How to Become a User Experience Designer At Home

Working from home has quickly become our new normal. With significant advancements in technology and an increasing demand for a better work/life balance, more people are clamoring to find exciting jobs they can do from home. Becoming a User Experience (UX) Designer is one such job, and you can even learn the required skills from home, too! 

These professionals work to creatively address problems with a website or product so that users have a more positive experience. For example, a UX Designer might work to make a website look less busy by paring down the content, so users find the page easier to navigate. The demand for UX design professionals is growing faster than average, so there’s no better time to start training. 

What is UX Design?

A UX Designer works to determine at which point (or points) users of a program or product encounter challenges, then create more accessible designs and solutions. The UX design process has four basic steps. However, bear in mind that one or more of these steps may need to be repeated until the design effectively addresses the initial concerns. The first two steps are to identify and define the problem by conducting market research and gaining customer feedback; typically, this is accomplished through surveys. Understanding the experience that people have with a product is vital when improving a design.

Next, the design team will brainstorm potential solutions to whatever issues were identified in the surveys. For example, Spotify has invested a great deal in personalizing each user’s experience by tailoring unique playlists to accommodate their tastes. This keeps even casual music lovers constantly coming back to discover new songs. In the final stage, a prototype is created and tested by users to determine whether their experience has been improved. If not, the team will continue brainstorming, workshopping, and prototyping. However, the prototype can be moved into the development phase if users feel the previous issues have been sufficiently addressed.

Steps to Become a UX Designer at Home

Starting a new career is an understandably daunting task. Breaking things down into more manageable steps can often help you keep your focus and find motivation when you encounter the inevitable challenge or setback. The steps listed below may not happen in this exact order, but this is a good blueprint to keep in mind as your progress in your training:

1. Identify your learning style. Considering how you learn best is crucial to deciding which tools will help you on the path toward a new career. There are plenty of virtual UX design courses available, but some people find they learn best in a more traditional classroom setting. You can also choose to self-direct your learning if you don’t require the structure of a class to keep you on track.
   
   
2. Get comfortable using UX design software. The most commonly used programs for UX design are Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD. Since they all require a paid subscription to access necessary features, you may want to look at UX job postings to see the most common requirements before unnecessarily spending money.
   
   
3. Practice and build your portfolio. A portfolio is essential for job interviews since hiring managers will want to see what you’re capable of. To build your repertoire of projects, you can freelance as a UX Designer. While it may sound difficult to find work as a complete beginner, many people will opt to charge a reduced rate when they are starting out. This can help attract smaller businesses to your services since they may not be able to afford a more experienced designer.
   
   
4. Begin the job search. Once you feel confident in your skills and are satisfied with your portfolio, you can enter the workforce. If it takes a while to land a job, you can continue to freelance and hone your skills. 

UX Design Careers

While becoming a UX Designer is the most obvious path to take with your new skills, you may find that another career requiring UX experience is more interesting. For instance, you could look into becoming a Front End Web Developer, which can potentially command an annual salary of over $102,000. These professionals work on designing the user-side of a website, meaning the elements that people who visit a website interact with. In addition to design skills, you’ll also need to learn some basic computer programming skills to work as a Front End Web Developer. 

A Product Designer is another option, which may be ideal if you particularly enjoy marketing and consumer research. Their responsibilities include designing, creating, and testing new products to ensure a positive response from customers; sometimes, they also work to improve existing products as well. This career pays an average salary of around $89,000, though Product Designers in larger cities like Chicago or San Francisco can potentially earn over six figures. 

Books and Virtual Resources to Learn UX Design

Books are an essential resource for anybody wanting to learn UX design. While you can probably find some essential titles at your local library, you may want to buy copies to refer back to as your career advances. The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman is a common resource for designers of all types. It teaches readers how to identify a positive design experience and avoid a negative one. Sprint by Jake Knapp guides designers through a step-by-step process to efficiently design solutions to common user experience difficulties.

Aside from books, there are plenty of virtual tools to help further hone your skills. Udemy offers a catalog of free tutorials in UX design. You can also check out the various UX Challenges offered by UX Tools. These scenarios are designed to represent the types of problems you’ll face as a working UX Designer. They are broken down into four unique steps of the design process so you can focus on the components that might be more challenging for you. 

While all of these resources will undoubtedly help you on your way, research indicates that project-based learning (also sometimes called hands-on learning) is the most effective way to master a new skill. One way to get this type of training is to enroll in a class or bootcamp that specializes in UX design. Here, you’ll be able to complete assignments with guidance from a qualified instructor while meeting like-minded peers that can provide additional support. 

Learn UX Design with Noble Desktop

Does UX design sound like a career path you want to pursue? Check out the UX design courses from Noble Desktop so you can learn the skills you need to succeed. If you’d like to learn one specific software program, you can start with either the Adobe XD Bootcamp or the Sketch Bootcamp; these programs are both industry standards in the world of UX design. For a more comprehensive experience, Noble Desktop also offers a 30-hour UX Design Bootcamp. Be sure to review the course requirements before enrollment since students should be familiar with the basics of prototyping software.

Finally, Noble Desktop offers a UX & UI Design Certificate program that is offered on a part-time schedule for two months. In this course, students will learn the entire lifecycle of developing and testing a prototype for use on the web and mobile devices. You’re guaranteed small class sizes and expert instruction regardless of which Noble Desktop course you choose.