Introduction to UX Design

User experience is the overall experience a user feels when interacting with a product or service. These products/services encompass both physical experiences (e.g., the ease of use of a door) and digital products (e.g., the ease of use of an app or website). UX design was coined in the 1990s by Dr. Donald Norman, an electrical engineer and cognitive scientist at Apple. To create a good UX experience, UX designers must follow the UX design process.

UX Design Process

This is a step-by-step, human-centered approach to solving a problem. The process is iterative, meaning it's not linear. There are four phases involved in this process, and based on this process, UX designers tend to follow a certain sequence: conducting user research, analyzing their findings, defining user personas, mapping out user flows, creating wireframes and prototypes, conducting user testing, and finally, handing the designs over for visual design and development.

Taking a closer look at the different phases:

User Research:

The UX process always begins with the user and understanding the problem you are trying to solve for the user. To better understand users, designers start by conducting competitive research to know what's out there before moving on to interviewing prospective users to find out their needs, wants, and pain points. After conducting extensive research, you analyze your research by doing affinity mapping (using a whiteboard or a blank wall to map out similar data/insights). Armed with meaningful data, you craft user personas (fictional but realistic representations of target users based on their behavior, goals, and wants). The next step is to create user flows for specific tasks that the user may want to achieve.

Design:

In this phase, you create wireframes and prototypes. Based on the user flows, you create wireframes (layouts of the design and how it will function) and, finally, a prototype. This is a scaled-down version of the final product.

User Testing:

In this phase, the UX designer tests the product on real users to get authentic feedback from those who will be using the product. The feedback is used to improve the design and catch any design flaws before going into the development phase.

Development:

In this last phase, the finished design with proper documentation is handed over to the development team so they can bring it to life with all the functional components.

Different Areas of UX Design

There are different specializations in UX design. The four main disciplines are:

1. Experience Strategy (ExS): These professionals devise business strategies while incorporating both customer and company needs. They work closely with the design team and key business stakeholders to ensure user needs align with business needs.

2. User Research (UR): They focus on the research aspect of design, conducting both quantitative and qualitative research (such as interviews, surveys, usability tests, etc.) to gather insights about target users.

3. Information Architecture (IA): This is the process of organizing and structuring content in a user-friendly way.

4. Interaction Design (IxD): This aspect focuses on how a user interacts with specific elements of a digital product.

Other specific career paths include:

1. UX Writers

2. Voice Designers

3. UX/UI Designers

The Skills You Need To Be A UX Designer

UX Designers need a wide variety of soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills are a combination of personal attributes, communication skills, and more. Some soft skills needed as a designer are:

1. Communication: This includes idea articulation, presentation to stakeholders/clients, interviewing skills, and collaboration with developers and designers.

2. Empathy: Being able to put yourself in your user's shoes and view their needs and pain points through their eyes.

3. Organization: Properly organizing documents and design deliverables, from design briefs and research findings to wireframes, prototypes, and design specifications.

Hard skills are technical and functional skills required by the job. Skills required by UX designers include:

1. User Research: Thorough research can be a deciding factor in refining research and analytical skills.

2. Information Architecture: Properly organizing information can make the product feel more intuitive to the user.

3. Wireframing and Prototyping

Tips For Your First Great UX Portfolio

Every UX designer should have a well-polished portfolio, whether they have just one project under their belt or have been in the industry for several years. But what is a UX portfolio?

A UX portfolio is an online (preferably a website) exhibition of a UX designer's work. It introduces you as a designer and showcases a selection of projects you have worked on. The UX design portfolio should demonstrate the process, not just the end result.

Using pictures to explain a process is difficult; hence the introduction of a design case study. A design case study helps you tell the story of a particular project using images and text to explain the entire UX process. It can show potential recruiters how you think and work when solving a problem as a designer.

One of the most important reasons to have a portfolio is that it helps convey your personal brand and express your skills and experience when working on a project from start to finish.

The key elements of a good UX design portfolio include:

• A powerful introductory headline

• A detailed "About" section

• Thorough case studies that detail your process

• Images and real artifacts

• Contact information and links to additional projects (e.g., blogs or social media).

How (And Why) To Become A Professional UX Designer

UX designers are in demand, and this demand will continue to increase because businesses have recognized that great design contributes greatly to the success of their products or services.

Now, who's interested in becoming a UX designer? The good news is there are no prerequisites needed to become a UX designer. There are different routes you can take to become a UX designer.

The first route is self-study. The internet is full of resources on UX design for you to research and read. You should also join workshops and meetup groups to get a better understanding of what you are studying.

The second route is non-mentored online classes. They are often self-paced and low cost. However, you won't have experts to help you if you are stuck or keep you motivated towards the end of your goal. Some courses are available on platforms like Udemy, Alison, Skillshare, Gymnasium, etc.

Lastly, you can follow a structured program route. There are three different types: in-person, hybrid, and online. In-person programs require you to attend in person. Hybrid programs are a mix of in-person and online learning. Online programs are 100% online and do not require any in-person attendance.

There are different routes you can use to start your career in UX design, depending on your other commitments. It is advisable to choose the one that best suits you. I wish you the best if you decide to pursue a career in UX design.