If you’re looking for an exciting, rewarding new career, a career in UX design might be just the ticket. UX designers are responsible for making sure the software people use is designed in a way that makes it easy to use and effective.
However, becoming a UX designer requires a bit of schooling and a somewhat specific career path, so it’s important to make sure you’re taking all the right steps along the way. If you’re interested in becoming a UX designer, take a look at some of our tips for getting your career started today.
What Is a UX Designer?
When somebody makes a piece of software, there’s always a target audience in mind; it may be numerous employees at a large company or your average internet user. It’s important to identify this target audience because it allows you to understand how to design software with the user in mind.
UX, also known as user experience, is a term that describes how users are able to interact with a given piece of software. However, UX doesn’t just refer to the functions software can perform, but how those functions can be triggered by a user. Essentially, UX is a combination of the ease of use and effectiveness of a given piece of software. This means that your job as a UX designer is to figure out which parts of software might detract from the user experience in some way, whether that’s bad design, a function that doesn’t quite work right, or a function that doesn’t exist altogether.
Becoming a UX Designer
If you want to start on the path toward becoming a UX designer, the first thing you should do is learn. While you don’t have to go to school and obtain a degree to start a career as a UX designer, it may be an effective way for many to learn. For others, some simple online reading and coursework is the best route. It’s important to note that skills are more important than qualifications when you begin as a UX designer, so you’ll want to focus on learning above all else.
Your next step is building a portfolio to display to potential employers. This is especially important if you decided to skip the degree since you’ll need something to prove to your employers that you know what you’re doing when applying for UX design jobs in Chicago.
Once you’ve landed a UX design job, you have two choices in terms of career paths: You can become an expert on the subject and specialize or you can manage a team of UX designers. The career path you take depends on the types of interpersonal skills you have and how willing you are to take on a leadership role. Having said that, those who specialize and focus solely on becoming an expert UX designer are generally considerably more knowledgeable about UX, which is the biggest thing your future employers are going to look at before they hire you.
Now that you know how to become a UX designer, it’s time to get out there and kickstart your career!