What Does an Employer Look for in your UX Design Portfolio?

Why UX Design is a Promising Career for you?

As the majority of the world’s internet users opt to travel the web on their smartphones rather than PCs, User Experience design looks likely to be the next biggest IT employer after Big Data and AI. According to payscale.com the national average in terms of salaries of professionals in UX/ UI Design is Rs. 6,50,000 per annum. Microsoft is offering a base pay of nearly Rs. 14,00,000 per year to this category.

Why UX Design is a promising career for you?

One of the main reasons that user experience is so highly valued is because in a saturated marketplace, differentiating a product from the rest is the only way to add value to it. Being a good UX designer requires a combination of design principles and human psychology. But you do not necessarily require a degree in design or psychology to be an Experience designer.

Do you need a formal design degree to do UX jobs?

The fact remains that the best practitioners have learned their craft from years of working in the field. Your goal in UX is to solve a very human problem. That problem could be about avoiding long queues to buy theatre tickets or book dentist appointments. It could be about discovering the best prices and discounts for a good online. It could also be about traveling safely and conveniently without standing on the street to book a taxi.

We all know that there are smartphone apps to solve these ‘issues’ for us. The most common thing about these apps is that they are typically fast and the user will spend a few seconds before he/ she expects a response. A problem solver in this scenario is one who can anticipate human issues in gaining access to a product or service. In other words the solver would have to have genuine insights into human nature.

Sociologists and psychologists are well aware that their fields are not exact sciences. Humans don’t always behave rationally. But we have an inkling of how they are likely to behave by gathering statistical data about how they actually behaved in actual situations – what they bought and which products did they view online before actually going for the buying decision? These decisions depend on a variety of factors including community, the weather and geographical area, level of educational attainment etc.

But these matters are not difficult to learn because you already have a test subject, i.e., yourself. Put yourself on the customer’s shoes and you are in a position to make an educated guess about user preferences. Alternatively you may take the help of unbiased surveys and models of user personas. Problem discovery can happen in a very genuine way by this method.

What key skill is a UX employer looking for?

An employer is looking for that hint of insight in you – insight that can only come from experience. Unlike UI Design, which is about what affects the mobile application appears, UX Design is about recognizing patterns and challenges. It is only after sketches of potential screens, wireframes and prototypes made that the transition to UI Design can be made.

What key skill is a UX employer looking for?

Naturally, with such a job description your value can only be demonstrated by the body of work you have previously created. The more popular those platforms, the greater the hits, number of downloads and other engagement metrics the more ‘value’ your work holds in the eyes of the employer.

Tips to practice design thinking in your daily life

Think about problems around you in order to create the next killer mobile app. Think about obstacles and inconveniences. Then think about how you can solve them with a smartphone platform. Practice this pattern of thought and you would already have taken the first step toward UX Design.

Enrol in the best UX & UI design course now

You can also take the help of mentors previously well established in the industry to learn from them. Today, more and more work is being given to freelancers in this field. Work with start-ups as you hone your skills. You can always have a chance to bid for the next project based on how well you sell yourself.

Designboat UI/ UX School is one of the leading Experience Design schools in the country. With industry proved faculty and an excellent facilities as well as training modules, you can quickly climb up the ladder of success in this richly rewarding field. Get in touch with a counsellor now!

About the Author

Anand Paul ( 1 Post)

A writer by dint of nature. A reader, a learner and a medium of expression with unique views on the world around him! Read my reasoned opinions on things you use and don't, things abstract and in-between.
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