A job in UI design can be creative, fulfilling, and highly rewarding for those with the right skills, knowledge, and experience. But how do you land your first position in the field? Keep reading our step-by-step guide to find out.
UI designers hold a unique position in the design team. They use a combination of creative and technical skills to create visual, dynamic, and interactive design elements for website and app interfaces that ensure a smooth navigation and interaction experience for every kind of user.
Right now, there is high demand globally for those with this unique combination of skills, knowledge, and expertise. But if you’re new to UI design and interested in landing a rewarding and impactful job in the field, where do you start? In this article, we’ve got some answers.
Contents:
- What does a UI designer do?
- Why become a UI designer?
- What skills and qualifications do you need to become a UI designer?
- How to land your first UI design job (6-step guide)
- Conclusion
Are you ready to learn more about how to land your first UI designer position? Then, let’s dive in.
1. What does a UI designer do?
Part of the UX and UI design team, the UI designer is responsible for designing the visual and interactive elements of the user interface (UI) of digital products such as websites and apps. The user interface is where human-computer interaction takes place. The UI designer’s goal, therefore, is to make these interfaces intuitive, navigable, user-centered, and able to seamlessly communicate the desired message of the company behind the product.
Using UI design methodologies such as user research, wireframing and prototyping, testing, and visual and interaction design, the UI designer seeks to ensure that users can intuitively interact with and navigate their way through all of the interface’s components to achieve their goals. Working closely with UX designers, UI designers create the visual components that make up each interface, such as buttons, search fields, and toggles.
2. Why become a UI designer?
Becoming a UI designer holds many rewards for those with the right skills, training, and experience in the field. For individuals with an artistic side, the profession offers them the chance to use their artistic flair through the creation of visual elements, design schemes, and interactive components. But UI design isn’t just about making things look nice. The field offers professionals the chance to make a real impact on the user’s experience. This is achieved through the crafting of user-centered and intuitive elements that increase accessibility, ease navigation, and change how users perceive a brand or business–all based on the UI designer’s extensive research and data-gathering With the industry developing at such speed thanks to advances in technology and an increase in online interactions by users, UI designers can embrace continuous learning, too. This involves getting to grips with the latest tools, trends, and technologies that will be relevant in this career and many others besides.
In addition to the positives of performing the role of the UI designer, career-wise the field of UI design is also rife with opportunities. There is a high demand for UI design skills globally as companies of every size recognize the impact on customer retention and revenues from having user-focused interfaces. This means there are plenty of job vacancies in the field for every level of designer. Not only that but there is a wide range of industries which UI designers get to work in, from healthcare and technology to e-commerce and finance. For those who would rather be their own boss, many UI designers choose to work freelance, enjoying the flexibility of managing their own time and projects. Thanks to online collaboration tools and an increase in remote work generally, many UI designers take the opportunity to see different parts of the world while they work, whether they be regular employees of one company or self-employed. Finally, UI designers can expect to enjoy competitive salaries which reflect the value their work brings to the development of user-centered digital products.
3. What skills and qualifications do you need to be a UI designer?
Landing a role in UI design requires a range of UI design-specific skills and proof of hands-on experience in the field. Let’s dive into what employers and recruiters expect from their UI designer job candidates and how you can onboard the knowledge and expertise you need to land your first role.
i. What skills do you need to learn?
UI designers require a range of hard and soft skills to be successful in this industry. Depending on your previous roles, you may find that you already have some of the skills outlined here while others require specific training or education in UI design.
ii. Technical skills
Wireframing
Creating wireframes is an important element of the work of a UI designer. This process involves crafting digital or hand-drawn representations of an interface's structure, layout, and design components that together demonstrate how a user might navigate a website, app, or other digital interface. The design team uses these wireframes as a template to work from while project stakeholders use them to gain a clearer understanding of the intended structure, layout, and navigational flow of the site.
Knowledge of Information architecture
Knowledge of how a site or app’s content is organized, categorized, and structured–otherwise known as the interface’s information architecture–is another key skill of the UI designer. The UI designer uses their knowledge and experience in this area to make searching and finding information within a system as seamless, intuitive, and familiar as possible for users. When this is achieved, users can meet their goals more easily and their overall experience of interacting with a brand is enhanced which in turn boosts a company’s revenue and ability to retain users.
Interaction design
With a sharp focus on the creation of user-focused interactions between a user and an interface, interaction design seeks to increase the level of meaningful engagement between users and the digital products they interact with such as websites and apps. This involves studying the touchpoints where users and interfaces interact, for example buttons, forms, and carousels, to ensure that the interface’s responses to the user are familiar and intuitive.
User research
A common feature of both UX and UI design, user research refers to the process of gathering qualitative and quantitative data from users and using that data to inform and improve the design of the product or service. In UI design, this user research is particularly targeted to uncover what users require from the digital interfaces they interact with, how well they can navigate their way through a website or app, and if their expectations of icons and design elements are met. Methods UI designers use to perform user research include interviews, card sorting, focus groups, surveys, A/B testing, and diary studies.
Prototyping
The next step along in the UI design process from wireframing is prototyping. This design skill–which seeks to create a simplified representation of an interface –involves the creation of both low-fidelity and high-fidelity mockups of the intended design. While some choose to create prototypes as simple paper sketches, others choose to build fully functional, dynamic, and interactive prototypes using the latest UI design tools.
iii. Soft skills
Empathy
With the creation of user-focused interfaces being a central component of the work of a UI designer, empathy for users is a key skill in this role. Having a sense of empathy for others comes in particularly useful when the UI designer is conducting user research, as their goal here is to better understand the feelings, behaviours, and perspectives of others. The data they gather from this research is what directly informs the final design.
Communication
While many roles require applicants to be able to communicate well, this skill is particularly valued in UI designers as they must be able to effectively outline their design concepts to other team members and stakeholders of varying knowledge levels. Additionally, ensuring that the team’s goals are aligned and that the right kind of feedback is elicited from users means the UI designer will need to be able to communicate their wishes clearly and without ambiguity.
Time management
Being able to manage your time effectively is an important skill in this field. Time management skills support the delivery of project milestones and ensure the team can trust the UI designer to prioritize tasks within timelines that are realistic and deliverable.
Project management
Following on from time management comes project management. A UI design lead will be expected to plan, organize, delegate, and oversee a design project through to completion. This involves the effective management of resources, ensuring a smooth UI design process, and that the project delivers on both the business and design team’s goals.
iv. What qualifications do you need to be a UI designer?
Officially, you don’t need any specific qualifications to become a UI designer. However, you will need to be able to prove to employers and recruiters that you have the required skills, knowledge, and experience to succeed in this role. It’s almost certain that you’ll be expected to demonstrate a professional portfolio of work that showcases projects you’ve worked on either professionally or for yourself, and it’s highly likely that you’ll be asked about your process, too. While no official qualification in the field is needed to apply for a UI design role, those who do have qualifications, portfolios, and proof of training will certainly be at an advantage in the job market when compared to those who don’t. Not only will a certificate acquired through a UI design course demonstrate that you’ve acquired a certain level of skills and knowledge, it will also show your commitment to this career choice and your desire to continually learn. And while it’s certainly possible to put together your own UI design portfolio, when done under the guidance of a UI design professional–as is the case with many courses–the result is much more likely to be of the standard that employers expect.
v. Is it possible to become a UI designer without a degree?
Yes, it is definitely possible to become a UI designer without studying for a degree. In fact, it’s quite common! However, you will need to demonstrate to employers your skills, knowledge, and experience in the field to be in with a chance of landing a role. To do this, we would recommend taking part in a UI design course or bootcamp. A course will help you onboard UI design skills, teach you the UI design process, and help you put together a portfolio of projects demonstrating your hands-on experience. Many courses will also help you find a job in the field, too. The advantages of taking a course over studying for a degree are that it takes much less time, you get more hands-on project experience, it is much less expensive, and many courses assist students with their job applications, portfolios, and resumes, too.
5. How to land your first UI design job (6-step guide)
Let’s dive into how to land your first job in UI design, from learning the theory to applying for your first positions in the field.
i. Learn UI design theory and fundamentals
Your first step towards landing a job in UI design is to learn all about the design field’s theory and fundamentals. This includes the UI design principles, best practices, and processes you’ll need to know intimately before you start any hands-on project.
There are numerous different ways you can learn about UI design theory before you undertake a more formal training route. Industry blogs are a useful free resource and often aimed at beginners. We’d recommend Growth Design, NNgroup, Dribbble Resources, UX Planet and AND Academy’s own industry blog for a handy breakdowns of tools, trends, best practices, and UI design principles.
Podcasts can be a fun way to learn about the UI design industry and typically feature discussions on topical themes, interviews with leading UI designers, and news updates on the latest industry trends, tools, and software. We’d recommend: The hacking UI Podcast, Google Design Podcast, UI Breakfast: UI/UX design and product strategy, and 99% Invisible.
Finally, if you want to really dig into the details of UI design theory, then you can’t go wrong with a book written by an industry expert. In the top UI design books, you’ll find studies, research, and useful insights from the people who have led the way in the field. We’d recommend: The Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Extended by Don Norman, UI is Communication: How to Design Intuitive, User Centered Interfaces by Focusing on Effective Communication by Everett N. McKay, and The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst.
ii. Take a UI design course
Taking a UI design course is the next step on your journey to landing a job in the industry. A course led by industry experts will help to cement what you’ve already learned by yourself and give you that all important hands-on, project-based experience that employers will be looking for. You’ll get to learn how to use the latest UI design software and tools, put together a professional portfolio of your projects, and work closely with UI design professionals. Increasingly, many courses also offer their students assistance with their job searches, applications, and interview preparation. Upon completion, it’s likely you’ll receive a certificate of your achievement that you can also present in your job application process to demonstrate your skill level, knowledge, hands-on experience, and commitment to your chosen career path.
iii. Learn industry tools
There’s a whole range of tools and software that UI designers use to help them do their jobs, from Figma for prototyping and collaboration to Balsamic for rapid wireframing. Our advice? Get to know these tools as well as you can. Many tools are available for free or with a free trial and some are even available to access from your browser, with no downloading required. You’ll no doubt learn how to use different tools during your UI design course, but the better acquainted you are with them the more effectively they'll be able to assist you when you come to pursuing your own, or your client’s, projects.
iv. Apply your UI design skills to real-life projects
While you’re still learning about the field, it’s important to try to get some hands-on experience that will help you learn how to apply your skills in real-world settings. While you might not be at the stage to offer your services as a paid freelancer, consider building up your UI design experience in other ways. You might consider enquiring into work experience with a design agency, volunteering your skills to improve a charity’s app or website, helping out with the e-commerce interface of a friend or family member’s small business, or by creating your own projects by redesigning well-known interfaces and improving them. This experience will not only be a great learning opportunity, you’ll also be able to document your process and your learnings in your portfolio to show to recruiters and employers.
v. Build your UI design portfolio
Ok, so you’ve completed a UI design course, learnt the tools of the trade, and gotten some hands-on experience. What next? Well, before you jump into writing your first job applications, you’ll need to have put together a professional UI design portfolio. You’ll find that many UI design courses will help you with this stage of the process, but if you’ve chosen not to take a course you’ll need to be extra sure that your UI design portfolio ticks all the right boxes.
Your portfolio is the place where you demonstrate your expertise in UI design. You’ll want to outline your skills, education, and any experience you’ve gained along the way. This will be the place where you showcase your very best work so be sure to include your favorite projects as well as descriptions of your process and work methods. You may also want to outline any learnings you’ve taken away from a project or what you might do differently next time. Try to include as many visuals as you can in your portfolio and keep the text brief and to the point. For reference, you can take a look at AND learner Veda Parapurath’s UI Design project.
vi. Apply for your first positions in the field
With your portfolio completed, you’re now in a great position to start applying for a role in the field! You may already be familiar with job boards such as Indeed, Monster, Naukri, Shine, LinkedIn, Stepstone, and Glassdoor and, while looking on such boards is certainly not a bad place to start, don’t forget to also let your industry connections know that you are looking for your first UI design role. These connections might include former colleagues, former employers, friends, or fellow students on your UI design course. It’s also worth looking on the jobs pages of companies which you have an interest in working for or sending them prospective emails enquiring into any UI design roles. They may not have anything available immediately, but once your resume is on file they’re likely to reach out if a relevant vacancy opens up. Finally, Google Job Alerts is an extremely useful, free service that will send you an alert when a company you’ve selected is advertising for a relevant position. Make sure you turn these alerts on!
6. Conclusion
We hope you’ve been able to take away some useful insights from our article on how to land your first job in UI design in 2025! When starting out in the field, be open to learning as much theory as you can from a wide range of sources, get to grips with the tools of the trade, put your knowledge into practice through volunteering or work experience, and spend time crafting a portfolio that you’re proud to show to potential employers.
For help with all of the above, we’d recommend you take a course in UI design led by industry professionals. With AND Academy’s UI design diploma, you’ll get practical help in carving out your new career in the field, from active support and teaching while you learn your new skills to receiving expert guidance and assistance when you start applying for your first positions in the field.
Next Steps
We hope this guide to UI Design jobs could provide you with the guidance and direction you were seeking. Here are some additional resources you can consider in case of further assistance:
- 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 UX UI 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 that come with our courses to overcome any financial hurdle on the path of your career transformation.
Note: All information and/or data from external sources is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication.
