Everything You Need To Get Started in User Experience Design

Websites that exist today are not just about showcasing the products and services, but over the period of the last few years, they have evolved to become a medium of business growth for their owners. With all this complexity involved in how websites look and function today, the popularity of user experience (UX) has also grown significantly.

UX design, however, is not just limited to websites, despite the major impact that the latter has on it. In fact, UX design also applies to tangible products and software, and UX designers play a major role in designing such products.

We’re sure you must have seen a job posting regarding the requirement of on a UX designer. But, what exactly is a UX designer and what do they do? Before answering that, it is important to know what a UX design practically is.

UX Design: An Introduction

UX design is all about simplicity – how simple, convenient and enjoyable the navigation experience is for a visitor, user or a consumer. It’s the art of making things easy, so that they can be enjoyed on the go. Moreover, it is a “silent” art – while the user gets to reap the benefit of a great UX design, he or she does not get to see the exact effort that goes into creating a user-friendly product that offers a great design.

Confusing navigation, poorly designed forms and information overload on a specific page of a website are example of a poor UX design. The role of the UX designer here is to create a final intuitive product that is enjoyable from a customer’s perspective, while retaining all the major functionalities within the budget specified by the client.

Who Is A Good UX Designer?

A typical UX designer must have an eye for functionality and the ability to see what would please the eyes of the visitor or a perspective customer. Some industry experts believe a UX designer to be a mix of a writer, scientist, software engineer and an artist.

However, the fact is that a UX designer’s job primarily involves listening to the needs of the client. It’s about listening and observing, before making good design decisions.

But, merely stating that you have great listening skills won’t fetch you a job of a UX designer. You must, in addition, have a set of technical qualifications for the job.

For example, the candidate should have fair knowledge of JavaScript, visual design, Adobe photoshop, user interface design and prototyping. In addition, a majority of jobs demand HTML5, usability testing, information architecture, conceptual development and Website design skills as their basic requirement for the job.

UX Designer: The Career Path

The job of a UX designer was once not so popular. However, today, it has emerged as a formal career field.

According to the experts in this field, naturally having the enthusiasm to figure out why one design works better than the other acts as a natural catalyst while working on the projects. More importantly, it is necessary for the UX designers to see how customers are interacting with their product. This not only helps generate an interest in the field, but also helps UX designers grow themselves in their career.