You might think that you need a degree in UX design to land a job in this exciting and growing field. But that's not necessarily true. You can leverage your existing skills, knowledge, and passion to launch a successful UX career with a non-UX degree. Here are some tips on how to do it.
The first step is to identify what you already have that can be useful for UX design. Maybe you have a background in psychology, sociology, or anthropology, and you can apply your understanding of human behavior and culture to user research and testing. Maybe you have a degree in computer science, engineering, or mathematics, and you can use your analytical and problem-solving skills to create user-friendly solutions and prototypes. Maybe you have a degree in arts, humanities, or communication, and you can use your creativity and storytelling skills to craft engaging and meaningful user experiences. Whatever your degree, think about how it can contribute to the UX process and showcase your value.
Launching a successful UX career with a non UX degree involves assessing your strengths and encouraging them to gain UX skills. Such as problem solving and empathy; which are transferable and valuable in the UX field.
It's essential to recognize the unique skills and experiences you bring to the table. Take stock of your background and identify how it can be valuable in UX design. Whether it's a degree in psychology, sociology, anthropology, computer science, engineering, mathematics, arts, humanities, or communication, each field offers distinct contributions. Leverage your understanding of human behaviour, analytical prowess, problem-solving abilities, creativity, or storytelling skills to enhance user research, testing, solution creation, and crafting engaging experiences. Embrace your diverse background and showcase the value it brings to the UX process, highlighting your expertise and differentiation in the field.
I don't think you should take time to sit down and assess your strengths. When you're just starting, you are yet to find out what UX is and how your past experiences and skills match that. I'd say - jump to step two. Start learning and applying as soon as possible. The strengths assessment will happen by itself as you go.
The only careers that NEED a degree are like doctors, nurses, astrophysicist, etc. 95% of the jobs out there don't need any formal schooling. Within the next 5 years I project degree programs will be mainly obsolete and most jobs won't even have it as a requirement. Bootcamps and trade schools will continue to rise up and more and more people will be self taught by figuring it out and watching YouTube content. Most UX jobs I've seen don't even require a degree. You've got this!
Every skill learned/acquired is transferrable, the key is identifying them and how they can be tweaked and applied to launching your UX career. Working in UX will test your knowledge of various industries and how you can apply it to solve a current issue at hand.
The next step is to fill in the gaps in your UX knowledge and skills. You don't have to enroll in a formal degree program, but you do need to learn the core concepts, methods, and tools of UX design. You can find plenty of online courses, books, podcasts, blogs, and videos that can teach you the fundamentals of UX design, such as user research, information architecture, interaction design, visual design, usability testing, and prototyping. You can also join online communities, forums, and networks where you can interact with other UX designers, ask questions, get feedback, and find mentors.
You can easily find basic UX theory knowledge. It's everywhere. What I would suggest is to start looking at and playing with apps and websites with a new pair of eyes. Think about why things are designed in a certain way as you are using them. Begin developing patterns in your mind. Try imitating them. Think of better ways to recreate them. Ask your friends how they are using something and observe them do it. Just develop a curiosity. It will serve you very well in your design journey.
Learning the basics of UX is very important especially when you don’t have any design experience. You have to start building from scratch, learning and unlearning, and most importantly putting what you’ve learnt into practice. One of the best courses I will recommend for a newbie that wants to learn UX design is the Google UX course on Coursera, not only can you get this course for free (through financial aid) but this course covers all the basics of UX designer, and this is the foundation anyone who wants to delve into UX design needs. It’s also important to see your physical environment as your study field. This way, you apply whatever you’ve learned fast and easily.
As several here have already said, UX knowledge is all over the internet and I would encourage anyone looking to get into UX design to explore all of the great resources out there. When I started learning about UX, a colleague recommended the book ‘About Face’. It’s a very dense book, but is filled with invaluable information that I have used again and again in my work. Regardless if you’re a “certified” UX designer or focused on UI or even “standard” site design, the information presented in this book are concepts and principles you can use in all aspects of design.
Learning the basics of UX design is essential for launching a successful career, regardless of your educational background. Here are some key areas to focus on: 1. User-centered design principles: Understand the core principles of UX design, such as user research, user empathy, iteration, and accessibility. Learn how to apply these principles throughout the design process, from understanding user needs to creating user-friendly interfaces. 2. UX research methods: Familiarise yourself with different research methods like user interviews, surveys, usability testing, and A/B testing. Understand how to conduct research effectively, analyze data, and translate insights into actionable design decisions.
Absolutely! I started my journey by reading books on microscopy and UX writing (as that was my first point of entry into UX), and also by listening to podcasts and connecting with people from some UX communities. Taking courses either in-person or online is a great way to familiarise yourself in the field as a non-UX degree holder. I enrolled and completed all 7 courses of Google’s UX Design Professional Certificate on Coursera. You learn the fundamentals and best UX practices — I promise it’s worth the time.
The third step is to create a portfolio that showcases your UX design work and process. A portfolio is essential for demonstrating your skills, experience, and potential to employers and clients. You can start by working on personal projects, such as redesigning a website or app that you use frequently, or creating a new product or service that solves a problem that you care about. You can also look for opportunities to work on real projects, such as volunteering for a non-profit organization, joining a hackathon, or participating in a design challenge. Make sure to document your UX process, from research to testing, and explain your design decisions and outcomes.
This might be the most important part if you are starting as a beginner. A portfolio is everything you have to show what you are capable of. Avoid putting a formulaic approach to your case studies and try taking them from the business side perspective. Discuss how this will impact or improve the business. This will make you stand out from the average designer.
As a relatively new field UX practitioners come from a variety of backgrounds. Demonstrate your understanding of the process by connecting your skills and experience to the job requirements. Hiring managers are looking for people they believe will be successful in the role, so having a strong portfolio that demonstrates not just your technical skills but your ability to think about problems critically is important.
As someone new to the field and transitioning from another industry, building a portfolio is paramount. Start by crafting it as a personal case study or project: envision the hiring manager's experience navigating your portfolio. Focus on enhancing that journey. As a beginner, starting and showcasing your learning process is key. Demonstrating curiosity and a commitment to learning through your portfolio is valued by hiring managers. Construct a portfolio by initiating basic self-learning case studies and consider pro bono projects to learn, implement, and grow. For portfolio development, I highly recommend utilizing WIX as a user-friendly platform
The final step is to connect with other UX professionals and look for UX jobs that match your profile and goals. You can use social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram, to showcase your portfolio, share your insights, and follow influential UX designers. You can also attend online or offline events, such as webinars, workshops, conferences, or meetups, where you can learn from experts, meet peers, and find potential employers or clients. You can also browse online job boards, such as Indeed, Glassdoor, or UX Jobs Board, and apply for UX positions that suit your skills and interests. Don't be discouraged by the lack of a UX degree; focus on your strengths, your portfolio, and your passion.
Learn UX fundamentals through courses, build a portfolio with personal projects, gain practical experience via internships or freelancing, network with professionals, stay updated on industry trends, showcase transferable skills, create detailed case studies, establish an online presence, seek feedback, and apply for entry-level positions to launch a successful UX career with a non-UX degree.
My advice as someone who has transitioned to UX Design effectively, is to continously learn and upskill yourself. Dont think that one bootcamp is enough to learn everything in this vast field. UX Design is dynamic and it is important to keep learning from different sources, keep practicing design, always strive to make your design and processes better and give 200 percent while doing all this.
Solve real-life problems. Maybe you saw an app that is lacking a good UX or could use a UI redesign? Maybe as a user, you are frustrated about the way in which the tools you're using are working. Try to spot the patterns in workflows, interactions or UI design. Don't design just for the aesthetics, but for usability. A good idea is to find an app that you consider well designed or has been considered so by the industry and try to replicate the interface on your own (just don't put it in the portfolio, since it's not actually your work) - imitating others can teach you a great deal about how things are made and how the rules of design are applied to projects.