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I've been on the hunt for a new job and am noticing the large ratio of UI/UX Design jobs vs. regular web design jobs. I really don't have any experience with UI/UX Design (unless you can count responsive web designs with some user testing?) How can I make the jump? How can I get some experience in UI/UX? My current employer doesn't do any app or software dev...just websites. I am not even sure if I can convince someone with a freelance project that I'm qualified. I know I'm a strong designer and I know I have the capacity to learn...but it seems like all employers are looking for someone with more experience (I do have 10 years web/graphic experience...design and front-end dev...but that doesn't seem to be good enough). What are your thoughts?

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    You should have a look at this related post, a lot of the advice there applies to you.
    – Kit Grose
    Dec 17, 2013 at 4:07
  • @KitGrose you can write as an answer, short, clear, concise.
    – PatomaS
    Feb 15, 2014 at 9:37
  • Take a look on the tag career-development, which provides good answers on similar questions.
    – Benny Skogberg
    Feb 19, 2014 at 1:36

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Try out the methods at www.usability.gov, in any way you can. If you can't get "real" work experience on those methods, start up a project in your free time, most of these methods cost very little time and money to try out. Volunteer work is another great way if you're mostly concerned about the experience

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I recommend that you just start reading every UX book you can get your hands on:

http://www.jeremytunnell.com/posts/books-on-user-experience-and-user-interface-design

And then spend a year or so offering your services, basically below-market rates, to do a UX analysis or new product feature. Look for nonprofits, government agencies, and places that don't have a huge budget for this stuff.

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  • Nice book list @jeremyt!
    – Hynes
    Feb 19, 2014 at 1:16
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I started out as a web designer and made the transition to a user experience designer. I made the transition by thinking more and more about user experience with my designs versus what looks good right now. A pretty design may get you a lot of likes on Dribbble or Behance, but a smart workflow gains you the appreciation of your users.

Read and learn everything you can. Find designers you admire and ask them questions about why they made the decisions they did.

I didn't hold an official UX designer role for almost 8 years after I first started as a designer, but it was an approach I always had with my work in some way. Start thinking about the user holistically when designing your websites. Every site has goals and tasks that are trying to be accomplished. A simple date picker is a chance to think about the UX.

Clients may not be contracting you initially for UX jobs, but start showing even on something as mundane as a contact form you're thinking through that experience.

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While you want to design the UI for websites or web applications you should know the principles of the design. However, UI and Graphic design seem the same at first glance, there are some differences you should know.

The differences between UI design and graphic design comes from Interaction Design. As a graphic designer, you probably are good in visual design, but you need to be good in interaction design too.
enter image description here

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I am a UI & UX professional working in MNC. My career has began with web designer role and part time photoshop. I worked for one year in Photoshop and web designing, with HTML, CSS, jQuery and JavaScript, then I moved to mobile app designing. I just took 1-2 months to know things about mobile app designing then I started work on web app UI designing in photoshop. After 2 year's experience I started to research over HCI and UX designing and usability and all. Few steps you can take to become a UI & UX Designer:

  1. Firm with your decision if you want to go in UI&UX because it needs your own acceptance whether you want to make your career in this platform or not.

  2. UI & UX is also kind of Photoshop designing as well as all small works so don't be confused that if you are UI and UX then you don't have such pamphlet designing and all work.

  3. After deciding, go and search something about UX Designing the resource are uxpin.com, pinterest, behance dribble, pattrn.com.

  4. Note what are those things important in UX design. The concept and environment.

  5. Start working on wireframing, take any idea of application and design it in your way by rough sketching but realize what users needs and require. The ease as well as usability.

  6. After wireframing, start to work on Photoshop for mock-up designing.

That's all, actually. Best one is if you get any job with UX Profile that doubles your strength. You will automatically things from your senior or team members. So, it's easy and mind driven, after all.

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