The demand for UX Design has skyrocketed in the last 10 years.
And according to CNN, the amount of UX Designer jobs will continue to grow by 22% over the next 10 years.
Therefore, it‘s no surprise that many job seekers are looking to get into UX. But how do you get started if you don’t know anything about the topic?
We from UXCam did an interview with Bastian Klenow to find out how he broke into UX as a lateral entrant.
Bastian is a Product and UX Designer at Customlytics — and at the same time Head of UX at Groots.
Bastian’s Essential Tips for new UX Designers
We asked Bastian for 3 pieces of advice that he’d give to new UX Designers:
1. Leverage meetups and your network
If you’re looking to become a UX Designer, start with one essential task of the profession: Research.
You can use your network and UX meetups to get a deeper understanding of what UX actually is and what the daily tasks of a UX professional look like.
2. Learn about the elements of human behavior
No matter where you end up in UX: Understanding user behavior will always be at the heart of what you’re doing.
Therefore, it’ll help you to educate yourself about human psychology and it’s relationship with design. There are two books that you can use as a starting point:
- “Thinking Fast and Slow”, by Daniel Kahnemann: This mind-opening book will teach you the systems in which human beings think and behave.
- “How Real is Real?”, by Paul Watzlawick: A classic in communication theory. The book’s main thesis is that everyone’s reality is subjective, which has an impact on communication. You have to be strategic about communication, it’s like playing a game of chess.
3. Get started!
You can read about UX all day. It won’t be enough on its own.
Educate yourself about key UX concepts and then start to put them into action.
Redesign your favorite app. Start a passion project. Afterward, reflect on your progress and your mistakes.
How to Prepare for Your UX Design Interview
Bastian mentioned a couple of tactics that helped him in his job search:
Get feedback from rejections: Getting rejections is a normal part of the job-seeking process. Don’t let it discourage you. Instead, ask for feedback and learn from it.
Portfolio - Personal projects: If you don’t have any UX experience yet, it’s a must-do to include personal projects into your portfolio.
Portfolio — Transferable experience: You might have transferable experience from previous jobs. For example, if you were a graphic designer and you contributed to a website redesign, mention the contributions you made from a UX perspective.
Build a CV that stands out: Bastian started out in Graphic Design & Architecture. When he first applied for a graphic design job, he built his CV in the style of an infographic — this helped him to get the job. Think about how you can stand out in your own way.
Meetups — Gain Knowledge: Ask participants of UX meetups for job interview advice. Most people will be happy to help you.
Meetups — Build a network: The people that you meet at meetups can become a valuable part of your network. Who knows, someone might even introduce you to a new job opportunity.
Look for startups: Jobs in startups often have the benefit of getting more responsibility. This leads to a faster learning curve. However, be careful: There should be an experienced designer in the startup that can help you. Learning everything by yourself will be a tough challenge.
Top Resources for New UX Designers
Here are the resources that Bastian recommends for new UX Designers!
UX Planet: The case studies that are published on UX Planet are great to get inspiration for your own UX projects. Additionally, the articles of the contributors will widen your horizon.
Nielsen Norman Group: The Nielsen Norman Group is the biggest thought leader in UX. Their articles will give you a strong theoretical knowledge base.
Google: Did you stumble upon a new concept? Google everything you don’t know to fill your knowledge gaps.
Productdesign.tips: This app gives you a curated list of product design tips every day.
Don’t make me think: A classic UX book. It’ll introduce you to the UX mindset.
Shameless self-promotion from the author — we think our blog Bluespace is worth a look as well!
What makes mobile UX special?
At Customlytics, Bastian works in the field of mobile UX. We took the opportunity to ask him about the hurdles of mobile.
UX for mobile apps is a unique challenge. There’s not much space. Therefore, you have to identify the core features.
Additionally, the environment has to be accounted for. When you design a desktop app, you can be 95% sure that it’ll be used on a desk. A mobile app could be used in all kinds of situations outside.
On mobile, gestures are a complex input method. You have to take in multiple factors into account, and the hand position plays a role in the element placement — tracking gestures requires modern a unique set of analytics and KPIs.
We hope that you enjoyed this article.
You can connect with Bastian on LinkedIn.
