Why You Should Choose a Career in Digital Skills: UX and UI 101
In the modern world, digital skills are in constant demand. Every day, companies are expanding their online presence, but they can’t do it without the technical expertise of people with digital skills. Perhaps most popular of all are UX (user experience) and UI (user interface) designers.
Despite being used interchangeably at times, UX and UI designers have very different roles and responsibilities. If you’re considering breaking into a tech career, here’s how to choose between them:
UX designer
A UX designer is expected to create wireframes and prototypes of their design ideas, solve UX-related problems, conduct usability tests, and maintain and improve current UX designs. If you like to problem-solve, a UX role could be perfect for you. You’ll answer questions like: What are the needs of our users? What expectations do our users have? What problems are our users running into?
UI designer
A UI designer is dedicated to the aesthetics of the products. They focus on layout, colour scheme, and other items related to the look and feel of the product or service. If you’re more interested in design in the traditional sense of the word (i.e., creativity and art), then you could become a great UI designer. You’ll answer questions like: What makes a user feel like our product/service is trustworthy? What types of aesthetics are attractive to our users? How does a user expect our brand to present itself?
Wondering how to become a UX/UI designer? The paths to becoming a UX or UI designer are similar. First and most importantly, you will need some sort of educational background in UX/UI design. This doesn’t mean that you need to spend 4+ years at a post-secondary institution. You can kickstart a UX/UI design career in less than a year!
For example, Tamwood offers 48-week work-study programs in both UX and UI design. The UX designer program is focused on the design, research, and testing of interfaces, websites, products, and applications. You’ll be well-prepared to enter the job market as a UX designer given 480-hours of built-in work experience.
The UI designer work-study program focuses on creative software, layout, and composition, colour and typographic theory, visual brand identity, conceptual and strategic thinking, and designing for digital interfaces. Just like the UX program, you graduate with 480-hours of work experience, making you a competitive candidate for the UX career of your dreams.
If you’re interested in becoming a UX/UI designer through Tamwood, check out our three campuses in Canada: Toronto, Vancouver, and Whistler. We offer these programs quarterly, so you can jump in at any time to kickstart your career! Have questions? Reach out here for more information.
