How to get started with UX & UI Design?

The resources I wish I had come across sooner and you should check out.

👋 Hey! I am Valentina. Nice to see you here!
I made this little guide to help you understand where to start in case you would like to get into UX. I wish when I was starting I knew these little bits of information so here we go✨

First, let’s talk about the mindset you need to adapt to:

The mindset behind my way of getting into the field

Like any other skill set and new field you get into in life — the process is a never-ending loop.
What I mean when I say this is that you have to make sure to hit all those essential points as part of the process, when you are diving into User Experience Design.

The cycle goes like this:

1. We need to understand.
It would be helpful to start here — understand what UX design is all about.

This is how I see UX as a definition

2. We need to learn.

And there is a lot you can choose to learn from.
Here are my top recommendations to get you started:

YouTube is a great place to find interesting UX information and these are my top favorite spots!

I am a big fan of podcasts as a way of getting out of a creative rut, or just simply having to hear diverse opinions and learn by listening to what others have to say. These are not to miss, I promise:

Check out these podcasts and subscribe to them

Either you are into reading from books or you prefer to listen to them — whatever fits your style of learning — do it and don’t miss out on these awesome books because they have lessons you need to learn and I am grateful to have found them at the beginning of my career path:

These should be on your reading list!

There’s also one bonus tip I would highly recommend — even though it doesn’t directly relate to UX, but because it explains human behavior and the logic behind forming and breaking habits (which you will be learning a lot about). The book is written by James Clear and it’s called “Atomic Habits”. I would suggest giving it a read.
Are you not into reading or listening to books? I got you! There are many other ways you can make sure to extract the best and most essential from books — Blinkist is a great platform for casual readers or just people with limited time to read.

3. We need to engage!
I am happy to share with you also my tips on where to turn to in case you are looking for high-quality education and people, who are worth it to listen to when you are new or even a little bit further into the field of UX:

Obviously don’t sleep on a good chance to get to know Mento Design Academy!

4. Practice.
Practice all that you have learned and watched — from the books, channels, and the boot camps — where you will also often learn how to create crystal clear and engaging portfolios.

Portfolio tip:
Start building a portfolio. Yeah, that simple. You can’t reach design clients?

• Daily Challenges (Daily UX |Daily UI Challenge)
• Redesign what bums you out

Inspiration is key. Like any other creative — build your own system of inspiration sources, you will be glad in creative block days.

I would suggest looking at many places and not limiting yourself. My personal favorite online spaces to get inspired are Behance, Dribbble, Awwwards, Muzli. But also just follow the UX designers you like learning from and listening to.

A little reminder to round up this list of tips

If you’re looking to kickstart your UX Design career and need a helping hand with choosing the best way to transition into a UX role, we’re happy to help you at Mento Design Academy. You can book a free call with us in which we will explore if UX design is right for you and if you’d be a good fit for our UX & UI Bootcamp. Stop postponing your career switch and reach out to us! :)