How to Become a UX Designer

Gathering and applying user feedback, applying logic to interface designs and improving the usability and accessibility of digital experiences – just another day in the life of a UX designer. This is an up-and-coming industry, that still has a lot of questions surrounding it. We wanted to use our recruiting experiences to help guide you on how to become a UX designer.

What Does a UX Designer Do?

Responsible for how a website or other digital platform feels, user experience (UX) designers have a knack for understanding the emotional and functional elements that make web and product experiences enjoyable for users. To do so, they fulfill the following responsibilities:

Gathering information

In order to get into the mindset of users and anticipate their needs and actions, UX designers consult user research, interviews and surveys to create informed sitemaps, wireframes and prototypes. They also analyze user feedback and activity to further enhance their digital experiences, as well as complete usability testing and competitor analysis to guide each iteration of their design.

Planning the design

After researching, consulting with clients and collaborating with other designers and product managers, UX designers create wireframes, storyboards, sitemaps and screen flows to present their solutions. They may also develop personas and usage scenarios to further prepare for execution. This is a crucial step in the life of a UX designer, and where their UX strategy just be put in place.

Implementing the solution

UX designers assist with content development and work with programmers to ensure their design comes to life in ways that are true to their concept.

What UX Skills Should a Designer Have?

Essential UX Skills

Education: Most employers look for designers who have a bachelor’s degree in visual design, computer science, communications, psychology or another related field.

Experience: Ideal candidates are ready to get started right away. They should have a solid working knowledge of coding languages and relevant software programs.

Soft UX Skills

Curious: The most passionate UX designers are interested in learning more about people and technology, deepening their knowledge to enhance the perspective they bring to projects.

Receptive: Three things are valuable to employers looking for a great UX designer: a willingness to accept constructive feedback, a knowledge consumer trends and technological innovations and a drive to proactively respond to what the market demands.

Eye for detail: A detail-oriented UX designer completes projects cleanly and completely as possible.

Types of UX Designer Interview Questions

• What is your design process?
• How do you approach your research and incorporate the findings into your work?
• Talk about your favorite designers and what draws you to their styles.
• Describe one of the most interesting projects you’ve worked on.
• Tell me about a time when you handled a particularly difficult assignment.
• Do you work well with engineers, managers and other designers?
• Can you speak to the differences between information architecture, interaction design, usability and user research?

These are the most common ux designer interview questions that we have encountered and would encourage you to have answers prepared for. When preparing these answers, we would encourage you to include some of these UX terms where necessary to demonstrate your expertise.

Profiles UX Designer Recruitment

Now that you’ve got the basis for how to become a UX designer, you may be unsure of what to do next. Whether you’re a job seeker looking to be hired as a UX designer or you’re in need of some expert logic to develop fabulous digital experiences, contact the creative technology staffing specialists at Profiles. We can connect you with the industry’s best UX design talent.