The first time I want to learn about UI UX design is confusing. Every person I ask has a different answer and a different journey to start.
So, I made this article, to sum up, all of the information and experience I get from joining Bootcamp, workshops, and books I read to become UIUX Design.
Let’s get started!
Here is the list:
Contents
What is a UI Designer and what do UI designers do?
UI Designer is a place where interaction between humans and machines occurs. UI Designer focuses on Visualisation, coloring, and things related to the creativity of the interface that will be used by the user.
Good UI Designer has these characteristics in design. What are they?
- The Design should focus on helping users complete tasks quickly and with less effort.
And look like a seamless experience. - And also must look fun and Satisfaction and don’t make the user frustrated.
- And UI Designers must be able to communicate the brand or value of the company or organization.
Not only that, it turns out that being a UI Designer must also understand the principle. There are 10 principles for good design:
See our article on Principles of UI Design
Skills of a UI Designer
After you understand what a UI designer is and its characteristics. Next, you have to know a few things about UI Designers’ skillsets. So, there are 2 skill sets that you must have as a UI Designer. What are they?
Hard Skill
For hard skills, a UI designer must be able to create wireframing, prototyping, responsive design, and up-to-date new tools. Include interaction tools like (Webflow and Elementor) this can help your design looks real.
And not only that, mastering the principle design like (Thypograhpy, color, branding) is also part of the skills you have learned.
Soft Skill
Being a UI Designer is required not only to be an expert in controlling software design or to understand a color theory. It’s just the skin.
The most important thing is how a designer communicates his design to his friends or colleagues. And also handling feedback from other people is also a skill that you must have.
Remember this, a great designer is a designer who can communicate his design to the user.
Resources to Get Started in UI
After you understand the responsibility and duties of a UI Designer. The next step is.
Where to start?…
I made a roadmap from my experience. So, you don’t get confused about where to start.
UI Designer Roadmap:
Visual Design Foundation
You have to learn the basic foundation of the design interface.
- Element of Design
Typography, Shapes, Colors. Line, Form, Space, and Texture.
Click here - Principle of Design
- CRAP
Contrast, Repetition/ Rhtym, Alignment, and Proximity.
I write detail about the basic foundation design, You can below:
Intro to Wireframing
Knowing how to create a wireframe
- What is wireframe
- Benefit of Wireframing
- Types of Wireframe
- How to create
- User journey
How To Succeed In Wireframe Design
How To Create Your First Wireframe
Wireframe by Top UX Designers
Practice Sketching
Learn to Improve your sketching to save time and effort.
✏️ 7 Reasons for Sketching in UX Design
🎨 How doodling can make you better mobile app designer
🧠 Thoughtful doodle
Designing Layout
Learn how to arrange design elements to form an artistic arrangement.
- Typography
- Hierarchy
- Using Grid
- Color and Contrast
- Writing Good Copy
All you need to know about Typography for Interface:
Creating Mockup
Creating Mockup is one of the UI Designer’s works.
- What is Mockup
- Advantage Using Mockup
- How to Create Mockup
- Mastering Design Tools
Prototyping
Create prototypes for user testing tools, idea validation, and presentations.
- Designing interaction
- Layer interactive
- Micro-interactions
I write detail about prototyping:
Presenting Ideas
Learn how to present your design/idea to your client or partner.
- Knowing Your audience
– Roles and backgrounds
– Goals and challenges
– Internal or external?
– Formal or casual? - Set expectations and goals
- Explain The Problem dan Solution
4 ways to effectively present your design to the client
Presenting Your UX Portfolio
Handling Feedback
Learn how do we respond to the feedback you receive
- Understand the importance of feedback
– There is no skill improvement without feedback
– Build trust with coworkers and clients - Get to know the type of feedback
– Type of feedback - Request feedback
- Evaluation Feedback
– Constructive or decustructive?
– Relevant or irrelevant? - Manage negative feedback
- Active listening
♻️ Feedback Loop Everyday
🗣 7 Simple Rules for Giving Great Design Feedback
🗣 Effective Design Feedback
What is A UX Designer, and What Do UX designers Do?
If you’ve read 5 different articles about the definition of UX, then you will get 5 different answers too.
However…
The main message I want to share remains the same…
UX IS Knowledge focuses on learning how to build products that don’t make users confounded when using them.
If I described it from another point of view, how can it be easier for the user to use the product.
Not only to help user needs. A UX Designer is also required to help achieve business goals and assist the developer’s technical side.
It has not been called a (product) even though the user (has) used it easily. If it has not helped the business be sustainable.
Or even the technical side that has not been able to develop the solution.
Another popular opinion, UX is the sweet spot between user needs, business goals, And technology (developers).
What UX Designers Do?
If you look at the picture above. A UX Designer does everything from strategy, scope, structure, and skeleton to the surface.
But there are things you should know, each project or product can be different.
And it also depends on varied factors such as budget, deadline, number of teams, and type of company.
Good UX Designer has these characteristics. What are they?
- The product should be easily usable, logical, and self-explanation
- The product should solve the user’s problem
- Products must be accessible and used by many people
- The product must create a positive experience for users and allow them to complete tasks without frustration.
Skills of a UX Designer
After you understand what UX Designer is and the responsibility. Next, you also have to know a few things about the skill set that a UX Designer must-have.
So, there are 2 skill sets that you should have as A UX Designer. What are they?
Technical Skills
This skill you must master because you will use it every day.
- User Research and Strategy
This fundamental skill you have to master to determine users (needs), how they’ll interact with, and maintain that people love your product.
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The UX designer should be experienced in research methods, including qualitative and quantitative data collection, and understand how to plan, conduct research, and interpret and analyze findings.
- Wireframing and prototyping
After you do research and sort the data. Usually, a UX designer will translate this information into a flow of information. It can be consumed by UI designers to be high fidelity or to present research results to colleagues or bosses.
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To apply this, you need also proficient with making wireframes and prototyping to bring your design to life.
- User interface (UI) design
Some job requirements require design skills in UX. Indeed, a UX designer is not necessary to be great at designing typography, coloring, and layouting.
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If you have these skills, it will make it easier for you to optimize the user interactions that you create.
. - Responsive design
UX Designers must be familiar with the concept of responsive design. The goal is to ensure that designs displayed on different screens look consistent and usable.
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And also very important because all users switch to mobile phones.
Soft Skills
UX designers must also develop soft skills to effectively manage relationships and simplify the design process.
- Project management
Doing ideation to delivery, a UX Designer also can lead, coordinate, and manage time and the budget in his work. So that the products made are much more efficient and also on time.
- Team and Stakeholder management
Being a UX designer is required to work with various kinds of people. Especially outside the organization.
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To make a good product according to the company’s target, a UX Designer must be able to manage the expectations of the stakeholders or managers.
- Empathy
The biggest challenge as a UX Designer is being able to feel what users feel. It’s simple, but it’s hard. You must understand what users think and what the user feels.
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Assumptions are the most enormous NO NO NO for UX Designer.
- Communication
Developing communication is a fundamental skill for UX designers. Because in almost aspects, you are required to present, debate, and give feedback. Sometimes, you become the design thinking facilitator in your team/tribe.
Resources to Get Started in UX
After you understand the responsibility and duties of a UX Designer. The next step is.
Where to start?…
Don’t get confused about where to start. I made a roadmap based on my experience.
UI Designer Roadmap:
UX Design Foundation
The first step learning the foundation process of designing a product experience.
- What Are UX Design and its application?
– What UX Designers do
– Why does UX Design matter?
– UX vs UI Understanding UX terms
. - Understanding User
– The importance of users
– User-Centered Design
– The importance of putting the user in the center of our design
– Determining User Personas
– Empathy Maps
. - Understanding your user’s goals
– Determining companies goals
– Combining your goals and user’s goals
– Measuring goals
. - Understanding User Journey
– Understanding User Flows
– Making User Flows
All you need to know about UX Foundation
User-Centered Design
UX Design Pattern
Learn Common patterns generally used in designing experiences.
- What are Design Patterns
- Interface Design Patterns
- Behavioral Design Patterns
Design Thinking
Learn the process of solving problems using a practical and creative solution approach by emphasizing the approach from the user side.
- Understanding User with Empathy Map
- Design Sprint
- Crazy eights
- Design Thinking Process
(Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test Step by step process) - Become Design Thinker
Origins of Design Thinking
Terms, and Best Practice
Mindset vs Methods
Design Principles
Rules that must be followed in UX Design.
Design Interactions
Learn designing the interaction between medium and users
- What is Interaction Design
- 5 Dimension Interaction Design Words (1D) Visual Representation (2D)
Physical objects/ space (3D) Time (4D) Behaviour (5D) - Type Interactions:
– Touch Gesture
– Human Interface Guideline: Gesture - Micro-interactions
- Cognitive Psychology: Mental Models
- Cognitive Psychology: Affordances
- Psychological Principles
- Sensation and Perception
All you need to know about Interaction Design (IxD);
- Micro-interactions
- Mental Model in Product Design
- Tutorial Interaction Design
- The Designer’s Guide to Learning Code
UX Design Deliverables
UX Designer’s work is usually requested by PM, PO, or team
- Personas
- User flows
- Use cases and scenarios
- Storyboards
- Competitive-analysis report
- Sketches
- Wireframes
- Prototypes
- Testing: Quantitative survey, Usability report, Analytic report, A/B Testing
- Heuristic Analysis
- Accessibility Analysis
- Metric Analysis
☑️ Complete list of UX deliverables
☑️ UX Design Method
☑️ What will I be making as a UX designer?
What’s the Difference Between UX and UI?
UI and UX designers are closely related. In fact, many think both of them are the same. Even though they work in the design field, UI and UX Designers have different focuses.
- Different Purpose
The goal of UI design is to deliver beautiful and consistent interface designs across every platform, from fonts, colors, images, etc. I hope that users will be more comfortable using the product.
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Unlike UI, UX is useful for making a product easier to use by users.
- Focus Area
UX Design focuses on project management and analysis, ranging from research, ideation, and development to delivery. While the UI is more focused on making design components and a beautiful interface.
- Scope
UX Design has broader responsibilities than UI Design in terms of its function. In some companies, UX Design ideally starts with researching the preferences and habits of the audience.
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UI designers usually receive research results from UX Design in wireframes. Which is then translated again into a beautiful interface.
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Thus, UX design is the background for UI design in producing certain products on the interface.
How Do UI/UX Designers Work Together?
Maybe you’ve seen or heard that UX is more important than UI, or vice versa. But the reality is, they are both crucial.
There are many examples out there, great products with one and not the other, but imagine how much more successful they might have been when strong in both fields.
Example:
Imagine you have an idea to create an application. This application is definitely not on the market and can change your social life for the better.
Then you hire a UX Designer to do user research and find out what features your app should have. And also help mapping the user journey.
The app you create offers something your target audience wants, but when they download it. They found that the text on the page was hardly legible (the text is yellow with white background).
Even the two download buttons are close to each other. They keep hitting the wrong button by mistake! This is a classic case of lousy UI destroying what would have been good UX.
On the other hand, you’ve come across a beautiful site full of animations. In every scroll, there is interaction. It always changes. But to find information is very difficult.
Good UI Can Never Replace Bad UX
In the end, UI and UX must be executed flawlessly and in harmony. So that user expectations that have been made can create great products.
How Do You Become a UI or UX Expert? What Kind of Design Courses/Tutorials Should You Take?
To become a UIUX expert, You can start by being interested in UI UX Design. After you are interested, you have to look for resources, mentors, or roadmaps to help you prepare for the job market.
There are Several Online Courses, such as:
- User interface design book
- About the face
- Grid
- Etc
That can help you kickstart your journey to become UI Designer. For UX design, you can learn online, through paid courses, or courses from online universities like:
- interaction-design
- Online universities
- Coursera
Or you can also check the best online course website to learn UI UX. You can see which websites offer courses for free and read user feedback.
UX Designer Ebook:
- User Experience
- The UX Design Field Book
Finding Best Mentor:
Which Should You Specialize In? UI or UX Design?
Specialization in UI or UX design is a personal preference. It depends on which skills set you to have and want to develop.
However, you often see many job opportunities in several job markets that combine UI/UX designer roles.
While the roles and responsibilities are very different. Although it is difficult to apply the two, a combined UI/UX career can prove rewarding in salary and interest in the company.
The combination of UI/UX designer roles is tough to perform. Because you have to be able to switch from one mindset to another, which sometimes makes you overwhelmed. So it is a better option to specialize in one role instead.
If you are great at combining colors and typography and understand how to enhance a product to make it look good. UI Designer could be the right career choice for you.
On the other hand, if you are interested in interviewing users, analyzing a journey, and interested in how to improve the user experience, a UX designer might be the right choice.
Wrap Up
Hope this article helps you with your confusion about UI and UX. And what I discuss in this post is only a tiny part. You have to learn many more things to become a UI UX professional.
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