Essential Skills and Pathways for Becoming a Successful UX/UI Designer

Jul 18, 2024

Companies are constantly on the search for talented UX/UI designers to create amazing digital experiences. To stand out, you need the right skills and knowledge.

A UX design certification can be a game-changer, giving you the tools and confidence to land your dream job.

In this guide, we'll cover the essential skills you need to succeed as a UX/UI designer, from understanding users to building beautiful designs. We'll also share tips on building your portfolio and landing that first job.

Technical Skills Every UX/UI Designer Needs

UX/UI designers use tons of tools and techniques to get our jobs done, let’s take a look at what kind of technical background the modern UX/UI designer needs to succeed.

Proficiency in Design Tools

As a UX designer, knowing how to use industry-standard design tools will help you turn your ideas into clear, working designs. Take a look at almost any job description for a UX designer and you will see that employers are looking for candidates with experience using Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD. Our recommendation is to start by mastering one of these tools (personally, we’re Figma girlies). Once you’ve learned to use one tool, learning the others won’t be too hard.

There are tons of free online resources to learn these design tools, for example, check out Figma for beginners. If you’re looking for a more structured learning environment, consider pursuing a UX design certification that teaches one of these tools.

Wireframing and Prototyping

Wireframing and prototyping are two fundamental skills in a UX designer's toolkit. They both act as bridges between the initial ideas and the final, polished product, but each serves its own purpose in the design process:

Wireframing:

Think of it as a basic blueprint: Imagine you're building a house. In the beginning, you wouldn't start with fancy drawings with all the furniture and decorations. Instead, you'd probably sketch out a simple box to show the basic layout of the rooms. Low-fidelity wireframes are like that first, rough sketch. These get more sophisticated and detailed as the designs progress.
Benefits of wireframing:

Fast and easy creation: Wireframes are quick to create which lets designers explore different concepts and make changes fast.
Focus on what’s most important: By stripping away details, wireframes help make sure everyone is on the same page regarding the core user experience before important decisions are made.
Early feedback gathering: Wireframes are perfect for gathering feedback early on in the design process to keep you from wasting time down the road.

Prototyping:

Bring the blueprint to life: A prototype is a more advanced model of a design that is typically interactive; it’s like a demo. It allows users to experience the design before it gets developed by a coder.
Benefits of prototyping:

Refine the user experience: Prototypes allow for user testing to help find any issues with the design (more on this in a sec!)
Get more detailed feedback: Because users can play around with the designs, this allows them to give meaningful feedback.
Explain your intent: Prototypes are a great way to communicate design ideas because you can actually see how things are supposed to work.

User Research and Testing

To create something users love, UX designers often take on research to learn more about the folks they are designing for. There are a ton of different research methodologies used in UX design. Some examples include surveys, user interviews, and usability tests.

Surveys- Questionnaires used to gather feedback from users about their experience with a website, app, or design concept. Think of it like a multiple-choice quiz, but instead of testing knowledge, it gauges users' thoughts and feelings on a design.

User interviews - Conversations between a UX researcher and a user. Imagine it as a friendly chat with someone who might use your design, where you ask questions to understand their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Usability testing - Sessions in which you ask users to try out your designs. You watch how they interact with it; the goal is to identify any awkward or frustrating aspects of the design before you finalize it.

Information Architecture

Information architecture (IA) in UX design is like an organization system. It's all about arranging the content on a website or app in a clear and logical way, so users can find what they need easily. Here's the key idea:

Organizing content for optimal user flow:

Content refers to all the information on the website or app, like text, images, and videos.
User flow refers to the path users take to do whatever they’re there to do (like buy shoes for example).
By organizing the content logically, IA creates a smooth user flow, allowing users to find what they're looking for quickly and intuitively.

By using IA, UX designers ensure that websites and apps are user-friendly and don't feel like a confusing maze of information!

Visual Design and Branding

Visual design and branding are two powerful tools that UX designers use to create products that aren’t just easy to use, but are memorable as well! Here's a breakdown of how they contribute to UX design:

Visual Design:

Look and feel: Visual design focuses on the look and feel of a product's interface. It includes elements like colors, typography (fonts), images, and layout.
Why it matters in UX: Good visual design isn't just about making things pretty. It can significantly impact the overall experience. Imagine a website with clashing colors and unreadable fonts - it would be confusing and frustrating to use.

Branding:

More than just a logo: Branding is about creating a unique identity for a product. It encompasses the product's visual style, voice, and overall personality.
Why it matters in UX: A strong brand connects with users on an emotional level. When visual design elements are aligned with the brand, it impacts the experience. Imagine a fitness app with a sleek, modern design that reflects its focus on high-performance workouts. This consistency builds trust and motivates users.

Front-End Development Basics

Imagine you're building a house. The front-end development basics are like the bricks, mortar, and electrical wiring. They're what make the designs function. Here are the key areas:

HTML: This is the foundation, the code that defines the basic structure and content of a web page. Think of it like the blueprint of the house.
CSS: CSS controls the styling of the website, like colors, fonts, and layouts. It's like the paint, furniture, and overall look and feel of the house.
JavaScript (JS): While HTML and CSS provide structure and style, JS adds interactivity. It allows for animations, user actions, and dynamic content. Imagine light switches, thermostats, and other features that make the house functional and responsive.

UX designers typically aren’t expected to know how to code, but it’s always a good idea to learn some front-end development basics so you can:

Speak the same language: Having a basic understanding allows UX designers to communicate better with developers. This saves everyone time and headaches.
Identify potential limitations: A basic understanding of the technical aspects helps UX designers avoid designing features that are impossible or difficult to actually code.

Staying Updated with Industry Trends

The world of UX design is constantly evolving, just like technology and user expectations. As a designer, you will need to keep learning and growing to stay updated with the latest trends and technologies.

Continuous Learning

The UX design field thrives on innovation. To stay relevant and keep your designs cutting-edge, you will need to dedicate yourself to continuous learning. You will never know all there is to know about design!

UX design certifications allow you to learn new trends and tools and they show employers that you’re dedicated to field and growing your expertise. Many of these certifications are online so you can learn on your own terms.

Following Influential Designers and Blogs

Staying inspired and informed is key to creating amazing user experiences. Following established designers and industry blogs offers a ton of benefits. For example, these designers are often the field’s pioneers; they experiment with new approaches and share what works. This helps you stay tuned into where design is headed. Engaging with the work of other designers also helps you broaden your horizons. To design for real people, you have to keep an open mind to diverse perspectives and experiences. Checking out design work by designers who are from different communities, backgrounds, and design philosophies will ultimately help you approach your own work from diverse angles.

How to Get Hired as a UX/UI Designer

Building a Strong Portfolio

A portfolio is kind of like a visual resume; it convinces employers you can create great user experiences by showing examples of your work. Portfolios are a requirement for applying for pretty much any type of UX designer role, so let’s chat about what it takes to build a strong portfolio.

Showcasing a Variety of Projects

Your portfolio should include 3-4 of your best projects and ideally show that you have range as a designer (you’ve worked on different kinds of products, multiple deliverables, etc) while still being logical and cohesive. You can include personal projects (like those you might do while pursuing a UX design certification), freelance/volunteer projects, and collaborative projects (like a hackathon project).

Highlighting Case Studies

Your projects are best shared in a case study format. Think of a case study as a story. You're the hero (the UX designer) on a quest to solve a user problem. Show the challenges you faced, the creative solutions you explored, and the happy ending you delivered for the user. Structuring your projects in case study format lets you share not only the results, but also the process, which gives employers an idea of how you think. Choose your best stories!

Networking and Community Involvement

We can’t overstate how important networking and community involvement are to a new designer trying to get hired in the field. We’re all tired of hearing “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”, but there’s a reason that phrase hasn’t been able to retire.

Joining UX/UI Design Communities

Join the conversation! Online forums and in-person meetups are hubs of activity for both new and experienced designers. Ask questions, share your ideas, and learn from your peers. Tip: Actively participate in discussions, but avoid just promoting yourself to try to land a job. Offer your thoughts and opinions and build genuine connections.

A little nervous about attending an in-person event? You can always turn to social media as a first step in your networking journey to help you get comfortable. Follow other designers, join discussions, and stay updated on industry trends. Tip: Don't be afraid to reach out! A polite message can spark a conversation or even a mentorship opportunity.

Seeking Mentorship

Finding a mentor in UX design can be a game-changer for your career. Mentors act as guides, offering support and advice. They can give you ideas of skills you might need, help you identify and address your weaknesses, and point you toward learning materials. You can also work with them to set realistic goals for yourself so you always have something to work toward. Finally, experienced mentors often have networks within UX design, and they can connect you with opportunities.

Online design communities are a great resource for finding a mentor. If you have the opportunity, you might even consider attending an industry event like conferences, workshops, or meetups.

Tailoring Your Job Application

Crafting a Compelling Resume and Cover Letter

Crafting a compelling resume and cover letter for UX design roles is all about showcasing how your skills and experiences meet the needs of the job you're applying for. Here's how to approach this:

Use the Job Description:

Keyword Magic: Job descriptions have tons of keywords that speak to the desired skills and experiences. Pay attention to these keywords.
Understanding the Scope: Understand the project type (mobile app, website redesign) and the industry (education, healthcare). This helps you tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight relevant past experiences.

Optimize Your Resume:

Skills Section: Don't just list generic skills. Mirror the keywords from the job description in your skills section.
Quantify Your Achievements: Use numbers and data to demonstrate the impact of your design work. For example, mention how your wireframes increased user sign-ups by 20%.

Write Your Cover Letter:

Go Beyond "Dear Hiring Manager": Take the time to research the company and the specific role. Address the cover letter to a specific person if possible.
Bridge the Gap: Connect the dots between your skills and the job requirements. Use specific examples from your past experiences and tie them to what’s in the job description.
Showcase Your Passion: Don't just repeat your resume. Briefly express your enthusiasm for UX design and why you're particularly interested in this specific company or project.

Remember: Your resume and cover letter are a team effort. They work together to tell a story of how your unique skills and experiences make you the perfect candidate.

Preparing for Interviews

Common interview questions and presenting your portfolio effectively

Essential Soft Skills for Designers

Communication Skills

Being able to communicate is a must in UX design. Designers closely with developers, product managers, copywriters, and other parties throughout the design process. Here's how your communication skills can empower you:

Collaborating with Cross-Functional Teams

The user experience is rarely left solely to designers. Product managers help prioritize what the team should work on, developers turn the designs into reality, and there are a bunch of other groups interested in and affected by the work UX teams do who will want to have a say in where it’s headed. This is what it means to work cross-functionally - across different positions and teams. To do so you will need to:

Clearly explain your design vision and logic using terms that are easy to understand without a design background.
Listen to feedback from team members and incorporate it into your designs.
Navigate conflicts to find common ground.
Keep everyone informed about project progress and design decisions.

Presenting Ideas Clearly

Design is just one area among many that affect a customer, and while as designers we know how important what we’re doing is, we need to be able to explain the WHY behind it to get everyone on board. You will need to explain and sometimes defend your design decisions. This means:

Creating presentations to explain your design decisions, user research findings, etc. in a clear, brief, and engaging way.
Customizing your presentations to your audience, considering their technical background and level of design knowledge.
Being prepared to answer questions and address concerns from your audience.

Empathy and User-Centered Mindset

At the heart of UX design lies its main value- understanding and addressing user needs. By being empathetic (putting yourself in the users shoes) and user-centric (making users the main focus), you can create designs that not only work well but also truly work for your users.

Understanding User Needs

We touched on some of the User Research and Testing skills you might need as a UX designer above; these are technical skills, but at their core, they are about being able to understand where other people are coming from, what they need, and what trouble they might have getting it. If you are someone who can put yourself in someone else’s shoes and use that experience to help them, that is going to make learning the technical skills just a matter of exposure and practice.

Advocating for the User

Be the user's cheerleader. Don't hesitate to speak up for design decisions that put the user front and center. Use research findings to back up your design choices and recommendations. Work to make sure the final product focuses on solving user problems. There are a lot of competing priorities when it comes to a business, remembering and advocating for what’s most important is a skill every designer should have.

Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking

Good UX design requires you as a designer to take on complex probelms, come up with creative solutions, and rework your designs based on user feedback. Here's how strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills can improve your work:

Analyzing User Feedback

Sometimes as designers, we don’t always get it right the first time. You might be super invested in a beautiful design you created and think it’s awesome, and then find out in usability testing that people don’t understand it. As a designer, you need to be able to take feedback and rework your designs to help users. Sometimes we feel a little silly or upset if we didn’t catch something or someone doesn’t like what we’ve worked hard on. As a designer, you will need to learn to set aside your pride, listen, and adjust,

Creative Solutions

If fixing problems were easy, the world would be all unicorns and butterflies. The reality is tough problems don’t usually have easy solutions. We’re going to give you some free design advice, feel free to take it as life advice as well:

Try to see challenges as opportunities to improve.
Think outside the box to come up with something new.
If at first you don’t succeed, adjust and try again.
Keep things simple. A creative solution doesn’t mean a complicated one.

We know we sound like a cheesy motivational speaker at the moment, but deep down, you know it’s good advice.

Time Management and Organization

Listen bestie, we love being UX designers, but it’s still a job. With emails. And deadlines. And meetings. That means you’ll need to know how to manage your time and stay organized.

Prioritizing Tasks

Designers typically balance multiple projects and have to stick to deadlines to make sure users get what they need sooner rather than later. No matter how amazing you are, you can’t do everything all at once. You will need to learn how and what to priortiize. This means asking yourself, what needs to be done right now, what can I do later, and what do I need help with?

Using Project Management Tools

It’s the digital age ya’ll, let’s lean into it. We’ve already mentioned all the projects and deadlines etc (not trying to scare you, promise), so we would like to introduce you to some of our favorite tools to help you get it and keep it together. Tools like Trello, Asana, and Jira are go tos in this field. They will help you and your team make to do lists, set deadlines, track your progress, and work together. Each tool has it’s own features/strenghts/weaknesses. Play around with these tools so you can get a sense of how they work. That way you can blend seamlessinly into your new design team when it’s your time to shine!

Illustrating Skills and Processes with Visuals

Best Practices for Visuals

Earlier we talked about how presentation skills are a key to success in UX/UI Design, and part of that is being able to tell a story through visuals. Whether they go in your portfolio or on your next Powerpoint slide, you want to make sure your images are useful, in the right format, and optimized for whatever purposes they serve.

Creating Useful Images

You don’t need to rely exclusively on screens and prototypes straight from a design file in your portfolio or presentations. You can (and should!) create images specifically for the task at hand, such as:

Mockups: A UX design mockup is like a realistic model of an app or website, built before the actual thing is coded. It shows what your designs would look like if they were on a phone or computer.
Screenshots: Take screenshots and feel free to add notes to them! These could include things like sources of inspiration.
Diagrams: Diagrams use pictures and shapes to explain things clearly, like how something works or how different things are connected.

Choosing the Right Image Formats

Here are some technical specifications that will help your portfolio specifically look sharp.

Your portfolio shouldn't take forever to load, remember that viewers are there to get in and get out. WebP is a modern image format designed by Google specifically for the web. WebP files can be a lot smaller than other formats like JPEG or PNG, but provide the same image quality. This means websites load faster and smoother. Ideally, you would use this file type but it’s not the most common, so let’s take a look at the more traditional formats and when to use them.

Use SVG for

Icons and logos. Unlike regular pictures that get blurry when stretched, SVG can be easily resized without losing quality.

Use JPEG for:

Photographs: JPEG is the best choice for photos in your portfolio because it uses a compression method that reduces file size significantly, without major impacts on quality for photos with lots of colors and details.

Use PNG for:

Screenshots and graphics with sharp lines: PNG are good for these because the image quality remains good even when compressed.
Images with transparency: PNG is the only option for images with transparent backgrounds.

Use GIF for:

Simple animations: GIFs are great for short, simple animations in your portfolio. For example, you could use a GIF to show a simple user flow.

Image Optimization

Let’s talk about what else you can do to make sure your portfolio is clear, loads quickly, and looks polished.

Use an image editing software like Photoshop or even some online tools to resize your images to the size they'll be displayed on your portfolio. There's no need to upload a huge photo if it's just going to be shown as a tiny thumbnail. This will help with loading times.

There's a misconception that compressing images always leads to quality loss - choose the right format (see above!) or resize and you should be able to keep a solid image quality.

Make sure to use descriptive (but short!) file names for your images. Clear file names make it easier for you and anyone browsing your portfolio to understand what the image represents. Imagine a file named "IMG_0023.jpg" versus "mobile-app-homepage.jpg." The second option instantly tells viewers what they're looking at. You should also add descriptive alt text with a maximum length of 125 characters to your portfolio images. This helps viewers with screen readers navigate your portfolio and could also improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) meaning it will be easier for others to find your portfolio.

Conclusion

Becoming a UX/UI designer is an exciting career path with growing opportunities. Mastering the essential skills, from understanding user needs to creating stunning visuals, is crucial for success. A UX design certification can provide you with the structured learning and industry recognition needed to stand out.

By combining your natural creativity with the technical knowledge gained through certification and practice, you can build a rewarding career in UX/UI design. Don't wait! Explore relevant UX design certifications today and start your journey to becoming a top-notch designer.

Additional Resources