9 Ways to Get Started in UX Design with No Prior Experience or Education
It's no secret that designing user interfaces and designing for the web are two of the fastest-growing industries in the world. The field of UX design is constantly evolving and being revolutionized by new technologies, processes, and buzzwords. In this guide, we'll outline nine ways you can get started with UX design without any previous work experience or even academic background.
1. Get Informed
The first step to becoming a UX designer is to get informed. This means keeping up-to-date on the latest trends in design, including tools and technology as well as design trends. The more you know about what's out there and how it works, the better equipped you'll be when designing digital products.
It's also important to learn about user experience and design principles. User experience is the way users perceive a product or service, while design principles are guidelines used by designers when creating products.
2. Practice Research
You can't design your way to success, but you can get started by doing research. Here are some tips for doing research:
Learn about the problem you're trying to solve and its context in order to understand what users need or want from that particular product or service.
For example, if you're creating an app for doctors who want more time with their patients, this might mean understanding whether they have enough resources at work (such as staff) or if they feel overwhelmed by too many tasks on their plate already—in addition to learning about how patients feel when interacting with them directly (e.g., do they feel like their needs are being met?).
Learn about users' environment (the physical world) so that when designing interfaces for something like a mobile app or website. The interface design process could be easier because there won't be any surprises during testing stages later down the road when users start using these products regularly out in public places, without needing assistance from anyone else around them.
3. Learn about user flows and wireframes
User flows and wireframes are a way of showing how users will navigate through a site or app.
They can be used as the basis for your design, but they're not just there to look pretty—they're also a way of showing which elements on the site will be visible to users at any given stage in their journey.
Wireframes are typically made up of boxes and lines representing different screens or pages within an application.
This helps you visualize how pages relate to one another so that when you build out actual content later on (which we'll talk about next), it's easier for other team members who may not have knowledge about UX principles like hierarchy or alignment issues between elements in the user flowcharting process.
4. Take an online course
If you're looking for a way to learn UX design, an online course is the best option.
Not only do they give you access to all of the information in a structured way, but they also give you the freedom to take your time and study at your own pace.
You'll have access to experts who can answer any questions that come up while they're teaching (and even if they don't).
Plus, there are plenty of free resources available on YouTube or other platforms like Lynda.com or Udemy that offer great courses on every topic related to UX design.
5. Participate in design/UX communities and discussions
Participation in design communities is one of the best ways to get started in UX design.
Design communities are places where you can find like-minded people who are interested in the same things you are and learn from them. You can also share your work with other designers who may have some suggestions for improvements or ideas for new features.
Forums like Dribbble allow users to upload their designs, which allows designers around the world access to each others' work without having to ask permission first! This leads us directly to our next point:
Connect with other UX designers. One of the best ways to get started in UX design is by connecting with other UX designers. You can begin this process by finding a mentor or an experienced designer who’s willing to help you out. You could also join a local meetup group, join a Slack channel or Facebook group, or even create your own LinkedIn Group (if it's something that interests you).
6. Create a portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of your work and skills. It's a way to show your work to others, including potential employers, clients, and even friends. In other words: it's one of the most important parts of starting out as a UX designer!
If you're just getting started in the field or have been doing it for some time but don't have much experience yet, think about what types of projects you've worked on so far (or would like to work on). Then go through those projects one by one with a critical eye—what were they trying to get accomplished? What were their goals? Were they successful in achieving them? If not, how could things have been better designed? What lessons did we learn from this project that could be applied elsewhere?
7. Brush up on the latest design tools and technology
As a UX designer, you'll want to stay up-to-date with the latest design tools and technology. Learning new tools and techniques will help you improve your skills as well as expand your horizons so that you can take on any project.
Learning new design approaches is also important if you want to be a great UX designer because it will allow you not only to see how other designers have dealt with similar problems but also to use their knowledge in your own work.
Finally, learning methodologies allows designers like yourself who have been working within one company for years or decades at this point (like myself) to think about how they approach different types of projects differently than younger employees might who are just starting out on their careers.
8. You can get trained and you can find work as a UI/UX designer
As you can see, you don't need to be a trained designer or expert in UX design. You just need to have an interest in learning more about it and then use that knowledge to find work as a UI/UX designer.
There are many ways that you can get started working as a UI/UX designer:
Find job opportunities online by searching for “UX designer” on LinkedIn and Google (and other job sites).
Attend conferences that offer courses on these subjects.
You can also do research into the industry. You'll want to know what kind of companies are hiring UX designers, how much they pay, and other details about their job postings so you can apply for them with confidence.
In order to make yourself stand out against other people applying for these jobs, it is important that you have a strong portfolio (with examples of work). A good way to do this would be by creating an online presence through social media channels such as Twitter and LinkedIn.
9. Find an entry-level UX job
If you're interested in UX design but aren't sure where to start, this is a great way to get your foot in the door.
Before diving into a full-time job at an agency or startup, take some time to find out what kind of work opportunities exist for people with your skillset. You can do this by reading through job listings on websites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor—or simply asking around at meetups and conferences (especially if they're local).
Once you've found something that sounds promising, it's time to apply! Make sure that whatever company posting it is legit; there have been plenty of sketchy ads floating around over the years!
Also, make sure not only does this fit within what interests/skillset aligns with; also make sure that there aren't any red flags along those lines either (like being asked for résumé details).
The next step is to get ready for your interview. This can be done in a number of ways, but one of the most effective is by taking an online course on the subject—like Ux Academy or Designlab.
There are also many books out there about interviewing, so do some research and find what works best for you!
Finally, don't forget about networking; this will help you to develop relationships with people within your field of interest which can lead to bigger opportunities down the road.
Conclusion
These are just nine ways to get started in UX design. The best way is to start with the basics, and then branch out as you gain experience and new skills.
As you read through this article, keep in mind that it's important for your career development not only to learn about design fundamentals but also about how people interact with technology products—even if that means taking on a project at first!
If you found the above article exciting or interesting or if you gained anything valuable from this, do me a favor, and leave a comment, or better, share it with your friends, family members, colleagues, batchmates, buddies, and your social circle!