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If in that location'south an occupation that is 100% linked with the public's idea of what design is all about, it'due south graphic blueprint. From the familiar gilt arches of the McDonald's brand to the typography and colors of movie posters, graphic designers create some of the virtually iconic and ubiquitous designs effectually u.s.a.. Then why would a graphic designer similar y'all want to change your career to UX design? Well, for one, much can be said nearly the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment derived from getting "under the hood" of the products you work on rather than working on the exterior. Furthermore, according to PayScale, the boilerplate bacon for a graphic designer in the United States is $41,000(i), but the same for a UX designer is a whopping $74,000(2).Whatever the reason for the motility, information technology's clear that it can exist a very rewarding one. But how practice you go nigh switching from graphic design to UX design? Allow'due south observe out.

What is User Experience and User Experience Design?

The user experience (UX) is what a user of a particular production experiences when using that production. A UX designer'due south job is thus to create a production that provides the best possible user experience. How does that happen?

Well, it starts with a lot of research. You can't create annihilation of value to a user unless you lot understand what kind of problems they want to solve and how y'all tin can solve those problems, then that the user will want—or better still, need—your solution. You can only get that understanding past interacting with users.

UX designers tend to exist concerned with, equally you can see from the paradigm beneath, 3 primary factors: the look of a product, the experience of that product and the usability of that product.

The await of a product is all about creating a product that has visual appeal and which, in particular, harmonizes with a user's values and captures the spirit of what they expect in that production. In other words, information technology has to non simply look squeamish, simply look right besides. In doing so, it establishes a bail of trust and credibility betwixt the product and the user.

Adjacent is the feel, which is actually well-nigh developing products that are "a joy to use". That is, whether yous're interacting with them or reacting to them, products should provide a pleasurable experience and not merely a functional ane.

Lastly, usability is the cornerstone of user experience. If a product isn't usable, the feel of using it tin never be good. UX designers want to create products which can, ideally, be tailored to meet a user'due south specific needs, only which provides functionality that is predictable.

If you're however unsure of what UX design is all about, don't worry! We've got a series of manufactures which may help you brand upwards your mind—they examine some of the loftier-level central concepts of UX design in a bit more particular than we can here:

An Introduction to Usability

Usability vs Desirability

What is Interaction Design?

What Exercise Graphic Blueprint and UX Design Have in Common?

Emotional Design

Graphic design is about emotional communication through typography, color and images; serif fonts and dark, duller colors evoke seriousness, while san-serif fonts and brilliant colors tend to bring out a sense of joy or excitement. Graphic designers are hence very often emotional designers who elicit specific reactions in a user. UX design is also concerned with shaping the emotions of the user, although information technology tends to accept a broader, big picture view of the entire user'southward experience with the product. On top of focusing on the right typography and colors, UX designers are also concerned with movement design, the tone of the content, and data architecture, amidst others.

Artistic thinking

Graphic designers and UX designers are both equally skilled at creative thinking. For graphic designers, creating visuals that adhere to conventions (and thus communicate effectively) while retaining a sense of originality (to stand up out among the competition) requires some serious creative and critical thinking. In the aforementioned fashion, UX designers have to create products that solve users' problems—and sometimes, conventional solutions aren't e'er the best or nigh advisable ones.

Prototyping

Graphic designers ofttimes create mockups and wireframes of their designs prior to delivering a finished pattern. It gives a chance for clients to offer feedback on their designs and for them to better them without having to showtime from scratch. UX designers create mockups and prototypes likewise, but these tend to be less focused on the "await" of the production and more on the "experience" of it. Is the image useful? Is it usable? Is it desirable? These are the questions a UX designer wants answers to.

The Differences betwixt Graphic Pattern and UX Design

User-focused vs pixel-focused

Graphic designers tend to pursue pixel perfection in their designs. Ensuring that texts have perfect kerning and colors conform to brand guidelines often have upward a pregnant portion of graphic designers' jobs—and for good reason, besides. UX designers, however, are primarily focused on users. They study the interface between users and the production, finding means to ensure that the production answers to the user's key needs. And they practice so by conducting a lot of research—by talking to and observing users, creating user personas and stories, doing usability testing on the products, and many more. Graphic designers looking to switch career tracks will need to do a substantial amount of work finding out how to acquit user inquiry (more virtually this a bit afterwards in the article).

Iterative problem solving

UX design is very much an iterative trouble solving process, and it can exist very different from what y'all're used to doing as a graphic designer. It begins with the identification of a problem; this is often found through user research, and if it'southward not, it will then be confirmed through user research. There is no point in solving problems that users don't care nigh; they won't pay to solve those problems, and that means your visitor won't brand money.

From the problem identification stage, more than research is conducted into how best to solve the problem in a manner that the user will be happy with—usually via observations, surveys, ethnographic studies, etc.

This research and so informs the production'south pattern. Designs are and so tested with users to run into if the research led to the right solutions. The designs are constantly iterated until enquiry confirms that they are skillful enough.

One time this happens the product is launched, only the design process is non over. The blueprint volition be continually tested and user feedback volition be taken, thus beginning a new round of user inquiry. Future improvements to the blueprint will be made based on this feedback.

Multi-disciplinary vs specialized

Graphic design is a specialized discipline, and there is a certain level of craftsmanship and prepare of specialized skills (such as typography and color theory) required to produce great visuals. UX blueprint, on the other manus, is much more multi-disciplinary and involves many schools of noesis. UX designers accept to constantly larn about human psychology, interaction design, data architecture and user research techniques, simply to proper name a few, in order to create the right solutions to a user'due south problems. Don Norman, the man who coined the term "User Experience", explains that user experience covers "all aspects of the person's feel with the system including industrial design graphics, the interface, the physical interaction and the manual."

The Big Benefit of Graphic Design Experience when Moving to UX Design

Aesthetics

The biggest benefit for graphic designers moving to UX pattern is that they tin can brand things attractive. A very common misconception near UX pattern is that proficient usability trumps aesthetics. On the reverse, good aesthetics take been plant to better the overall user experience of product—past making users more relaxed, creating a positive first impression, and generally just showing that you care(iii).

Aesthetics also aid designers communicate with the internal stakeholders in their companies. Ex-graphic designers can present research results in a way that makes stakeholders sit upwards and really take notice. Graphic design skills are often thought of as optional in UX enquiry, just it would be difficult to deny the impact of well-presented beautiful findings. If you lot practise brand the change, you'll demand to rest your tendency to make things gorgeous with the need for moving your pattern projects frontwards. There are times in UX design when a few scribbles on the back of a napkin are more than enough to get things going; don't spend 3 days producing a poster when this is the instance.

Conventions and trends

Coming from a pattern background not but means having a proficient grip on blueprint terminology, but too that you're likely to be familiar with the conventions and trends in web or app designs. Well-nigh times, UX designers brand use of standardized conventions (similar a toggle switch for on/off states, dropdown listing for multiple options, etc.) because users have come to expect these interactions on a website. Graphic designers—especially if you've created prototypes in the past—are too familiar with such conventions. That means you'll adapt more quickly to a UX design function than someone who comes from a not-design background. This might not sound similar much, merely advice is the core of whatever UX design projection and being able to talk-the-talk is a large do good.

How to Enhance Your Skills to Make the Bound from Graphic Design to UX Design

Is there a gap betwixt graphic pattern skills and UX design skills? Yes, but information technology'south not an insurmountable one. Graphic designers already speak the linguistic communication of blueprint; they merely need to castor upward their skills to include those that are unique to UX design.

Once you have those skills, you can start to piece of work them into your graphic design work (because user experience blueprint tin can inform graphic design just as much as information technology tin can inform product design) and start to tailor your CV to highlight your UX skills as well as your graphic blueprint skills.

As we mentioned to a higher place, the existent primal for graphic designers is to understand user enquiry in all its forms. All the courses nosotros've highlighted below should accost this need to a greater extent.

Online Courses

Interaction Pattern Foundation

Nosotros'd like to modestly present our own form offerings for this, every bit the Interaction Design Foundation is the world'due south largest specialist blueprint education customs. Don Norman, the same man who coined the term "User Feel" and who is one of the world's best known designers, says that nosotros're "a goldmine of data on interaction design"; Forbes magazine says we supply an Ivy League level of UX design education!

There are three courses that we have put together specifically with a career change or first job in UX design in listen. In Become a UX Designer from Scratch, you'll exist introduced to all areas of UX piece of work, learn basic applied skills to conduct UX work, and gain the confidence to piece of work with UX clients as a consultant. In Become Your First Chore as a UX (or Interaction) Designer, you'll discover out how to get the experience in UX that prospective employers are looking for, learn to develop a winning encompass letter, CV and portfolio to become a UX interview, and negotiate a job offer. And in User Enquiry – Methods and All-time Practices, you lot'll larn the diverse methods of conducting user research, and then putting the research results into action.

We also offer a bunch of other courses (32, and constantly growing!) to help you further develop your skills in UX design. The practiced news is that with a low almanac fee, yous become admission to all of our courses for a twelvemonth with no boosted charges, and you get access to our customs too.

You can find out about our other courses here.

Coursera

You might besides desire to try the folks at Coursera.org, which is a low-cost but high-quality education provider which delivers courses on a wide range of subjects including UX. Information technology does partner with universities and companies to offer courses, Professional Certificates, and degrees, and courses are mostly very good. All content on the platform, with the exception of degrees, is bachelor on demand. Information technology's too worth noting that their degree programs are only available for new applications during set windows. They besides recently launched a Google UX Design Professional Certificate to assist learners build job-ready skills in under six months.

Udemy

Udemy is the world'south biggest broker of grooming. They don't design their own training; rather, they enable class creators to sell their courses on their platform. They offer literally thousands of courses in almost whatever conceivable subject area. The problem is that Udemy provides no quality control, and while you can detect some groovy courses in that location, there are a lot of not then great courses besides.

Classroom Courses

Nielsen Norman Grouping

If you lot have deeper pockets and would prefer to learn in a classroom than learn online, so you lot might desire to bank check out the classroom courses offered by the Nielsen Norman Group. The group has an excellent reputation and is one of the world'due south nearly respected UX consultancies. They offering their courses in a range of locations, but we can't guarantee that you lot'll find 1 on your doorstep and you may take to travel some distance to take office in them.

Full general Assembly

Nosotros besides remember that General Assembly has a dandy reputation for providing immersive classroom training for UX design. One time over again, it's not cheap but that is e'er going to be truthful of professional classroom grooming. You can cull between role-time or total-time courses. Every bit they're brusk, they repeat every few months. They are, all the same, available only at select locations, and yous'll need to factor travel and living expenses into the total cost, in instance you don't live nearby.

University Courses

Nosotros're not certain that academy is the best option for those seeking a change of career direction; it's non simply the money required, but also the time taken. You could be earning and learning using a dissimilar method rather than spending 3 or iv years on a bachelor's degree or ii years on a Master's program. However, if you practise make up one's mind to become the university route, y'all'll want to spend a lot of time researching exactly the correct program for you. Nosotros've got a couple of examples for you here merely there are literally hundreds of programs globally and we couldn't hope to cover them all.

Carnegie Mellon – HCI Programs

York University – MSc in HCI Technologies

Nosotros'd urge that y'all sit down with a calculator and think most the costs associated with going to academy before booking a place. HSBC, as reported past Superlative Universities, plant that the average United states of america university course will cost you lot $36,564 a twelvemonth (including rent, tuition, books, etc.). (four) Over a 4-year degree, that ways shelling out a cool $146,256—and that's without the costs of a loan to cover those expenses.

But that'southward not all—you'll as well have to surrender full-fourth dimension piece of work. According to the Usa Census Bureau, a non-graduate earns an average of $27,351 per year.(5) This gives u.s. a four-year opportunity cost (that is, the income that you've forgone while in academy) of $109,404. That means iv years at university will gear up you lot back a huge $255,660!

If you don't know which kind of learning to invest in, that'southward OK. We know it can be confusing trying to piece of work out what will add the most value to your career. With that in mind, we've put together a slice that walks you through calculating the Return on Investment in learning here; hopefully that volition help you determine what's correct for you.

Networking

One time yous've brushed upwardly your skillset and you lot feel you're ready for that beginning UX part, yous might observe handy to do some networking. The all-time opportunities are almost e'er found when someone already in the field recommends you for a position. Ane of the best places to start with your networking is LinkedIn. Join some UX groups, offset contributing, and build that all important network with your peers. But have information technology slow; don't only show up and outset asking for a chore. You need relationships with people earlier they volition help.

We as well offer some awesome networking opportunities to both our members and non-members likewise. Members can join our global community of UX professionals in the many give-and-take groups and forums that we provide; we have the largest specialist blueprint community on globe so at that place are plenty of opportunities to be uncovered there. For members and non-members, we also have local group meetings in many places effectually the planet. These meetings are completely free to attend and are a corking fashion to run across people doing UX in your dwelling house town or city. Detect out more at our Customs page.

Ane other useful way to start networking is to follow famous members of the UX design community on Twitter. Not just will you learn a lot from them, you can likewise interact with their followers (who are likely to exist designers like y'all too). We've put together a list of twenty people you should follow on Twitter in the UX sphere here to go your started.

Mentoring and Feedback

Another bully fashion to develop your career is to work with a mentor in the UX field who has "been there, done it and bought the t-shirt", at least so to speak. You may find a mentor through your own network nd that'south an crawly way to connect with a mentor, but if you can't and so our IxDF Design League members tin can access our network of design mentors equally part of their almanac membership fee.

The Take Away

If you lot desire to modify from graphic design to UX design as a career, that's crawly. Information technology's not going to be as hard as yous might recall either. You just need to get a little grooming under your chugalug so that you're familiar with what information technology is a UX designer does, and then you lot can put some of those techniques to piece of work in your current role. And then when you think the time is right, you tin outset networking and lining up some interviews for your new job!

References & Where to Learn More

Payscale's inquiry on Graphic Design salaries - http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Graphic_Designer/Bacon
Payscale'southward enquiry on UX Pattern salaries - http://world wide web.payscale.com/research/U.s./Job=UX_Designer/Bacon
UX Myths: Aesthetics are not important if y'all accept expert usability - http://uxmyths.com/post/1161244116/myth-25-aesthetics-are-not-important-if-yous-have-good-us
How much does it cost to report in the US - http://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/student-finance/how-much-does-it-price-report-united states
Earnings by pedagogy: US Bureau Of Labor Statistics - https://www.bls.gov/emp/nautical chart-unemployment-earnings-education.htm

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Source: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ux-design