In this ultimate guide to becoming a UX designer, we’ll discuss everything you need to know to successfully launch a UX Design career–from best practices and principles to tools and courses.
So, you’re thinking about becoming a UX designer? Well, you’re in the right place! In this article, we’ll be walking you through everything you need to do when considering how to become a UX designer using clear, simple steps.
UX design is a creative and rewarding career choice that offers you the opportunity to work freelance, start your own business, work in large corporate design teams, or join a startup. It requires a passion for a user-centered and empathetic approach to design that facilitates the creation of delightful and usable experiences for users which ultimately lead to increased engagement with a brand and its products or services. With demand for UX designers increasing all over the world at a steady rate, now is a great time to consider skilling up and launching a career in this exciting field.
Here’s a clickable list of everything we’ll be covering, so you can skip to the section which interests you the most:
Contents:
- 1) What does a UX designer do?
- 2) Why become a UX designer? Market demand and salaries
- 3) How to become a UX designer: A 7-step guide
- 4) Summary
What does a UX designer do?
Before we get into the role of the UX designer, let’s first establish what exactly is UX design. The term “UX design” is short for user experience design, a design practice which is primarily interested in how people interact with brands, products, and services, and what their experience is like when doing so. The nature of these interactions will vary widely from experiences with digital interfaces such as apps and websites, to interactions with physical objects like medical equipment or military vehicles.
Combining elements of standard design, market research, technology, business, and even psychology, UX design decisions are backed by extensive user and market research, data analysis, and test results. From a business perspective, the goal of UX design is to enhance the customer experience with a product or website and boost customer satisfaction and loyalty to the brand by providing an intuitive and highly usable interaction with the product.
This is where the UX designer comes in. The UX designer’s role centers around every element of a product’s development, including its functionality, design, and usability. But that’s not all: the UX designer is interested in the entire end-to-end journey of a user’s relationship with a brand and its products, from when a user first responds to a marketing message or email, to when they make a purchase and beyond.
Why become a UX designer? Market demand and salaries
When considering any new career, it’s important to have an understanding of market demand for the role as well as what sort of competition you can expect from other professionals in the industry. The field of UX design has seen remarkable growth over the last decade due to the increasing number of businesses going online. As of the end of 2022, job listing website Indeed, reported that demand for UX designers was up 16%–more than any other category–when compared with the previous year. This demand is believed to have stemmed from increased evidence demonstrating the big impact an intuitive and usable website can have on sales and customer retention. Such is the popularity of UX designers today that Glassdoor included it on their list of the best 50 jobs to have in 2022.
Not only is UX design increasingly considered a great field to get into, there’s clear growth in the industry as we look to the future, too. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has stated that over the next five years there will be a 3% year-on-year growth in the demand for industrial UX designers, while CNN Money has forecast an even greater rate of growth: 13% over the next two years. In India alone, demand for UX designers far exceeds supply, making now the ideal time to train up in this creative and rewarding career.
Salaries for UX designers
Salaries will depend heavily on where in the world you are based. When looking at salaries for any job it’s important to consider the cost of living in that area, and what your own personal outgoings might be. This is also true when researching how to become a UX designer. To give you an idea of what you can expect as a UX designer in different countries around the world, here’s a quick rundown of average salaries for mid-level UX designers:
India: ₹1,000,000
US: US$105,122
Canada: CA$77,090
Germany: €52,865
UK: £48,755
Narrowing our focus to India, here are the average UX designer salaries for some major Indian cities.
Mumbai: ₹808,861
Chennai: ₹727,344
Bengaluru: ₹915,861
New Delhi: ₹883,595
Pune: ₹902,626
How to become a UX designer: A 7-step guide
Now that you have an idea of the salary you can expect and the demand out there for UX designers, what do you need to do to break into the field? We’ve put together seven simple steps that teach you how to become a UX designer and that will get your new career off to a great start.
1. Get to know UX basics
If you’re completely new to UX design, a great place to start learning about its principles, methodology, and best practices is by absorbing some of the many free and low-cost educational resources available online and in print such as blogs, podcasts, and books. We’ve collected together some of our favorites for you to enjoy.
Blogs
Blogs can be a great source of information to UX newcomers, covering topics such as careers in UX design, the best tools to use, and how to conduct specific UX design processes. Blogs are usually free to access and typically written by those with extensive experience in UX design and its practical application. Here’s a list of blogs which publish content suitable for newcomers to UX and those with more experience:
UX Booth
UX Movement
UX Magazine
UX Planet
Smashing Magazine
Usability Geek
UX Planet
Nielsen Norman Group
Podcasts
Podcasts are an opportunity to hear directly from UX design experts themselves as they discuss hot topics and trends in the industry. Often more informal than a book or a blog post, a podcast is a very accessible and fun way to learn about UX design and stay abreast of what’s happening in the field. The following are some of the podcasts we like to tune into:
UX Podcast
What is wrong with UX
The Design Better.co podcast
The UX Intern
UX like us
UX Collective
99% Invisible
UI Breakfast: UI/UX Design and Product Strategy
Design Matters
Books
If you want to get your teeth into a subject, there really is nothing better than a good book. For prospective UX designers, there is a whole host to choose from. Here’s a rundown of some of our top picks:
100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know about People by Susan M. Weinschenik, Ph.D.
The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
Emotional Design by Don Norman
Don’t Make Me Think (Revisited) by Steve Krug
Smashing UX Design: Foundations for Designing Online User Experiences by Jesmond Allen and James Chudley
A Project Guide to UX Design by Russ Unger and Carolyn Chandler
If you find reading the most effective way to learn and are looking for good reads on UX design, check out this article: The X UX design books you should have on your reading list in 2025.
2. Onboard UX principles
Once you’ve done some preliminary research into UX design basics, it’s time to get to grips with the key principles. Understanding and putting into practice the core principles of UX design is a crucial part of every UX designer’s education. These guidelines, best practices, and codes of conduct are the basis of the discipline and will support your work as you navigate day-to-day challenges and manage projects throughout your career. Let’s take a look at the essential principles of UX design and how they can be applied.
Be user centric
Putting the user first is the most important of all the UX design principles. This can be achieved through putting assumptions to one side and conducting thorough user research and user testing before any design work begins. Other key elements to user centricity include understanding the mental models of the user, understanding user needs, comprehending the usability of a product or service, and giving the user control over their actions and outcomes.
Establish a clear hierarchy
UX designers need to have a clear understanding of both the visual hierarchy of a digital experience and the hierarchy concerned with the organization, structure, and labeling of information (decided during the Information Architecture phase of the UX design process). Both types of hierarchy should assist users as they navigate a website and enable them to meet their needs with the least amount of effort.
Stay consistent
Familiarity and consistency are what users want and expect from your website as these qualities enable them to reach their goals faster. When a website has a similar structure and layout to other websites in the same field, users feel reassured that they won’t encounter unexpected outcomes and the trusting relationship between brand and user is reinforced.
Make your product accessible
UX designers are expected to design websites which are accessible and delightful to everyone who interacts with them, irrespective of any disabilities which may hinder them. Accessibility can refer to on-page readability, contrasting elements to aid visibility, and the implementation of colors which everyone can see clearly.
Honor the context
Context plays a crucial role for both designers and users. For designers, it guides them towards the key elements of a site which influence users and effect their experience, and helps them to identify the problem they are trying to solve. For users, it gives them an understanding of a brand before they start looking at further details such as products and services.
Build a narrative
When a story is built around a product, users tend to feel more drawn to the brand producing it than to brands which don’t have a clear narrative. In order to tell a compelling story, a UX designer will make use of different visual aids, such as photographs, illustrations, videos, and animation in addition to written content. When done successfully, an emotional response is typically evoked in users and website visitors.
Establish a strong visual design system
A visual design system typically includes standard versions of logos, graphics, motion and interactive elements, typography, colors, layouts, formats, photography, data visualization images, or illustration that are kept consistent throughout the design of a website, app, or other digital experience. This establishes a visual identity for the brand that supports the brand identity.
If you’d like to learn more about each of these key UX design principles, we cover the topic in depth in this article: Fundamental UX Design Principles and How To Apply Them.
3. Learn UX practices
Once you’ve got a good understanding of the key principles of UX design, you’ll want to start learning about the practices and methodology associated with it. We’ve outlined some of the key practices here, but in order to learn how to implement them, you’ll want to take an in-depth course of training in UX design led by industry professionals.
User research
User research is the systematic study of target users, their needs, behaviors, and pain points that aims to give designers the sharp insights they need to produce the highest quality and most user-centric designs. User research helps to expose user challenges, find information, and avoid making assumptions. Types of user research include interviews, observational studies, qualitative and quantitative research, usability testing, and more.
User personas
A user persona is a representation of the ideal user or users and their personalities and is created through user research, brainstorming, and refining data. Decisions a UX designer makes regarding features, components, design elements, and functionality will be based on user personas. By creating user personas, a real-world layer is brought to the website or app which makes it more useful for the people who will eventually use it.
When creating user personas, the following elements are typically included:
- Persona group
- Fictional name
- Job titles and major responsibilities
- Demographics such as age, education, ethnicity and family status
- Their goals and tasks on the site
- Their physical, social, and technological environment
- A quote that sums up what matters most to the persona as it relates to your site
- Pictures representing that user group
Wireframing
Wireframing is a process used relatively early on in the development process which sees the designer take the information they have gathered from their research and put it into the structural design of a website. Usually, the wireframe will be used to lay out the content, interface elements, navigational elements, and functionality of a page, while also incorporating a user’s needs, journey, and goals.
Prototyping
Prototyping is when designers put their ideas into either digital or paper form of varying degrees of fidelity in order to test designs on real users and capture key design concepts. The benefit of prototypes is they provide an opportunity for designers to refine and validate their designs as well as align concepts with the brand and what the user is hoping to achieve.
Information architecture
The way information is grouped, organized, and navigated is known as a system’s information architecture (IA). The goal of IA is to help users travel logically through a website towards the information they require in order to achieve their goal. Information architecture is informed by customer research, content reviews, card sorting, the implementation of a website hierarchy (both visual and informational), testing, and refining.
User testing
User testing is an invaluable way of gathering information from potential users to improve the quality, navigation, and legibility of your website, app, software, or product. It also provides the UX team with crucial data about the user’s overall experience of the site. User testing is conducted via various methods, such as card sorting, surveys, interviews, and observation.
4. Take a course
Taking a course in UX design is the most effective way to onboard the essential skills in the field. You’ll typically get teaching from professionals in the field who have significant expertise assisting and supporting newcomers to UX design as well as bringing their own many years of experience working in the industry to the table. You’ll get ample opportunities to ask questions and get clarity on topics you’re unsure of–something that’s difficult to do when choosing to learn by reading a book or listening to a podcast.
Project-based learning, the most common format for UX design courses, is a fantastic way for students to learn the implementation of UX design theory. In contrast to simply reading a book or studying blog posts in isolation, project-based learning provides students of UX design opportunities to improve and iterate on their work, learn best practices, implement methodology, and see concrete results. When these students land their first positions in the field, they will already have significant experience of how it feels to see a project through from start to end thanks to their experiences on a respected UX design course. An excellent testament to this is the UX Design Project by AND learner Shrikant Subramaniam that he worked on during this time at AND.
Good courses, especially in India, will also frequently provide job placement support, or even a Job Guarantee, whereby students are reimbursed the course fees if they do not land a position in the field within a specific timeframe. AND Academy is one such institution. At AND, students are fully supported in their job search, the writing and submission of job applications, and their interview preparation by experienced members of the AND team.
Another benefit of learning UX design with a structured course of learning is that by formalizing your learning with a recognized institution, you’re considerably more likely to complete the course than if you try to learn by yourself. In addition, many courses provide certification that can be shown to potential employers as proof of your learning. They’ll also support you in the completion of a professional UX design portfolio –crucial to setting yourself apart from your competitors on the job market when you’re starting out.
UX design courses and bootcamps also provide opportunities to become part of a UX design community. You’ll get input and feedback from your classmates (as well as teachers) and make lifelong professional connections that will be invaluable when you start your job search. You’ll notice your motivation levels are significantly higher when studying as part of a cohort than when you study alone, thanks to the feeling of accountability that being part of a learning group brings about.
If you’d like to receive professional support to learn the essential skills and industry knowledge needed to succeed as a UX designer, check out AND Academy's UX UI Diploma course , which comes with dedicated placement support and a job guarantee.
5. Get to know the tools
Knowing the right tools to use for each stage of the UX design process will give you a distinct advantage when you start working in the industry. Let’s take a look at the best tools for wireframing, prototyping, testing, and research for UX designers in 2025.
Wireframing tools
Wireframing tools such as Sketch and Figma assist UX designers in the creation of low-fidelity wireframes, while Adobe XD and Framer are ideal for high-fidelity wireframes. Balsamiq Wireframes helps UX designers generate digital sketches of their ideas for apps or websites, and Lucidchart assists users who are looking to sketch professional flowchart diagrams and share them with collaborators.
Prototyping tools
Prototyping tool InVision is a digital dashboard which assists users as they collaborate, test and experiment with ideas and design templates, while Origami Studio is a design tool which enables designers as they quickly build and share interactive interfaces. Axure RP is a digital tool for creating interactive prototypes for web, mobile, and desktop apps, and Principle assists in the creation of animated and interactive user interfaces. Webflow is a tool for the creation and customization of websites without the need for any coding.
Testing tools
Hotjar is a testing tool that gives UX designers data on user behavior that enables the team to better understand the user, while UsabilityHub provides access to remote, unmoderated user research, user tests, and design surveys. UserZoom assists UX designers in setting up criteria to measure UX performance across products through the use of usability testing, surveys, and card sorting, among others, while UserTesting is a platform which enables teams of UXers to gather direct customer feedback to inform and enhance their experience with the product or service.
Research tools
Research tool Maze is perfect for testing and validating prototypes, while Loop11 assists in the generation of online surveys and the creation of user tasks. Dscout is a qualitative research platform that provides insights into the user’s experience, while Ribbon assists UX teams in interviewing users in context.
6. Put your learning into practice
If you’ve done some self-study, completed a course, and made yourself familiar with all the digital tools, you’ll be ready to start putting your learning into practice. There are numerous ways you can do this before you start applying for positions.
Volunteering is a great way to build up your portfolio and refine your skillset. You can offer your UX skills to a local charity or a school who might benefit from a website redesign or some help with branding but don’t have the budget to hire a UX designer.
Working on personal projects is also a great way to showcase your talents. Designing a portfolio website for your work gives you the chance to practice what you’ve learnt while also showcasing your projects to the world.
7. Build a professional network
Becoming part of a professional network will open up job and learning opportunities as you progress in your UX design career. Although it can feel intimidating putting yourself out there, the outcome of networking with others in your field is almost always worth the initial effort. If you make a good impression, you’re likely to be the first to hear of vacancies and freelance opportunities that you might otherwise not have found out about. You’ll also have a group of experienced UXers who you can reach out to for advice when you’re struggling and in need of guidance or support.
You can build your professional network both online and offline. Here are some of our suggestions for meeting other UX designers and those working in the field:
- UX design meetups, design sprints, talks, and events (checkout Meetup.com for what’s happening in your area)
- UX design panel discussions
- Through former employers and colleagues
Next Steps
If you’d like to learn more, check out our articles over on the AND Academy Design Blog. You can also check out this project by AND Learner, Vikas Sen, for more insights into the applications of UI UX.
In case you think you need further assistance, here are some of our resources you can consider:
- Watch this session by Shiva Viswanathan, Design Head of Ogilvy Pennywise, and Naman Singh, Product Experience Designer at RED.
- Talk to a course advisor to discuss how you can transform your career with one of our courses.
- Pursue our UI UX Design courses - all courses are taught through live, interactive classes by industry experts, and some even offer a Job Guarantee.
- Take advantage of the scholarship and funding options to overcome any financial hurdle on the path of your career transformation.
