Making The Switch & Getting Your Foot In The Door
Switching my career from Graphic Design to being a UX/UI designer was not instant. It all began last year when I had reached what I thought was a decent salary as a print designer in Florida. My job was designing signage for various large clients. It was fun for the first few years, but then reached a point where my career stood still. It was not challenging enough, I was not learning anything new and I was just waiting for 5 o’clock to hit every afternoon. Life passed by as I knew it, everyday felt the same. I thought to myself… “is this going to be the rest of my life?” No.
The question was, what did I want to do and how do I get started? I think that every beginner goes through this process to connect the dots themselves hoping that it will all work out. You also have to think about how you would even land your first job as a UX/UI designer without any experience in particular. There are a few things you could do to get started and then perhaps even land a job.
In the beginning, tutorials are your best friend.
One of the best ways to grow your design skills is by using tutorials. Tutorials are mini-lessons that can help you learn new techniques and build your portfolio. With willpower, dedication, and hard work, you can grow your design skills. I dedicated an hour every morning (and sometimes night) to find a tutorial and finish it. The tutorials ranged from icon design to how to code my own portfolio website. I would suggest you choose your tool (Sketch, Photoshop, & Illustrator) to design with and start there. Here is a collection of some of the tutorial and resource links I used to get started:
UX Design: http://1stwebdesigner.com/best-ux-design-tutorials/
Sketch Tutorials: http://www.cssauthor.com/best-sketch-tutorials-video-article/
Sketch Shortcuts: http://sketchshortcuts.com/
Photoshop: http://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/create-a-mobile-shopping-app-design-in-photoshop--psd-32372
iOS Design: https://designcode.io/iosdesign
There are literally thousands of tutorials and articles that could get you started in UX/UI Design. Practicing with the tool of your choice will help you get started on creating your own designs.
You can also use paid online schools with monthly subscriptions such as: (Some even have a free trial)
And then there are boot camps, a little pricier but are usually very complete. A lot of them have career guidance and can help you get a complete education in the field.
http://trydesignlab.com/ux-academy/
https://www.bloc.io/ux-design-bootcamp
Put yourself out there. Find a mentor.
The next most challenging step of getting started is finding a mentor. While designing and getting started, you are going to have questions. Mentors can give you valuable insight, a different perspective, and help enhance your performance. Where do you find one of these magical mentors? I found mine at a Meetup.com group and another one on Linkedin.com. You can also use online communities such as design Facebook groups, Twitter, and get help on http://ux.stackexchange.com/. Start posting your work on Facebook, Twitter, Dribbble or Behance and try to get feedback on your designs.
Having a larger set of eyes on my designs really made a difference to how I design now. Make it one of your goals this year to find a mentor in the field.
Start creating case studies and build a portfolio.
I wont go into too much detail about this, but I strongly recommend that you build a portfolio to showcase your work. Try finding other designers and see how they showcase their portfolio. A lot of them have case studies which go into depth about their design process. This will give you a lot of insight and improve your workflow/process. Creating case studies in my opinion separates you from just being a visual designer, and can give you leverage during an interview or working with a freelance client.
Adapt with change.
The field of UX/UI design is always changing. There are design trends, new design tools, and fresh technology. With that being said, make some time every day to find a recent article or blog post about design. Some places to find articles:
I’ll be here to help out and give any advice. Making the switch is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Stay motivated, get your dream job, and continue learning.
Cheers!
Added* Getting my foot in the door was much easier after building my UX/UI design portfolio. I put “available for opportunities” on my LinkedIn and made sure to use design keywords on my LinkedIn page so recruiters and companies could find me. Got on dribbble.com and marked myself “For Hire”. And lastly, never gave up. I took a smaller salary just to get my foot in the door and to get experience, then moved up. I will always be a student in this field and strive to make the world a better place with design.
