Tips to Switch Career from Web Designer to UX Designer

Switching careers has been the trend of the day, especially amongst the millennial generation workforce. When it comes to user experience design, the current job market is reeling under massive growth. Several professionals having a rich and extensive design background are finding it the ripe time to make a career change into UX design. There could ideally be many causes for making the switch to UX design and the most lucrative one is a higher paycheck when transitioning from web design to UX design segment.

Usually, there is a jump of nearly 50% in the base pay if any designer switches to the UX design industry. It has been estimated there would be 3 million new UX design jobs will be created in the US alone during the next 10 years. It is a clear indication switching to this industry can support your consistency and financial security.

If you’re associated with an Experienced Web Design Company in India offering custom web design services and have enriched experience in designing various types of web-based assignments like blogs/personal pages, eCommerce portals, and commercial pages, you are the most desired workforce in the UX segment.

Let’s have a walk-through into various aspects i.e., multiple skills and qualities required to land your first job in this new landscape of business.

What Is UX Design?

It’s about enhancing the user experience while engaging or interacting with a particular product. It encompasses a rich understanding of interaction design, psychology, and graphic design including other skill sets.

Being a UX designer, you will be involved in three basic aspects – how the outlook of the product is, how it feels while interacting with the product, and how useful the product is for the users. You will work for looks, and feel viability.

You will not find it tough while working as a web designer, you’ll already have developed a consolidated understanding of all these three aspects, which will make your transition to UX design smoother.

Do Web Designers and UX Designer Share Similar Skills?

Let’s analyze the portfolio similarity between web and UX designers!

As we all know the basic profile of any UX designer is working on the look of a product. Being a web designer you gain a lot of experience and expertise in this domain as well when you work with interactive prototypes transforming them into beautiful websites. Apart from this, you may also be skilled in CSS, HTML, and JavaScript, if you are into coding.

Considering both profiles, there is not much difference between web designers and web developers. No doubt these two profiles are getting interchangeable in this digital world.

Yet another trait that brings web and UX designer close is their research and problem-solving skills. Both of these profiles have to interact with their clients to have a better idea of the business and the client’s expectations.

Collecting feedback and other aspects of data required to redesign some segments of the project is also a common task for both portfolios.

Differences that Set Them Apart

Even after having striking similarities in their respective portfolio, there are some fine differences between them also making them unique in their selves. The core difference is that UX designing is much more than just publishing the website online.

Being a designer, you’ll ensure that the entire feel and look of the website are viable and pleasant irrespective of the devices it is used i.e. PC, smartphone, iPad, etc. It is your responsibility to make your website responsive to a better user experience.

But when it comes to UX designer, their concern is not limited to the feasibility of different screen sizes. They have to consider applications, desktop tools, and hardware products including retail spaces, and mobile apps.

The next major difference is updated knowledge of the latest technologies. A web designer has to stay aware of the latest information and should be dedicated to learning new technologies as and when they are accessible.

Unlike this, UX designers do not have to be more concerned about technology. A UX designer might be working on a brand-new user interface of an app, but it can ideally be a small part that will come after a lapse of several months and even a year) of research. This often puts UX designers in trouble by questioning their dedication to usability vs. desirability. It is rarely found that a UX designer has a striking right balance between the two.

Put the Best Foot Forward

When you plan to transition from a web designer to a UX designer, redesign your portfolio with your experience. Make yourself conversant with the basics of user experience design and start to analyze how it evolved. If you aren’t sure where to start, there are several online resources to rely upon.

All these online resources will not only help you create strong background information on this discipline, but you’ll also come to know the minor differences and similarities between them. This will help you understand where your skills match and where to need to acquire new ones.

You can also try your hand at taking up some freelance UX design work to strengthen and add value to your updated portfolio. You may stand a chance to get hired if any business looking to hire dedicated UX or web designers comes across your rich portfolio.

Synopsis

Switching your career from web design to UX design should not be that scary. It is easy to use your existing skills to smoothly transition to a more lucrative UX design discipline. You already have a good know-how of the language of digital design, and you also understand the significance of your clients. If you plan a career change to UX design from web design, it will help you to join the fastest-growing disciple of today’s design ecosystem.