Learning Roadmap for a UX Designer
Do you wonder why it’s so relaxing to sit on a swivel chair than on a straight wooden chair? If your mind constantly questions why things are in a certain way, or you are finicky about putting things in the right place — all the time. You are on the right page! Congratulations, you have the perfect mind to be a User Experience (UX) Designer.
I have recently started my career as a UX Designer at Innovaccer and I write this note to help you guide through the journey of becoming one.
Let’s get into it!
What is User Experience Design?
It’s about making lives easier by creating simple solutions for complex things. Design is communication — UX design is thinking about all aspects of a human’s interaction with a product or service, to make sure they are delighted all the way from start to end, and doing this without making them think.
All of this can be designed:
- Calling a plumber
- Booking a doctor’s appointment
- Checking in to a restaurant
- Making a sandwich
- Reading news
I can go on.
Commit to it first 🙌
To start your journey as a UX designer, there are some important points which you should definitely not miss out:
- Start keenly observing things around you
- If you feel frustrated after using a product, ask yourself, why do you feel so?
- Read the literature on design, and why things work — when they work
- Be prepared to take up the challenges, it’s going to be fun. Trust me!
- Most importantly, apply your thinking. Fix daily life problems with design thinking.
How to get there? 🤔
If you have tried searching for this on the internet, there are countless resources, and it’s hard to figure out where to start. It can be intimidating. But hey — Relax!
You don’t need to feel overwhelmed. I will share some impeccable resources from my experiences. Just get your hold on them.
Start with the Basics:
Start with Hack Design — it’s amazing. Don’t believe me? Just check it out on your own!
Hack Design puts together hand-picked articles on topics like Colors, Icons, Fonts, Animations, Look & Feel, and more. Again, start here. It’s a great introduction to UX design.
If you like to read books:
You’re surely going to enjoy this list:
- From the classics, “The Design of Everyday Things” is one of my favorites. It’s the most informative (and enjoyable) book on solving real-life problems.
- The other book which I consider a must-read is “Don’t Make Me Think” by Steve Krug. The most beautiful thing about this book is that it is a thin one. Haha, yes. It talks about some of the key ideas on Web Usability and Human-Computer Interaction. The language is simple, and you are going to feel engaged.
- One you get the basics, and want to move to the next level, be sure to pick up “About Face”. Written by one of the legends in Software Design, Alan Cooper introduces the most important principles on designing a great User Interface.
In love with UX design already? We were just starting.
Learn it in a fun way:
When it comes to learning in a more amusing and interactive way, the first thing that comes in my mind is Udacity.
I would definitely recommend you to go through the course on Product Design by Google. This is one of those great courses which will give you the right direction, and help you materialize your ideas.
It was really motivating for me to watch interviews with great entrepreneurs like Aaron Harris, Nir Eyal and so many more. Amazing resource — they have more courses on design.
Get your hands dirty 🎨
- Follow designs:
Start following designers you love on social media. Dribble and Behance are great places to discover what the world is doing. - Learn by copying:
Try to re-create design you like. It will help you understand what makes it good. In time, you can start introducing your own flavour in the designs and build your unique style. - Practice:
Implement what you study to internalise the ideas you read about. Design is a practice — Make it a habit to start observing problems around you.
It’s really fascinating to indulge yourself completely. You never know, you might be the next UX specialist. It’s not that once you get the hang of it.
Happy learning! ✌️
Feel free to add more useful resources in the comments 👇and let’s make the UX journey more interesting 🎉.
