A high-tech field that’s also creative? As a UX & UI designer, you help make products and services that people can’t wait to use.
Why Become a UX or UI Designer?
UX and UI designers plan and execute the user experience—from the customer journey flow to the aesthetic of the website or app. Companies need these creative minds to produce products and services that people actually want to use. It’s a collaborative role that can be performed from anywhere with wifi and has plenty of room for growth.
What is a UX & UI Designer?
UX and UI design are extremely creative fields where research and intuition come together to make a user journey that’s compelling and easy.
Because both UX and UI design impacts the user experience, you will often see the terms used interchangeably. However, the day-to-day of each job is very different. That being said, some designers do both, but first, let’s understand them individually.
UX or ‘user experience’ designers create and optimize physical and digital products. They follow the customer journey from beginning to end and spend a lot of time getting into the head of their user through interviews and research. UI or ‘user interface’ designers work exclusively on digital products to forge the aesthetic of a website, app, or software so the user can interact with it easily. They deal in color pallets, typography, and static or dynamic imagery to grab your attention and keep it.
Both roles rely on empathy and ingenuity to understand not only the needs of the customer but the motivations. UX and UI designers may have different tools, but they work towards the same thing: amazing product experiences that make the brand tangible to the user.
What Kind of UX & UI Designer are you?
Any industry could benefit from user design. You may choose to focus on UI or UX or apply yourself to both. There are opportunities in whichever path you choose, so find the one that speaks to you.
– A UX Designer?
Who: You are extremely empathetic and you get what makes people tick. In your opinion, any system could be improved and collaboration is probably the way to do it.
What: A UX designer researches users and products to construct a logical customer flow. They test their designs and implement feedback, continuously iterating.
Why: UX design helps companies understand their customers and optimize their products, so the experience is smooth and enjoyable.
Skills: user research and analysis, prototyping, information architecture
– A UI Designer?
Who: You arrange the apps on your phone by color and your pencils by height. To you, aesthetic is more than looks, it’s the soul of the brand.
What: UI designers create the look and feel of a tech product like a website, app, or software using coding and graphic design software, as well as user feedback.
Why: The UI of a product should be intuitive, enticing, and on-brand. These elements work together to boost user-engagement and differentiate the product from competitors.
Skills: graphic design, interactive design, prototyping, visual branding
– A UX/UI Designer?
Who: You love seeing a project through from start to finish and ‘multi-tasking’ is your middle name. There’s nothing about the business you don’t know, you are the brand.
What: A UX/UI hybrid is responsible for the user flow and the aesthetic of the tech product. This is a role for someone who loves collaboration and can manage stakeholders.
Why: Smaller companies/teams may want someone who can do both UX & UI. Or perhaps you are managing a team of user design experts and need competence in both.
Tools: All of the above + project management
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No university degree or tech experience required. Students must be competent in English and have a desire to learn.
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