I quite love learning and re-learning anything that has to do with user experience. Since this blog is one of the prerequisites needed to pass the Friends of Figma Africa Mentorship Program, let me tell you about my understanding of user experience. What I've learned this week from Career Foundry's UX Design for Beginners Course and how it has impacted my understanding of user experience design.
UX is everywhere! Both physical and or digital products deal with UX. We experience good and bad UX in our daily lives which influences our judgement about various products and services. When designing, you have to understand that it is mainly for the user.
All UX designers wear multiple hats to bridge the gap between complex systems and human users. We are researchers, psychologists, designers and many mocre.
A Typical Design Process
A UX Design process generally consist of research, design, testing and implementation. Each of them can be broken into smaller tasks. It is essential to start out by conducting user research. Not conducting user research on time can increase your number of iterations on the product.
The Quadrant Model is
The Quadrant Model categorizes these paths into Experience Strategy, User Research, Information Architecture, and Interaction Design. Additional roles like UX writers, voice designers, and UX/UI designers are discussed. The tutorial emphasizes that beginners need not choose a specialization immediately and can discover their strengths over time. The practical exercise encourages learners to categorize UX influencers into these specialized quadrants based on their expertise and interests.
Skills Needed To Be a UX Designer
UX designers require a blend of crucial soft and hard skills. Key soft skills include effective communication for collaboration and presenting ideas, empathy to prioritize user needs and advocate for them, and strong organizational abilities to manage diverse design documents efficiently.
In contrast, essential hard skills encompass user research to understand user needs and build empathy, information architecture for organizing information effectively, and proficiency in wireframing and prototyping to communicate and test design concepts.
Tips For A Good UX Portfolio
A UX design portfolio is a crucial tool for showcasing a designer's skills, process, and personal brand. It emphasizes the significance of demonstrating the entire UX process through case studies, from problem identification to solutions and outcomes. Key elements of a strong portfolio include an impactful headline, an informative "About" section, comprehensive case studies, visual content, and contact details.
Be A Professional UX Designer
There are various paths to becoming a UX designer, including self-study, non-mentored online courses, and structured programs. It recommends structured programs like CareerFoundry's UX Design Program for those seeking a comprehensive and supportive learning experience.
Finally, all the things I learnt has really given me a deeper understanding of UX design and fueled my curiosity in learning more until I become a professional full-time UX Designer.