Everything You Need to Know BEFORE Becoming a UX Designer 2024 (from a Google UX Designer)

So it is 2023 almost 2024 and you're thinking  "oh my God I really want to become a UX designer   because I've seen so many videos that are telling  me that I'm going to become rich if I become a UX   designer" well in this video I'm going to tell  you everything that you need to know before   becoming a ux designer and I say quote-unquote  because the reality is that I will never cover   everything in a video like this but it will give  you a good overview of what you should know before   embarking on a ux career so if you're curious  stick around and let's jump right into the video hi everyone my name is Ricardo I am a UX designer  at Google and I work remotely from Florida so   let's cut to the chase go straight into the topic  today today we are talking about what you should   know or some of the things that you should know  before becoming a ux designer and I don't have   them all memorized so I'm gonna reference my  computer while we're talking we're just gonna   keep this very informal all right I'm giving you  some tips and sharing some of the knowledge that   I wish that I had before I embarked on this  journey from architecture to ux design so if   you find this content valuable Please Subscribe  and hit the like button so that other people can   find this content as well so with that said  let's jump into the tips so the first thing   that you should know about ux design product  design all of these related fields is that it   is not just a creative field and collaboration  plays a huge role in being successful as a ux   designer you're going to have to work with a lot  of different people and not just InDesign but in   cross-functional roles that help designers launch  products so we're talking about engineers we're   talking about PMS potentially directors VPS  all types of stakeholders and the key skill   here is that you're gonna need to figure out  how to manage these relations successfully   right and remember that as a ux designer you are  an advocate for the user you're looking at for   the best interest of the user but simultaneously  you are also going to be required to think about   the business needs so you're going to become a  liaison between all of these stakeholders that   extend beyond design now what does that mean  well that means that you're gonna have a lot   of meetings you're going to be charged with  aligning all of these stakeholders it's not   just about presenting these designs and pitching  them you're also going to have to play a certain   role in managing expectations and the more senior  you become as a ux designer the more strategic   Your Role will become and the more alignment  and relationship building you're going to be   expected to do the second thing that you should  know before becoming a ux designer is that the   design culture of the company that you join will  very much depend on the size of that company and   the reason this is important is because if your  company does not have a mature design Department   you will be expected to evangelize and basically  explain and justify the value of design now if   you work at a larger company like me at Google  or something similar you will have a more mature   design department so you won't have to necessarily  be advocating for ux design in particular but you   might be in a situation where you need to advocate  for your design peers like for ux research and ux   writing so there will always be a certain amount  of evangelizing and socializing that you will   have to do for design so that's something that  you should know you will become an advocate for   design and you will be expected to advocate for  yourself and others because you're not going to   be at a design only firm or agency you will be  be working with a lot of different fields and   everyone has priorities in that if you learn to  manage will only make you a more successful ux   designer another thing that you should know is  that ux design requires say a certain degree of   continued education Tech is always changing I mean  in the last couple of months you have seen how AI   has changed the the world of tech For Better or  For Worse and as a ux designer it's important   that we are up to date with the latest trends with  the latest Technologies so there will be a certain   expectation that you will have to do that on your  own hopefully your company offers seminars and   different workshops where you can learn on the job  but otherwise you're going to be expected to learn   all of those things on your own so a certain level  of staying up to date and continued education is   something that you should be prepared  for if you want to become a ux designer   now this is a juicy one this has become even  more prominent in the last couple of years but   competition is a very real aspect that you should  be ready for when job hunting for a ux design   role right now there is a lot of ux designers  especially Junior ux designers coming out of boot   camps and short courses that are all trying to get  an intro ux design role in the current market so   as a junior ux Center is really important that you  figure out everything you can do to set yourself   apart from other applicants because there are so  many Junior designers looking for that first job   and actually I have another video that tells you  how to stand out as a UF designer that you can   check out but that is something that you should  be ready for you should be ready for a market   that is competitive and I won't say saturated  but definitely with a lot of competition when   it comes to those entry-level roles so as you  prepare to transition for ux design think about   what story what skills you are acquiring that  will help you stand out when you apply for that   entry-level job now this next one is related to  helping you stand out in the competitive market   that we have today and is to consider or even  expect acquiring a formal education in ux design   the reality is that right now part of the reason  we have such a competitive market is because we   have a lot of boot camp graduates we have a lot of  folks that are self-taught because now everyone on   YouTube tries to sell you the idea that you can  become a self-taught designer and some people   have done that successfully but the reality is  that for most people that is not going to be a   successful path to getting them that entry-level  job so in the current market in 2023 2024 I would   consider a formal education in ux design and not  just an education that's going to teach you the   basics of what you would expect to learn at boot  camp I would look at an education that allows you   to acquire specialized skills in a particular area  of ux that is becoming more prevalent in today's   market so maybe in an area like artificial  intelligence maybe in an area like web 3 and   blockchain there is a certain expectation that as  we move forward in the couple of years you will   be expected to be a generalist in ux design but if  you are able to acquire certain specialized skills   that will not only open you up for roles that are  in those particular Industries but will also give   you something to talk about in an interview that  sets you apart from other people that just have   a generalized education in ux design and not  only is an education helpful in getting you   those specialized skills it also helps you take  time to build a portfolio and find internships   I got my job at Google through an internship  and to me getting an internship and converting   to a full-time employee from that internship is  still the best path to get you that entry-level   job because our reality is that most companies  will hire people that they already know and an   internship is the best way to get your foot in the  door and when you do a formal education program   that is maybe two years you have a summer to  intern and remember that a lot of companies   like fan companies do not hire interns unless they  are currently enrolled in a degree in some college   program so keep that in mind especially as we  navigate the current competitive market expect to   have some sort of a formal education in UF design  and let me know in the comments if you would like   me to make a video about the top ux programs in  the United States now the next one is related to   some of the other ones that we talked about but  it's the reality that ux is not just about design   or creativity is also about business needs so as a  ux designer you should be ready to talk and think   about revenue and be in a room with stakeholders  that while they care about the user needs will   also want you to consider what's important for  the business there will be times when you might   have to make certain sacrifices for the sake of  the business and you should be comfortable with   those situations you should be ready to compromise  the reality is that despite what other desires   might want you to think design is not the most  important role at the company and it's also not   the main decision driver it's a controversial  take but in my experience that has been the   reality and it's really important that you learn  to pick your battles so there will be times when   revenue and profits and bottom line will win  and there are other times where there is more   opportunity to innovate and push user needs  to the Forefront one example of this is you   might be expected to think about how to create a  state-of-the-art user experience that also finds   ways to monetize the business and if you are not  comfortable thinking about these topics or having   these conversations then you wax might not be a  career path for you you need to be comfortable   thinking about business needs while also thinking  about what the user needs and finding a middle   ground with your stakeholders for the success of  both parties and the last thing that you should   know is that u-wax is not a priority on a lot of  companies I know that's hard especially as you   consider becoming a ux designer but the reality is  that a lot of companies are engineering driven and   if not then also product driven and ux is a lot  of times an afterthought which is what a lot of   ux designers push for they push for a seat at the  table they push for a design to be more valued but   the reality is that it takes time for that design  culture to develop at a company especially smaller   ones so you should feel comfortable finding  creative ways to make your cross-functional   partners appreciate you as a design partner in  one way that I found success in doing this is by   putting in the work you show your cross-functional  partners through your work all of the things that   you can contribute as a designer you prove to  them that you also have product thinking skills   and if you have some technical skills that  would even make you more valuable but it   requires you not being confrontational in the  beginning and being a team player and through   your work showing them the value that you bring  to the team and you can prove the worth of your   work in many many different ways let me know in  the comments if you would like to see a video   that talks about how design can bring value to  a tech company okay so those are all the tips   that I have hopefully that was not overwhelming  this video is not meant to scare you or detract   you from becoming a ux designer it's meant to  keep you informed and just share some of the   experiences that I've had and this is probably not  going to be the last video or the only video that   you see with things that you should know before  becoming a UF designer remember that everyone's   experience as a ux designer is affected by  where they work and who they work for so if   I were entering the ux design field right now I  would take a broad stroke at all of the videos   and the information that's out there and just  try to find patterns and deduce if this is a   career path that is for you and the reality is  that it can be very rewarding both financially   and personally because it is a design field where  you get to see the impact of your work directly   on hundreds or even billions of users so all of  these things while there are challenges can be   extremely fulfilling if you choose ux as your  career path please hit the like And subscribe   to the channel if you found this content useful  my channel is about ux but it's also about art   in design so if you're interested in a broad  approach to design and ux content including art   feel free to subscribe and stick around also if  you're curious about ux have an entire playlist   that I keep adding videos to that walk you through  all aspects of UF design the difference between   ux product the career ladder it's a great intro  with Insider tips from my experience of working   at a variety of tech companies so with that  said I will see you all in the next video bye

Channel: Ricardo Hernandez Perez

Views: 99,183

Keywords: Everything You Need to Know BEFORE Becoming a UX Designer, how to become a ux designer, don't become a ux designer, things to know before ux design, ux design, product design, ui design, tips for becoming a ux designer, ux design tips, google designer, ux design career, ux design advice, ux designer, user experience design, how to become a ui/ux designer, everthing you need to know before becoming a ux designer, everything ytou need to know before becoming a ux designer

Id: bUfkW3IM0d0

Length: 14min 2sec (842 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 11 2023