- \n
- What does a UI designer do?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Are you a good fit for a career as a UI designer?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Do you have the right background to become a UI designer?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Is UI design a good career move?<\/a><\/li>\n
- Next steps<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
1. What does a UI designer do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
UI designers are responsible for all the visual and interactive aspects of a digital product<\/a>, such as an app or website. They design all the interactive and navigational elements that facilitate user interaction on a screen and create beautiful, impactful interfaces<\/a> that are aesthetically pleasing for the user. UI designers will also create style guides and UI design pattern libraries that establish consistency across a digital product.<\/p>\n
Some of UI designers day-to-day tasks might include:<\/p>\n
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- Designing individual screens, deciding which elements should go where<\/li>\n
- Establishing visual patterns and hierarchies<\/li>\n
- Designing UI elements such as buttons, icons, sliders, and scrollbars<\/li>\n
- Choosing color palettes<\/a> and typeface<\/li>\n
- Creating animations<\/li>\n
- Creating interactive digital prototypes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
UI design is a multidisciplinary field, and there\u2019s also a psychological element to a UI designer\u2019s role. UI designers will design each screen with the user in mind, carefully using UI elements, typography, color, and hierarchy to construct an accessible, intuitive, user-friendly experience. Read more in our blog post:\u00a0What does a UI designer actually do?<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"What](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/old-blog-uploads\/ui-career1.png\" "\\"UI")
<\/p>\n2. Are you a good fit for a career as a UI designer?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
If you\u2019re in the midst of deciding if you want to pursue UI, ask yourself:<\/p>\n
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- Do you enjoy making sure a product looks its best? As a UI designer, you\u2019ll routinely work with typography<\/a>, colors<\/a>, and design elements to make sure a product\u2019s aesthetics are top notch.<\/li>\n
- Are you a team player? Often, UI designers are part of a larger team and being able to work with others is key.<\/li>\n
- Do you care about producing products that serve others well? UI design is all about the users and making sure you\u2019ve designed an interface that helps them<\/em> accomplish their goals.<\/li>\n
- Do you enjoy expanding your knowledge base? UI changes rapidly. Staying up to date with design trends<\/a>, new tech, and the industry will be part of your job just as much as creating beautiful color palettes<\/a>!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Responded yes to the points above? Jump on the UI train! If you’d like to try your hand at design, try out some UI design challenges<\/a> and see how you fare.<\/p>\n
![\"UI](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/old-blog-uploads\/ui-career2.png\" "\\"A")
<\/p>\n3. Do you have the right background to become a UI designer?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
It\u2019s a common misconception to think that a degree in a related field is a prerequisite for a career in UI design. While certain backgrounds\u2014like graphic design<\/a>\u2014can indeed be useful, you don\u2019t need any specific qualifications<\/a> to pursue a career in UI design.<\/p>\n
If you’re a beginner, the best way to learn UI design<\/a> is through a structured course. Most comprehensive UI design programs<\/a> are intended to take tech hopefuls from complete beginner to job-ready UI designer. All you really need to get started is a keen interest and a laptop!<\/p>\n
More often than not, employers will be more interested in your portfolio than your formal qualifications. When hiring a UI designer, employers will want to see that you\u2019ve mastered the core principles, including:<\/p>\n
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- Typography and color theory<\/li>\n
- Wireframing and prototyping<\/a><\/li>\n
- Style guides<\/li>\n
- User research and personas<\/li>\n
- Teamwork and communication skills<\/li>\n
- Industry-standard tools, such as Sketch or Figma<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As long as you can demonstrate your understanding of the above, there\u2019s nothing to stop you from applying for UI design roles.<\/p>\n
![\"UI](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/old-blog-uploads\/ui-career3.png\" "\\"You")
<\/p>\n4. Is UI design a good career move?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Before you commit to a career in UI design, it\u2019s only natural to want to make sure your investment will pay off. Let\u2019s take a look at what a career in UI design can offer you in the long run:<\/p>\n
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- The opportunity to be creative. As a UI designer, you\u2019ll create beautiful, impactful products by mastering color, hierarchy, and iconography<\/a>, and staying on top of typography trends<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- The chance to make a difference in peoples lives. UI designers have the opportunity to shape the technology all around us by ensuring products are accessible, inclusive, and solves problems.<\/li>\n
- Flexibility and variety. As a UI designer, you\u2019ll have the chance to work in a range of sectors\u2014from banking to fashion, e-commerce to healthcare. You\u2019ll also have options to work as a remote UI designer<\/a>, freelance, or in-house (and the list goes on).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
So, are UI designers in demand<\/a>? As of mid-2020, there are around 5,900 job listings associated with the search term \u201cuser interface designer\u201d on\u00a0indeed.com<\/a>\u00a0(in the US). A similar search on\u00a0Glassdoor<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>\u00a0brings up around 5,500 and 1,500 job ads, respectively. According to\u00a0Glassdoor<\/a>, the national average salary for a user interface designer is $80,450 per year in the United States. With the current outlook on the future of human-computer interaction<\/a>, this demand will only increase.<\/p>\n
![\"Are](\"\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/old-blog-uploads\/ui-career4.png\" "\\"UI")
<\/p>\n5. Next Steps<\/strong><\/h2>\n
If you\u2019re eager to start your career as a UI designer, check out our UI Design Program<\/a>. We\u2019ve put great care into designing a program that will take anyone from zero to hero, backed by an amazing community of UI professional mentors from around the globe.<\/p>\n
Want to learn a little more about UI designers\u2019 and others\u2019 experiences before making the leap? Check out Eric Bieller\u2019s post, How to Become a UI Designer<\/a>, in which he shares further insights on UI design, his experience of becoming a UI designer, and why now is the right time to join the booming industry.<\/p>\n
- Are you a good fit for a career as a UI designer?<\/a><\/li>\n