Background
Since UI/UX Design was fairly new at the time, I had no idea where to begin. It was 2018 and almost a year since I graduated from college. I had been working as a freelancer at Upwork while helping out part-time at my parent's company. I had no mentor to guide me, so Google was my best resource. I discovered that there are courses and boot camps for UI/UX Design online.
Enroll in an online UI/UX course
Most of the courses were a bit expensive and the sessions lasted for only a few days. They did guarantee a certificate after completion, but I felt like that wasn’t enough for me to learn the basics. I decided to subscribe at Interaction Design Foundation for a year so I could study at my own pace. They had a lot of courses available ranging from Beginner to Advanced lessons.
Their courses taught me a lot of the basics of the Design Process which helped me build a strong foundation for UX Design. Even though I only completed one course, I was able to go through multiple courses at the same time. There’s no teacher but the courses go in-depth and provide a questionnaire at the end of every chapter. Now, how do I apply all these things I’ve learned?
Learning the tools
Knowing the basics is a good start but the next thing is to learn the tools. There are many software you can use for UI/UX Design but here are some of what I needed in the beginning:
Photoshop & Illustrator - To create assets such as icons, graphics, etc.
Adobe XD - for wireframing and prototyping (I eventually moved to Figma)
Trello & Google Docs - to track & document work and progress
There are other prototyping tools such as Sketch, InVision, or Marvel, but it really depends on the company on what you’ll use. If you’re familiar with Photoshop, it will be easy to adapt Adobe XD which seems like a more simplified version with limited tools. There are a lot of tutorials available online but you can learn most from checking out UI Design Kits to see how other designers have set up their files.
Analyze, Copy and Recreate Designs
I felt the pressure of creating original designs at first but you learn most from copying others in the beginning. Check out products that you’re interested in and analyze what makes them work. If you observe products like food delivery apps, they use similar design patterns so users can adapt better since the user experience is familiar.
Create Sample Works and Prepare your Portfolio
When you’re ready, you can start creating samples for your Portfolio. After studying and copying Food Delivery Apps, I designed my own. If you have trouble coming up with ideas, there are sites like dailyui.com that suggests UI design challenges for 100 days. Another approach is to redesign products on how you can improve existing designs. Don’t forget to document your process and include it in your online portfolio which will showcase your design thinking skills.
If you’re looking to reference other designers, you can search for UX Design Case Studies online where you can see every step from research, gathering data, and proposing design solutions. You don’t need to go into super detail like these examples but it gives you an idea of how UX design is applied.
From what I can remember, here’s a list of what I prepared before applying to jobs:
2-3 UI/UX Design Sample Works
LinkedIn Profile
Resume (PDF)
Cover Letter
Start Job Hunting
Once you’ve started sending in your applications, It can take a while before you get responses. Sometimes it can take even take months. But that’s just how it is since recruiters need to browse through all the resumes and portfolios of each applicant. What you can do in the meantime is to search for openings, network, and keep applying. It's best to research the company you're applying to. Get to know the designers and it even helps to have sample works similar to their products.
I discovered my first job from a Facebook post. A startup was looking for an entry-level UI designer with no work experience. I immediately applied, got an interview, and was hired!
In my experience, there's a higher chance of getting in if you apply at a startup company. And it's a great learning experience since there are so many opportunities for you to grow.
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