Thinking about learning UX design? Here's a look into what UX design is, why good UX is important, what UX designers do, and how to learn this in-demand skill:
What does UX mean?
UX stands for User Experience, and covers all of our interactions with a product. A product can be anything that a company provides to its audience: goods, services, experiences, and more!
UX is at the center of nearly everything we interact with - from checking out at the grocery store, to boarding the streetcar, to buying clothes online, we encounter UX design every day!
What is UX Design?
UX design is the process of building or improving a product with its users in mind. The ultimate goal is to create a user experience that is useful, functional, and appealing.
Good UX is essential for a booming business - when users have positive experiences with your product, you’re building an engaged, loyal following. UX also plays a key role in improving a product's accessibility!
Good vs. Bad UX
Often we don’t notice UX because that is precisely what good UX should be: invisible in its seamless, smooth, and efficient design. It’s functioning exactly as you want it to, so you don’t even have to give it a second thought!
That said, sometimes we encounter bad UX, whether through video games with overly complicated menus and settings, online stores with long checkout processes, or even confusing street parking signs!
Bad UX risks losing customers, which means losing support and/or profit for your business. You don’t want your users giving up on your product by closing the window, complaining, or going elsewhere to a competitor!
UX vs. UI: What’s the Difference?
So, now you know what UX design is - but what is UI design?
UI stands for User Interface. UI designers are in charge of how the product looks: its visual design and branding. They design the visual assets such as buttons, fonts, colour palettes, and animations.
UI and UX designers work closely together to ensure that a product doesn’t only look great, but functions well, too!
What does a UX designer do?
In most cases, UX designers focus on improving the functionality and user flow of existing products, rather than building new products from scratch. It’s their job to try to understand a user’s thought process and needs when using a product, and create an experience with the user as the top priority. They may do this through tasks such as:
- Strategizing and iterating on solutions to design problems
- Designing the information architecture/systems of a project: how will the content and features be organized and laid out?
- Conducting research: creating user personas and mental models, interviewing users, conducting a site audit, analyzing competitors
- Creating wireframes and prototypes to map out a user’s experience of the product
UX Design student Alex Huang created a case study an interactive prototype of a redesign proposal for the GOcery app. Check it out here!
What skills should a UX designer have?
If you've got any of the skills below, you may want to consider learning UX design!
- Creative problem-solving
- Research skills
- Communication and teamwork
- Analytical and critical thinking
- Empathy and curiosity
You'll also want to gain familiarity with UX prototyping and collaborative tools such as Sketch, Figma, or InVision.
Learning how to code as a UX designer is another huge plus, as it will help you better understand and communicate with the developers on your team - it will also make you more valuable as a multidisciplinary employee!
Is UX Design in demand?
Yes! There’s never been a better time to get into UX. LinkedIn reported in 2021 that hiring UX specialists increased 20% between 2019 and 2020, and Forbes also included UX design knowledge as a high-demand skill that could boost your professional profile in 2021.
If you’re interested in learning more about UX design, we offer a part-time UX Design course for those looking to level up with this in-demand skill. Download the course package below to learn more: