User experience designers continue to play a significant role in businesses today. According to Uxeria, 88% of online customers said they do not return to websites that are not user-friendly. This survey heightens the importance of UX designers today as it is their job to ensure the excellent usability of a product or website for users.
It is no surprise that many now seek careers in this field. However, the question of where to begin, what to learn, and who to follow often weighs some.
This article will give five effective ways to launch a career in UX design.
UX JOB SEARCHING DURING A PANDEMIC
Before diving into these practical ways, it is crucial to consider just how much the pandemic has affected UX jobs.
Questions like – 'are companies still hiring?' 'should I still apply for jobs?' 'Should I wait till the pandemic is over?' – are raised occasionally. These uncertainties plague UX as much as other careers in tech.
The good news is that the UX design field and many other tech-related jobs are already considered stable and categorized as remote work.
Some sectors have already begun incorporating UX design into their structure and have jobs for UX designers.
The educational sector has learned to rely on remote learning since the pandemic outbreak. UX designers can use this to offer good usability to learning institutions.
The health care sector has also begun adopting UX design. A survey by Gallup reveals that nearly half (45%) of Americans have at least tried digital health care products such as fitness trackers or mobile health apps.
The list of industries now adopting UX design in their system goes on and on. There is no better time for an aspiring UX designer to work towards building a UX career than now.
5 EFFECTIVE WAYS TO LAUNCH UX CAREER IN 2021
Now that you understand how the pandemic affects work, here are five effective ways to launch a UX career in 2021.
Work on your portfolio. We learn new things every day. Even if you know everything about UX design, it is essential to keep on learning and improving your skills. Design is dynamic, and keeping up with trends will significantly help your career. Do this by reading UX design books and articles. Sign up for UX design bootcamps like the GoCreate USA, a free UX design Bootcamp training for design enthusiasts.
Specialize in one prototyping tool. Prototype tools help UX designers make their ideas interactive and visual to verify the practices they are taught in books and help improve their skills. An example of a prototype tool is adobe experience design which is free and helps create interactive prototypes.
Create your online portfolio. With your portfolio, you'd be attracting interviewers or employers. Your portfolio must entail the skills you have gathered and mastered in UX design.
Create an assuring resume. To land a job in UX, your resume needs to highlight strong points as to why that position should be yours. Your resume must highlight unique designs that align with the current industry trends. These designs are what make up your portfolio.
Attend a Bootcamp, and learn from experts. You need skills to launch a successful career in UX. Not taking anything away from self-learning, you tend to learn more when you sign up for a Bootcamp experience. You get to learn how to use modern design tools in real-time and connect with people who are already excelling at the career of your choice.
If you sign up for a Bootcamp like GoCreate USA, you get to learn from industry leaders as instructors, and all your projects will make up your professional portfolio when applying for a job.