First step to become a self-taught UX/UI designer
TL;DR: You can find your actionable list at the end!
We're going to talk about the first steps to becoming a self-taught UX/UI designer. I'll share actionable tasks for each part and as usual, there is a summary at the end.
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Let's dive in!
Knowing the Basics
The first step is getting familiar with the basics of UI and UX design.
What is UI design?
UI stands for "user interface" design. It focuses on the visual elements and overall look and feel of a product. UI designers are responsible for how things appear on the screen.
What is UX design?
UX stands for "user experience" design. UX designers aim to create a nice experience for users. They focus on making products easy and enjoyable to use.
UX and UI work closely together to create great products. Now let's look at what you need to learn for each one.
Learning UI Design
To start with UI design, focus on these core skills:
1. Tools
Learn design tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD. Figma is a top choice right now with its free plan and active community.
Resources:
Action step: Spend just 2 minutes in Figma daily playing around and browsing community files. This will help you get familiar with it.
If you want to practice more with Figma and challenge yourself you can join FigChallenge.
It is a community of designers who are whiling to challenge themselves to design more with the power of social support and gamification.
2. Typography
Typography is key for conveying information clearly through text. Learn typography basics like serif vs. sans serif fonts, font pairings, line height, letter spacing, etc.
Serif fonts have small decorative lines or details at the ends of letters. Examples include Times New Roman, Georgia, and Garamond. Serif fonts are commonly used for long blocks of printed text since the serifs help guide the eye along the lines.
Sans serif fonts do not have these extra decorations at the ends of letters. Examples include Arial, Inter, and Poppins. Sans serif fonts have a cleaner, more minimal appearance. They are commonly used for headings and short text online.
For UI design, it's important to understand when to use serif vs sans serif fonts and how to combine them effectively.
Resources:
Action step: Pay attention to typography when visiting websites and apps. Notice which fonts are used and how they work together. Try to pay attention to the serif and sanserif fonts on books and prints as well.
Action step: Pay attention to typography when visiting websites and apps. Notice which fonts are used and how they work together.
3. Color
Color hugely impacts aesthetics and emotions. Study color theory, palettes, and the meanings/effects of different colors.
Resources:
Action step: Take note of how colors make you feel on websites and apps you visit.
4. Layout
Layout involves positioning elements on the screen effectively. Learn layout principles like grids, spacing, hierarchy, and responsive design.
Resources:
Action step: Observe and analyze the layouts of websites and apps you use. What makes them feel organized or cluttered?
5. Styles
UI design has styles like minimalism, neubrutalism, neumorphism etc. Learn to recognize and apply these styles.
领英推荐
We have a lot of design challenges for style on FigChallenge.
Resources:
Action step: See if you can detect different UI styles when browsing on Behance or Dribbble.
Learning UX Design
For UX design, there are a lot of details involved and the learning is never-ending but here are 3 areas to begin with:
1. User flows
Map out how users move through products step-by-step. Study flows of products you use daily.
Resources:
Action step: Pay attention to the flows of apps you use. How do you navigate from task to task?
2. User research
Learn methods like surveys, interviews, and usability testing to understand user behaviors and pain points.
Resources:
Action step: Read through my 3-part guide on UX research methods.
3. UX terms and principles
Study core UX principles and processes. Some key resources: Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things, Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think, NNGroup articles.
Resources:
Action step: Browse UX articles and flip through those classic books to absorb key concepts.
Moving Forward
Those are the key starting points for both UI and UX design. Take it step-by-step, focus on building real skills, and keep leveling up. You've got this!
Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm happy to help however I can as you start your self-taught UX/UI journey.
I'll add more resources to my newsletter so stay tuned.
I also have Live events on LinkedIn you can join them to follow with audio if you are like me and enjoy listening more than reading??
Summary
If you want to practice more join our community on FigChallenge.
Driving business value and designing impactful solutions for 5+ years.??♂?
1 年Great article with invaluable resources list! Sepideh Yazdi ?? ?? Appreciate your efforts for putting out this and also for actively engaging with the community!