decisions on what they need—not on assumptions. In other words, you must learn who your target customers are and discover what they want and expect from the product you’re developing and the actual product management.
Once you know that, you must think of a way to execute the solution that would be friendly to the target users, practical from a technological perspective, and in line with the project’s budget and business goals.
3. Familiarize oneself with essential design methods and processes for both UX and UI
In addition to study, design, and testing, there are four phases to the design process: the user research phase, the design phase, the testing phase, and the implementation phase. In the research process, you can investigate the project objectives and specifications.
You begin to transform concepts into real-world products during the design process. I’m assuming that you have seen your fair share of wireframes. As the wireframes advance, they will become fully functioning prototypes that you can use during the testing process.
It is essential to conduct user testing in both the UX and UI design process as it lets you discover any bugs or missing functionality in your product before it enters the market. You will step into the implementation process after completing several rounds of user testing.
The result of this phase is that you can turn your designs into a working, market-ready product. As mentioned above, the internet is full of helpful how-to guides, examples, and beginner-friendly tutorials.
4. Choose a Design Course
In connection to this, choose a design course related to UX and UI. It is time to go beyond the discovering stage and finally decide whether you will pursue a UX/UI design career.
Having a laser-like focus on your design course would be beneficial for you. Remember to choose providers with courses that provide human support, namely mentors, tutors, or both, to ensure proper guidance and correction. Look for a class where you’ll be matched up with a specialist in your industry of choice.
5. Learn the Tools of the Trade
You must be aware that employers look for designers who are adept at using different tools. As an upcoming UX/UI designer, you must be aware of the different design tools available. In reality, there are many tools available for you as a designer, but the known brands are a great place to start.
If you’re not sure which design tools to concentrate on, start by looking at work listings for UX and UI designers, you’ll then have a clear idea of which design tools are most in-demand in the industry. Design tools are listed frequently by employers.
If you have decided to be part of a design course, your design course would also provide feedback on this concern.
6. Build your network
Many people believe that networking is the answer if you are looking to join and engage in a particular industry. It is straightforward advice for a beginner, but it can be challenging to put into action.
For some, it may feel pretty uncomfortable to be in the networking scene. It can be incredibly daunting to walk into a room full of renowned industry experts if you don’t consider yourself a “proper” UX/UI designer.
If you have that kind of mentality, then begin to shift your perspective away from your weakness. Look for relations and establish rapport with others. Do not forget that this industry, specifically UX/UI design, is all about knowing people.
If UX and UI design are all about empathy and human interaction, shouldn’t building a network apply to you?
7. Build your Portfolio
Your design portfolio is one of the critical assets of a UX/UI designer. The portfolio is simply a personal design web with some samples of your work. It is possible to do more than that if treated properly; it can tell a story and take the audience on a profit-yielding user journey.
Most of the time, an employer isn’t interested in just seeing beautiful interfaces and well-made products. The employer wants to know how you developed the product to that point. You should display your method in your portfolio.
As you develop your portfolio, ask, “how did I find solutions to achieve this design or element?”
The employer would like to know you as a UI and UX designer and your ideas and thought processes heading into a project.
It may feel like a daunting challenge, but it would be best that you research design and figure out where your interests and ideas lie. Knowing oneself well will help you figure out how and where to start.
Conclusion
As we conclude, remember to practice UX and UI as much as you can. Whether you are doing it for a small business enterprise, a startup website, or a big corporation, aim to design the best UI/UX every time.
Another critical thing you can do to help you become a UX/UI designer is to keep practicing what you have learned. To benefit from this strategy, spend more time focusing on projects outside of school.
Like doing volunteer work if you are still a student if you’re working full-time as you are studying UX/UI. Understandably, you may not have enough time to do something similar to doing volunteer work. Instead, search for opportunities that are closer to home for UX/UI design opportunities.
You may even apply the concepts and practices you’ve learned and apply it to your current job. The aim of defining a problem inside your current workplace is to use UX/UI methodologies to solve it, making sure you are still using the design concepts.
If your work environment is related to sales and retail, you may want to maximize customer loyalty. Quick-and-easy survey interviews help you to figure out what consumers want in a concise amount of time.
You may also use the knowledge gained using UX/UI by studying an office’s infrastructure and help in solving their confusing automated file system. Step beyond your UX/UI designer mentality and think a bit differently. Having instilled that mindset, you’ll start to see possibilities all around you.
AUTHOR: MAYLEEN MEÑEZ
Mayleen Meñez used to work in media before finding her true passion in NGO work, traveling the Philippines and Asia doing so. She homeschools 3 kids and loves reinventing Filipino dishes. She is a resident SEO writer for Softvire Australia and Softvire New Zealand.
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