Where do user experience and user interface (UX/UI) designers work? Most people assume that designers work in the tech field, but technology reaches everywhere these days, so design is becoming more specialized.
User Experience Careers
Here are some industries where UX/UI design is making a big contribution. Respondents to a study by Nielsen Norman Group reported that 90% of them worked on web-based products and 76% designed mobile apps. While most of the people who responded worked in some part of the computing industry, many other fields were represented as well.
Computing, Software, and IT
By far the most UX/UI Designers work in the computing, software, and information technology industry with 199,400 people employed in website development or design in 2020. This makes sense because this is where the field of user experience design got its start. Designers create websites and software applications for desktops and mobile devices. In the NNg study, 28% of the respondents worked in tech of some form.
Finance and insurance
Finance and insurance are second on the list of where UX/UI Designers are employed with 12% of respondents in these industries. This isn’t surprising given the growing popularity of online banking and the many banking and payment apps available for phones and tablets. The user experience role can be a bit different in these applications because they involve people’s money. For example, UX Designers usually try to make it very easy to move through an app, but in financial applications, they need to make sure that strong safeguards are in place to reduce and correct errors.
Consultants
Working for a consulting agency came in third with 10% of respondents in this area. UX Design Consultants focus on the effects of improving the user experience on a business. Consultants help businesses use a design approach to identifying and solving problems.
Education
Online education has grown rapidly in the last few years and that trend will continue. From dedicated platforms for video classes to testing, learning, and study apps, many UX Designers have a place in education. Of the respondents to the study, 6% said they worked in education.
Government and Military
Government and military agencies employ 5% of the study recipients. Websites that are easy to navigate allow citizens to access services and give feedback. Another important role of government websites is disseminating emergency information.
Healthcare
The healthcare industry employs 4% of the respondents. Websites and applications are used to schedule appointments, conduct telemedicine visits, maintain medical records, and control wearable medical devices like heart monitors.
Retail
As ecommerce overtakes brick-and-mortar retail, UX Designers are involved in creating websites and mobile apps to make shopping easier and more convenient for customers. Chat features and electronic shopping carts are important parts of these products. Respondents reported that 4% were employed by retail companies.
Media, Printing, and Publishing
The most obvious role for UX Designers in the media and publishing industries is working on electronic documentation and e-readers. Platforms like Amazon and Barnes and Noble have dedicated devices where customers can download books and magazines. UX Designers also work on self-publishing platforms like Amazon’s Kindle where authors can upload and format their books for sale.
Advertising
With the advent of digital marketing, UX Designers in advertising need to be on top of social media trends as well as digital design tools. Consumers have long been antagonistic toward advertising, and designers working in this field need to use strong storytelling skills to get their messages across.
Telecommunications
Surprisingly, only 3% of the respondents work in the telecommunications industry. Smartphones are one of the prime examples of UX design. From texting, checking email, posting on social media, and paying the monthly bill, UX design is part of the process.
Business
Professional services and businesses, like lawyers, plumbers, and carpenters, use websites for educating and scheduling customers. Restaurants publish their menus on the internet and create mobile apps to help diners make reservations or order take-out.
Entertainment
The focus of UX Designers in the entertainment industry is to retain customers. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and others work to make the user experience easy, comfortable, enjoyable, and frankly addicting. They use AI to make suggestions of offerings based on what customers have already watched, and UX Designers need to include this level of personalization. Consistency and accessibility are also very important for these platforms. Users need to be able to easily find different seasons and episodes and turn on closed captioning when they need it.
Aerospace and Automotive
In the last decade, airplanes and cars have gone from dashboards and control panels full of gauges and dials to touch panels with GPS navigation. The more important computers become for cars and planes, the more UX design is involved in their development.
Non-profit Organizations
Any group that needs a website can benefit from UX design. While most non-profit groups don’t have large budgets, they can be a great place to find your first UX design job.
Emerging Technologies
Recent years have seen a number of new developments in technology that will provide jobs for UX Designers in the future. From smart homes full of appliances connected to the cloud to artificial intelligence that stays one step ahead, these features all need intuitive user interfaces. Any interactive technology can benefit from a user-centered approach.
Where to Learn UX/UI Design
If you would like to learn more about UX/UI design in order to switch to a new career, one of the best ways to do that is to sign up for classes. You can choose classes that meet in person or online. Some people prefer to attend brick-and-mortar sessions when learning new information, but that isn’t always available. Live online classes have a similar set-up with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and take control of your monitor—with permission—to show you how to do things. Training is part or full-time and available weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.
The best way to prepare for a career shift to a field like UX/UI design is to enroll in a bootcamp or certificate program. These are intensive training courses that run from a few weeks to a few months and another plus of training is that you will leave class with a professional-quality portfolio that you can show to prospective employers.
Conclusion
It’s easy to learn UX design and start a new career. Check out Noble Desktop’s UX design classes or visual design classes. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online UX/UI design courses and attend from anywhere. Use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me to find other UX/UI design bootcamps in your area.