11 Actionable Tips to Get A UI/UX Design Job
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like,” said Steve Jobs. “Design is how it works.”
UX design encompasses all the aspects of how a user interacts with a product, and strives to create meaningful experiences that solve user problems. To get hired as a designer, you’ll need the skills to create intuitive, enjoyable user experiences that help users accomplish their goals.
To build those skills from scratch, you can enroll in a bootcamp like Springboard’s UI/UX Design Career Track. From design thinking to ideation, you’ll explore all stages of the design process through hands-on, project-based learning and one-on-one mentorship. You’ll be matched with a real company to complete a 40-hour industry design project, and by the end of the course, you’ll have four portfolio projects to show to prospective employers.
Here are 11 ways you can prepare to land your dream role in UI/UX design:
1. Adopt A Design Thinking Mindset
“The main tenet of design thinking is empathy for the people you’re trying to design for,” says David M. Kelley, the founder of IDEO. Design thinking is a product development methodology that applies a human-centric approach to problem solving. User-first product design yields improved user satisfaction and retention — which is why a design thinking mindset is a must.
2. Build UX Research Skills
Designers rely on UX research to identify user needs and explain user behavior. Qualitative research examines user motivations through interviews, focus groups, and diary studies. Quantitative research uses data to identify where problems are occurring, what those problems are, and the number of users affected. These insights heavily inform product strategy — meaning you’ll need UX research skills to get hired.
3. Tackle User Personas
User personas are archetypal representations of users who share similar traits and goals. According to UX designer Sarah Doody, founder of The UX Notebook newsletter, user personas reveal the “why” behind what users do and who they are.
“The personas that serve us best are rooted in more psychographic information,” she explains. That means things like, what are people’s behaviors? What are their attitudes, what are their goals? What are their habits, what is the holistic view of their life?”
To land a UI/UX job, you’ll need to be able to create user personas — and use them to inform design decisions.
4. Learn to Ideate with Crazy 8’s
As a UI/UX designer, you’ll need ideation strategies to help you develop creative solutions quickly. Crazy 8’s is a design sprint method in which designers sketch out eight ideas in eight minutes. Use this strategy to generate innovative solutions and think outside the box — which will make you stand out to hiring managers.
5. Sketch It Out
Take it from a pro: Sketch — the popular end-to-end digital design platform — is the most important tool for new UXers to learn.
“When it comes to the UX field, there are a lot of tools out there,” explains Springboard mentor Jamal Nichols, who has worked in UX design at Google and Facebook. “But the one that I highly recommend you focus on above all else … is Sketch, because it’s the industry standard. Sketch what you’ll use for low fidelity wireframes and for high fidelity visual work. Just use Sketch. Don’t worry about anything else.”
6. Work on Wireframing
Wireframes are similar to blueprints, and include simplified versions of UI elements like buttons and graphics. Designers use wireframes to visually communicate the structure of a product early in the design process.
“Wireframes allow you to map out the functionality of the pages, catch problems early, and save time on revisions later,” explains UX researcher and former Springboard mentor Sara Nagy. “It is much less painful to make changes to a wireframe than to a high fidelity mockup with lots of design elements.”
Robust wireframing abilities will make you a more efficient designer — and a more attractive new hire.
7. Practice Prototyping
High-fidelity prototypes are interactive representations of a product that often look like the real thing. Designers use prototypes to test usability and gather user feedback. For prototyping, many designers rely on Figma — a collaborative, could-based design tool. Figma is constructed to enhance teamwork, and you’ll need to be proficient to keep up with your collaborators.
8. Get Hip to Style Guides
Style guides document how a product should look and function to create a cohesive user interface and user experience. Style guides address rules for buttons, actions, forms, recommendations — as well as color palettes, typography, spacing, font size, and more. Knowing how to create and navigate a style guide will make you a sought-after designer.
9. Connect With A Mentor
One-on-one mentorship can help you build skills and grow your career. A mentor will help with career planning, job searches, and more. Mentors can also give you feedback on projects and help direct your learning.
According to UX designer and Adobe Partner Brandon Groce, mentors are an invaluable resource — especially when it comes to accountability. “Having people along the way to help you keep on track with your goals, that is huge,” he says.
10. Network With A Community
Access to a community of fellow UI/UX designers comes with major perks. Your design community will serve as a resource for technical questions and professional connections.
“One of the things that’s always impressed me about the UX design community is that they’re always out helping one another,” says UX designer and former Springboard mentor Anne Pike. “They’re always saying: here are new processes, here are new things that are happening with different apps. Everybody is sharing information.”
11. Showcase Your Work
To land a UI/UX design role, you’ll need a top-notch portfolio in which each project is presented as a case study. Outline the problem and explain why you selected your design solution. Use visuals of the final product as well as sketches, wireframes, and prototypes to convey your process.
“The more you can show instead of just tell … the more clarity your ideas gain in other people’s minds,” says full-stack designer and Springboard mentor Matt Donovan.
Ready to take the first step towards your new UI/UX design job?
Apply to join Springboard’s UI/UX Design Career Track today.
This article was brought you by Springboard
