At the request “UX/UI design” Djinni gives out up to a hundred vacancies with a salary of $1000-$2000. On Work.ua there are even more offers. And this is only the Ukrainian market. There is a demand for specialists, the sphere is developing. Let's now understand what this direction is and whether you need to break into it (and how to do it, of course).
Who is a UX/UI designer or “who are all these people?”
Imagine you're walking into a website. There's the stylish design, the enticing appeals, the conveniently arranged products that are easy to browse. Part of UX is to make the ordering process convenient, clear and simple. Part of UI is to design everything in a way that is visually pleasing, distracting, and aesthetically satisfying. All together, this is UI/UX design: a comfortable user journey and a successfully realized visual style.
Let's now break down a little bit what the differences between all sorts of digital designers are in general, so we don't get confused further.
- UX-designer (User Experience) is a person who is responsible for user interaction with the product. UX designers study user needs and optimize the product for maximum usability. Think of a UX designer as an architect who designs a space so that people can move around comfortably.
- A UI (User Interface) designer is a specialist who works on the look and feel of an interface. UI designers create buttons, icons, fonts, colors, and the entire visual part of the product. It is like a decorator who decorates a space, making it look attractive.
- Web designer - this specialist most often works with the appearance of websites, creating graphics and page layouts. He creates a harmonious look, but his work is limited to website design.
- Graphic designer - works with visual elements such as logos, illustrations, posters and marketing materials. It is more related to creative and advertising activities.
UI/UX design for beginners: the easiest way to get started
Okay, let's say the profession interests you. It's really exciting. It's a great balance between creativity and cold calculation, it's new challenges, opportunities for career growth, it's a chance to make the Internet space more friendly.
And getting started is easier than it looks! To get started in UI/UX design you'll need the following skills:
- Research and analytics: the ability to analyze user behavior and develop solutions that make a product user-friendly and intuitive.
- Prototyping and testing: creating draft versions of a product that can be tested on real users.
- Graphic design: knowing the basics of composition, fonts and colors.
Of course, in the process you will have to understand many more concepts, get skills in programs, gain experience. But the base can be obtained on a FREE course.
“Web designer: explosive start” - a quick free course that will give an understanding of the basics of the profession. Already in the process of learning, you'll be able to make the first works for your portfolio. And not only! You'll learn how to apply this knowledge and how to earn from it. Register right now.
By the way, here is an example of the level of design, which is taught to beginners on the course “Web Designer: Explosive Start”. Evaluate the level:
Programs for UI/UX design
What tools will you use in your work? Here are the most common ones:
Figma: one of the most popular tools for UX/UI designers, which allows you to create prototypes and interfaces.
To avoid a long description, we suggest watching one of the most popular YouTube videos on this topic (2+ million views!). In 45 minutes, you'll already understand the whole point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fhc4o_FBccU
Adobe XD is a powerful prototyping and interface design tool designed specifically for UX/UI designers. The main advantage of Adobe XD is its integration with other Adobe products, which makes it indispensable for designers already familiar with the Adobe ecosystem. The program supports the creation of interactive prototypes and animations, which allows you to visualize the user interface even before its development. An important feature of Adobe XD is support for collaboration, which allows multiple designers to work on a project simultaneously, making changes in real time. This is especially useful for team projects, where you need to quickly share ideas and make edits.
Sketch is one of the most popular tools for creating layouts, especially among those who design interfaces for iOS and macOS. Sketch is renowned for its simplicity and intuitiveness, making it an ideal choice for novice designers. The program supports vector graphics, allowing you to create scalable designs that easily adapt to different screen sizes. Sketch also has an extensive library of plugins that extend the program's functionality, adding new features to automate tasks and improve workflow.
Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator are versatile tools widely used in graphic design and digital content creation. Photoshop is great for working with bitmap images, editing photos, creating complex graphic compositions and textures. Illustrator, on the other hand, specializes in vector graphics, making it ideal for creating logos, icons, illustrations, and other elements that require scaling without loss of quality.
For those who want to go straight from design to website development, there are also tools such as Framer and Webflow, which allow you to turn mockups into real websites without programming.
If you are interested in creating ready-made sites right away, but don't want to dive into programming - welcome to the online course “Webflow: from 0 to PRO” . Here you will learn how to make not just a design, but a ready-to-work solution, which makes you a universal specialist!
The average salary of a Webflow developer is 45000 UAH. Speaking of salaries.
How much they earn in UI/UX design
If we take Djinni statistics, then these data are relevant now:
- Salary expectations of candidates: $600 - $1,600 (24,600 - 65,600 UAH).
- Salary fork in vacancies: $1,000 - $2,000 (41,000 - 82,000 UAH).
Work.ua shows an average salary of $670 (27,500 UAH) for the same sphere.
But in practice, an experienced professional earns more. Much more.
You can read an interview from the Successful Success series with Katya Boyko, a graduate of the UX/UI Legend course. Or watch it on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGFzFCGooqk&list=PLQ2eyErB1Ejyj2V1-Y_GTdBYk9meUMvaw
Spoiler: on average, Katya earns $3500 dollars a month. And this is not an isolated case - we have a whole collection of similar stories
What to subscribe to as an aspiring UI/UX designer
Some useful resources where you can get free knowledge and inspiration from.
YouTube channels
WAYUP & Andriy Gavrilov : a YouTube channel that has everything about web design and freelancing. From free tutorials to stories from practitioners. Lifehacks, trends, breakdowns, interviews, ways to earn money, tools and reviews.
Flux Academy : a channel dedicated to web design, freelancing and portfolio development for designers. Lots of tutorials on Figma, Webflow and website building.
The Futur : an educational channel dedicated to design, branding and business in the creative industry. Here you'll find interviews with experts, career advice and practical lessons.
AJ&Smart : a channel from a leading product design agency. Sharing insights on the design process, running design sprints and improving user experience.
Websites and blogs
UX Collective : one of the largest blogs on Medium dedicated to UX design. Contains articles, case studies and analysis from professionals around the world.
Smashing Magazine : an online magazine about web design and development. Offers in-depth articles, tutorials and tips on UX/UI, typography, mobile design and more.
A List Apart : a blog dedicated to people who make the web better. Covers topics from web design to content strategy to accessibility.
Material Design : the official site of Google's design system. Contains detailed guidlines and resources for creating intuitive interfaces.
Communities and forums
Dribbble : a platform for showcasing and discovering design work. A great place to find inspiration.
Behance : : a community of creative professionals where you can post your projects and browse the work of designers from around the world.
Reddit - r/UI_Design : an active community where designers share experiences, ask questions, and get feedback on their work.
Reddit - r/UXDesign : a forum for discussing anything related to UX design, including research, processes, and tools.
UX Design Weekly : a weekly newsletter with a selection of the best articles, tools, and resources on UX/UI design.
Instagram profiles
@dailywebdesign: a daily dose of web and mobile design inspiration.
@ui_gradient: picks of beautiful color gradients and palettes for your projects.
@uxgoodies: educational content, tips and inspiration for UX designers.
And don't forget about our Telegram channel , there's always a lot of interesting stuff there too.
Who is UX/UI design suitable for?
UX/UI design is a suitable field for people who like to solve non-standard problems, work with visual elements and interact with users. Here are a few qualities that can help in this profession:
- attention to detail;
- creative thinking;
- ability to analyze user behavior;
- ambition;
- lack of tolerance for monotonous work;
- sense of color and composition;
- tenacity and perseverance.
As the stories of our graduates show, success is achieved by those who are willing to work at it. Lazy people don't belong here. If you want a stable monotonous job, to do the same thing for years, to “do your 8 hours” for the sake of an average salary, it is better not to even get into UX/UI. If it is interesting to develop, look for new ways, grow in your profession and get freedom of action, then this is your way. You can start it with the online course “UX/UI Legend” , it's a powerful start.
UX/UI design is not just about working with interfaces, it's about influencing the way users interact with products. And most importantly, you can start right now. With modern tools and a wealth of available resources, anyone can master UX/UI design in a relatively short time and enter one of the most in-demand and highest-paying professions. Go for it!