How to become a UX Designer

Becoming a UX Designer is an in-demand career path. It requires deep expertise in UX Design and a strong network to carry you along. Here are some resources to help you on your journey.

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Why should you become a 
UX Designer?

UX Designer

Demand for experts in UX Design is growing rapidly. Companies are looking for people with deep expertise in the field of UX Design to help them build their products and services.

As a result, UX Designers are in high demand and command high salaries. According to leading sources, the median salary for a UX Designer is $75,000 and a senior UX Designer can earn up to $100,000. Even entry-level positions can command great salaries.

No wonder that interest in a career in UX Design is growing rapidly. Explore the resources below to learn more about how to become a UX Designer.

Best books to build UX Design understanding.

A well-written and thorough book can be an amazing path to build deeper understanding and also act as a handbook as you discover the internet's vast resources.

These are our and our experts top picks to get started building career-relevant skills.

Lean UX

Lean UX

Inspired by Lean and Agile development theories, Lean UX lets you focus on the actual experience being designed, rather than deliverables. This book shows you how to collaborate closely with other members of your Agile product team, and gather feedback early and often.

Universal Principles of Design

Universal Principles of Design

Universal Principles of Design is the first cross-disciplinary reference of design. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, this book pairs clear explanations of the design concepts featured with visual examples of those concepts applied in practice.

Designing Interfaces, 3rd Edition

Designing Interfaces, 3rd Edition

Designing good application interfaces isn’t easy now that companies need to create compelling, seamless user experiences across an exploding number of channels, screens, and contexts. In this updated third edition, you’ll learn how to navigate through the maze of design options. By capturing UI best practices as design patterns, this best-selling book provides solutions to common design problems.

Don't Make Me Think

Don't Make Me Think

Hundreds of thousands of Web designers and developers have relied on usability guru Steve Krug's guide to help them understand the principles of intuitive navigation and information design. Witty, commonsensical, and eminently practical, it's one of the best-loved and most recommended books on the subject.

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

As Product Manager, user engagement is always at the top of your mind. The best way to have engaged users is to create habit-forming products. Nir Eyal walks us through the inner workings of almost addicting social apps and boils down how you can use the same mechanisms for good.

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Courses to deepen your UX Design skills.

These days, courses are no longer a sequence of videos. They are usually accompanied by projects and a learning community, keeping you accountable and on the path.

Our experts recommend these courses, from free selections to paid programs.

Hackdesign

Hackdesign

An easy to follow design course for people who do amazing things. Receive a design lesson in your inbox each week, hand crafted by a design pro. Learn at your own pace, and apply it to your real life work.

Learn by doing. Play with design puzzles and challenging games as you learn. Test your skills and explore possibilities.

Interaction Design Foundation

Interaction Design Foundation

With 96,264 graduates, the Interaction Design Foundation is the biggest online design school globally. They are market leaders in online design education because the world’s leading experts create their content and because they are specialized in design. Their courses cover the entire spectrum of UX design from beginner to advanced.

Get the guidance you need to become a UX Designer

There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!

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Hello, my name is Marcelo. I am a Lead UX Designer with more than 7 years of experience working with the largest companies in the world such as Disney, IBM and EY. During my career, I have helped organizations solve complex problems using aesthetically pleasing designs with design while building …

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🔥 I'm shorter than I want to be and I love UX. 🙌 I've been in the field for more than 10 years (it's better to put it this way instead of saying the real number) with a strong focus on user experience and team culture. I've dedicated the last …

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As a dynamic UX leader and architect, I'm driven by innovation and a passion for design. With extensive experience in digital projects for a diverse range of clients, from startups to industry giants like Amazon and Disney, my expertise lies in creating optimal solutions through iterative design and a deep …

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Hi, I'm Cat Achieng, A UX Designer specialising in Digital Product Design, Web Design, and User Interface/Experience Design. Previously, I was freelancing full–time as a Web Designer / Developer for 8+ years, creating websites that are simple, beautiful, and easy to use. I am happiest when working on a UX …

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Yes, you can design your own career. I've designed my career and helped over 300 mentees design and grow theirs. I mostly coach early and mid-career professionals across product/UX design, UX research, digital accessibility, and product management. Frequent topics I cover with my mentees are "how to stand out from …

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Hi, I'm Tetiana, a Senior UX Designer (ex - Software Engineer) based in the Netherlands with over 7 years in B2B and SaaS. Apply and get ⭐20-min free intro call⭐ to see if we're a good fit to work together. My mission is to help you break into the UX …

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The UX Design must-reads you shouldn't miss.

Key articles and posts of industry experts can help you get a better picture of what you are getting into.

In our opinion, these are some must-reads you really shouldn't miss.

Master the basics of visual

Recently, quite often many people asked me the similar questions: what’s your design process ? How did you start? What skills are required to become UI/UX designer? What tools do you use? By this article I’ve decided to answer all of these questions and describe how I started and become and UI/UX designer.

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UX Design: How to Get Started

Want to get started in UX design? Make products? Thrive in a company of like minded designers? Well you’ve come to the right place. We’re ready to spill the beans on our best ways to become a UX designer and solidify a space for yourself at the designers’ table.

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The state of UX design

Lessons on how to make an impact beyond our products, how to collaborate beyond Zoom calls, how to organize ourselves beyond our bubbles, and how to improve our craft beyond artboards. Lessons from voices we still don’t hear as often in the design mainstream — but we should.

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Opportunities and projects in the UX Design space.

In the end, advancing your career is all about getting the right opportunities at the right time and a good portion of luck.

These are some interesting things going on in the UX Design space and you probably don't want to miss them.

IndieHackers: Build your own product

Building your very own product puts you on the radar of any product-focused organization hiring managers, designers and engineers. Going from nothing to something requires and builds top-notch prioritization skills, the ability to stay scrappy and shows that you can get things done.

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Discover no-code

Not much into coding? The rise of no-code tools like Zapier, Webflow and Carrd has enabled creators of all backgrounds to build sustainable businesses, without the need to hire upfront.

Sounds weird? Businesses like Makerpad and Lambda School built entirely or mostly out of no-code tools are making and raising millions of dollars!

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Tips from the UX Design blog

Learn more about UX Design with our expert advice.

5 Ways To Influence Your Your Career Path as a UX Designer

Combining creativity with a wealth of technical skill, UX designers are responsible for making software, websites and apps work for people. And, as a result, they’re some of the most sought-after workers in today’s tech-driven world.

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  • "Naz is an amazing person and a wonderful mentor. She is supportive and knowledgeable with extensive practical experience. Having been a manager at Netflix, she also knows a ton about working with teams at scale. Highly recommended."

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