This week’s UX roundup: The State of UX 2022, everything about landing a UX job, and don’t become a UX designer
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[ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS]
The State of UX in 2022
293k new UX designers emerging from Google’s UXD Certificate alone
$15 a common starting price for UX gigs on Fiverr
700+ newcomers joining our UX Group on LinkedIn every day
289% increase in interest in UX roles in 2020 according to Hired.com
These numbers are impressive — just a couple of years ago when I was starting in UX, it was still an up-and-coming field. With the increase of UX bootcamps and the pandemic at the turn of the decade, we see that numbers have boomed.
What does this mean for career changers and beginners? That there’s an opportunity if you know where to look. With the increase in demand for UX, the market is opening doors to new ways to collaborate.
Instead of starting your journey as a full-time designer, you might be gathering your experience through contract or freelance work. You might be building a network online and navigating brainstorming sessions with tools like Figjam or Miro as opposed to the traditional post-it notes and whiteboards. For designers in the field, it might mean that there continue to be new tools and techniques to learn. With the new year coming around, it might be time to set those new goals, make portfolio updates, and revisit a project idea from the past.
[DESIGN TOOL]
Notion Pro Clipper
This Notion plugin for Chrome and Firefox allows you to save things from the web into Notion. You can save screenshots and links through the plugin and it will save to your collection.
[DESIGN PODCAST]
Everything I Know (So Far) on Landing a Job in UX with Jason Ogle
Jason Ogle is an innovative and strategic design leader who shares his knowledge on landing a job in UX through a series of podcasts and resources to help you equip yourself for success as well. This podcast is part of the User Defenders. In this episode, he does a long rift that covers your typical job-seeking topics such as portfolios, resumes, networking, applying, interviewing, and negotiating.
[ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS]
The UX of design happiness
This article caught my eye this week because it mentioned happiness and UX, something that might otherwise be assumed. After all, happiness correlates with positive experiences which is what we try to achieve. As I read the article, I realized that happiness was not about our users, but rather a designer’s happiness — how do we stay healthy and happy?
Here’s how the article researches uncovering the happiness of designers:
- Do we ask for advice without hesitation?
- Do we access design support services when needed?
- How comfortable is your physical design space?
- Which task makes us smile the more?
As I followed the exercise, I realized that I needed some adjustments to my physical design space in addition to reflecting on the way I’ve been using my time at work. Because I work from home, I’m using the same workspace to do other things and it’s holding my creativity back a little. For me, I don’t think that I’m unhappy but I’m not quite comfortable with the way I’m managing my time and work.
[SOMETHING FUN]
Townscraper
This is a browser demo of the game “Townscraper”, which can be found on Steam or Epic games. It’s a relaxing game where you can the town of your dreams through colored blocks.
[UX QUOTE]
“Our goal is not to create a deliverable, it’s to change something in the world — to create an outcome.”
- Jeff Gothelf, Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience
[WATCH THIS]
Don’t Become a UX Designer
“What are the exact steps to becoming a UX Designer?”
“What is the exact skillset to becoming a UX Designer?”
“How long does it take to become a successful UX Designer?”
Mizko explains that there is a distinct separation between designers who are trying to learn and grow in their career as opposed to others who are just trying to mark items off a checklist to land that next well-paying role. If you are passionate about solving problems and interested in designing experience, you’ll know what skills you need to learn next.
[UX BOOK REC]
Writing Is Designing: Words and the User Experience
Written for designers, product managers, engineers, and executives, this book is the explanation behind the usage of icons, shapes, and images in a product. They say that “pictures are worth a thousand words” but it can also be said that words need to be chosen wisely to convey picture-effectiveness. Therefore, writers and designers should work together to build products together.
If you’re interested in UX writing, technical writing, or content strategy, this is a good read to gain some pointers and best practices on writing.
[DESIGN TOOL]
Craftwork
Craftwork is a collection of web illustrations, UX/UI kits, and graphic templates that you can use to help with your design work. Check under ‘Freebies’ for awesome free icon kits and templates.
📚 UX Learning Recommendations ✨
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🧪 Design Lab
Design Lab’s UX bootcamps are the most popular — and well-rated — amongst UX Beginners. Their flagship program is polished and strikes a good balance between practice and modern design theory.
✊🏾 Interaction Design Foundation
IDF has in-depth courses on various UX skills. Get 3 months off your first year of design membership or $200 off a UX BootCamp!
💸 Rakuten for Cash Back on Courses
Did you know you can get free cash back when shopping for UX design courses? Use our Rakuten referral link to get $40 for free after first purchase, and even more when you activate Rakuten when shopping at places like Udemy and Skillshare. Read our guide on getting course cash back here
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