Why transition to a career in UX design?
Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash
So you want to work as a User Experience Designer? Well, you're not alone. Thousands of aspiring designers are flocking to the profession and for good reason. The jobs are aplenty and the pay makes it more than worthwhile. According to this adobe article. Hiring Trends in UX Design. The 6 things you need to know about techs fastest growing field. "Eighty-seven percent of managers said hiring more UX designers is the top priority for their organization: higher than graphic designers (76%) and product managers (74%), and tied with software engineers for the top spot." Not only is it a highly in-demand job, but for the most part, it can be very rewarding. Plus, you can find work almost anywhere even working remotely in many cases.
Eighty-seven percent of managers said hiring more UX designers is the top priority for their organization: higher than graphic designers (76%) and product managers (74%), and tied with software engineers for top spot.
Now, with Covid-19 forcing many companies into unintended or early digital transformations, the need for designers to shape and lead those experiences is paramount. Yes, there will continue to be a lot of competition for UX jobs but you probably couldn't have picked a better time to start your transition.
I've spoken with a lot of designers who did not start their careers in UX design. They came from fields as varied as Biomedical Engineering, Psychology, Architecture, and even physical Product Design. More often though, the designers I've spoken to came to UX from similar fields like Graphic Design, Web Design, and Illustration. I myself switched careers to focus on UX/Product design from originally being a Graphic Designer and Art Director. In fact, my degree is in Art Studio (don't know how I ever thought that would pay the bills 🤷‍♂️ ).
So, judging by my non-scientific and completely anecdotal evidence. Having a degree in User Experience design or similar is hardly necessary or a prerequisite to getting involved in the field. You will and should take the time to study the basics and learn as you grow. There are boot camps, courses, and extended learning opportunities to give you a boost in learning and eventually landing a job in UX design. I'll get into those more later on. If you're truly interested in becoming a UX designer. I would highly suggest investing in yourself and some kind of certificate-type program to make sure you learn the basics and have a good grounding in the processes, job responsibilities, and skillsets.
I would not go as far as recommending a degree in UX design or any other unless you don't have any degree yet. If you are a working professional, I don't feel typical universities with the cost and nonsense that comes with them are at all worth it. Especially if you'll be learning online anyhow. I worked my way through a Specialization certificate program offered through Coursera and UC San Diego on Interaction Design. The course was challenging and more than worth it. Bonus: it only cost a few hundred dollars and about 9 months of nights and weekends from my life. If the course page on Coursera is correct. "60% [of attendees] Started a new career after completing this specialization. 38% got a pay increase or promotion". Actually, when I had to do a group project. The three other designers in my group like myself were already working UX jobs. We were all just self-taught and wanted to ground ourselves in the basics. Right now, it looks like there is free enrollment so it could only cost you your nights, weekends, and determination.
So with all that being said, what you'll first need to do. Is determine why you would want a career in UX Design? What do you want to get out of it and where do you want to be 1 to 2 years from now.
Why work as a UX designer?
Deciding what to do with your career is one of the biggest decisions you'll make in life. As it’s where you’ll spend the majority of your time. As well as switching careers when you realize it's time for a change. Let's dive into the reasons you may want to pursue this kind of career.
Opportunities.
If it's opportunities you're looking for, you're looking in the right place. Going back to that Adobe article. "UX design is slated for more growth: 73% of managers said they plan to double the number of UX designers in their organization in the next five years". That article was written pre-COVID as well and I'd be willing to bet that percentage is only rising higher.
It's trending and sounds like fun.
Is it because it’s a trending new career path and you think it would be fun? No problem in saying yes to that. UX design has seen an explosion in interest in recent years, but it's actually been around since the '90s. Well actually even longer, but it was called other things like Human-Computer Interaction, human factors, and the like.
Money.
Or is it because you think you'll make good money? According to Robert Half. In 2019 a UX designer mid-point salary is $93,000 with senior positions at $115,000. Now take a recent Salary Guide put out by Cella. A staffing and consulting firm I've personally used in the past to land a job. Mid-range UX/UI designers are making $95,000. $130,000 on the high end. Compare that to what they say graphic designers are making. $61,000 mid and $90,000 high. That's a huge gap. On top of that visual designers are capping out at $100k and web designers at $91,500. If you're interested in seeing more. Download their guide. Those salaries sound pretty good right. From my experience of working near a big city, those salary ranges go up by a lot especially at big tech firms and other companies that rely on a top of industry experience. If you're a graphic designer or a web designer, you could see your salary increase by over 40% by putting in a couple of years of hard work to learn the UX process and requirements. That's a pretty good incentive.
You live for this!
Or do you want to do this because you live for design and genuinely want to help people by designing great products? Great answer! While all the above statements are true. Genuinely wanting to connect with humans to solve problems is probably the most important aspect of being a good product designer.
If any of the reasons listed above sound like you. You're probably making a great career choice. It can fill your wallet and offer a lot of opportunities. Most importantly though is if it's something you're truly interested in and passionate about, and let's face it. Have a talent for. You'll probably find yourself filled with satisfaction and fulfilling work which at the end of the day can be worth a lot more. There will be rejection along the way and the path to get there won't be easy, but it will be worth it.
How did I transition to UX design from Graphic Design?
I had been working as an Art Director in the video game/advertising industry, luxury wearables industry, and architectural/branding industries for about ten years. I always skewed towards the digital design side as most of the people I worked with wanted to focus on the physical and print aspects of branding. Which meant the projects were aplenty in the digital space for me.
While working at an architectural firm where I handled branding, graphic design, and even some wayfinding/environmental design. I was beginning to get a lot of projects for things like digital kiosks and in-room concierge systems for the hotel chains we were working on. These projects got me really excited and I began to look around at what other type of work was available in this area. I was eventually laid-off from that company when the economy crashed in 2008. Which in the long run, turned out to be the best thing that probably ever happened to me.
When I and the majority of my colleagues were let go. I was suddenly in business for myself. Every person who left that firm went on to either another firm or start their own design business. Which meant they needed brand design and a digital presence. Before I knew it I had twenty website projects and the word spread. In a matter of months, I was working on large-scale digital app projects. I eventually started my own agency Swell Media Group along with a good friend serving as a digital design hub for clients from all sorts of industries. It was good why it lasted but eventually, we had to move on. Towards the end of Swell, I had begun working with larger clients like Met Life, Novartis, and Aon Hewitt on digital experiences as well as teaching myself as much as I could about UX design at enterprise levels.
As much work as I was doing in the field. I still had a bit of the old imposter syndrome as I wasn't trained in UX design like some of my counterparts. I didn't know all the tactics, I didn't know a lot of the language and always felt a bit like an outsider. It was time for me to bite the bullet and go back to school. Having two little kids at home, actually going back to school was not an option. I was able to find a great course that fit my schedule perfectly through Coursera. It was about a six-month course, I took a bit longer but the courses were filled with information. It had great teachers, even the godfather of UX design, Don Norman himself taught a section of the course. It was a great experience that helped me be more confident in my approach, process, and selling myself as a UX professional.
Not long after I completed the course, I was simultaneously wrapping up projects with Aon Hewitt who offered for me to come on board as the Lead UX designer on a suite of Human Engagement software projects. It would be my first full-time role as a UX designer and I still had a lot to learn.
What were my drivers for transitioning to UX design?
Well, quite frankly I needed more money. UX designers on average earn more than graphic designers. I also wanted a way to brand myself on a more strategic level. I didn't want my clients to come to me to help them make a crappy website prettier. I wanted to help them shape the strategy of their digital experiences from the ground up. I also wanted to transition from creating marketing websites to creating digital tools that help companies solve real human problems. I was also looking for more opportunities, more leadership advancement, and a bigger seat at the table. Most Importantly though, it was where my interest, focus, and passion were moving me towards. When I lost my job in 2008, life pushed me into running my own business. Now, life was pushing me in the direction of leading UX efforts for software companies. Wonder where it will push me next.
Was switching to UX design from Graphic Design worth it? Results and reflections after 7 years on the job
Well after, seven or more years working professionally as a UX designer. I would say with a resounding YES. The switch was absolutely worth it. For me, this switch has been absolutely life-changing and all the things I was looking for. More influence over the products I was designing, a seat at the table, and yes, even more money. All came to fruition. Now, it wasn't easy. I worked really hard. I struggled through late nights taking the course and as my leadership in the field grew, work could sometimes because increasingly stressful. More responsibility, more on the line. I remember a talk one day after a particularly difficult product meeting with senior leadership teams. A meeting where I had to restrain myself from screaming out loud. A colleague reminded me that "at one point in time, this is where I wanted to be. Today may be difficult, but at one point in time you would have given anything to be here. Appreciate the struggle". You'll have moments too. But that statement right there has always brought me back to remembering why I'm here. No matter how difficult things may get.
I would go on further to say that if you are a designer flirting with the idea of UX design. It would be a great career enhancement even if you don't want to fully move your career to UX design. It will teach you processes for empathizing with your customers. It will teach you to think in design systems. To test your designs better and more often, and to think on a more strategic design level. In other words. Studying it will only increase your current design skills. It's not going to make you go backward.
If you look at this chart from The World Economic Forum. These are the top 10 skills an employee will need in 2025. Take a look at the skills. These are the skills a good UX or Design Thinking course will teach you. Analytical thinking and Innovation (how to design with data). Complex problem solving (Sounds like every UX project). Critical thinking and analysis (Yup). Creativity (Duh). Technology design (This is what UX is all about). And lastly, Reasoning, problem-solving, and ideation. In my last article, I started my definition of UX as "The iterative design of digital products and services to improve human interaction". So even if you aren't going to use the skills you'll learn, learning about UX design. The skills you learn might just be the skills you'll need tomorrow.