Redacción Tokio | 17/01/2023
If you have a background in design, an interest in digital products, and a desire to work in a technology-related field, becoming a UI/UX designer may be the best option for you. But do you know exactly what the UI/UX designer profile description is? In other words, do you know what these professionals do and how you can become one?
If you’re curious about this, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will try to give you all the necessary information about the UI / UX designer job profile. We will help you understand if you are really ready for undertaking this job or if you need an in-depth specialization with specific training related to web development. Interested?
What is a UX/UI designer?
First things first: UX and UI design represent two different aspects of the same field and have to do with the user experience of a web page, an application, or even a video game. In this way, when we talk about UX, we refer to the user experience, which focuses on how something works and how people interact with it. The user interface focuses on aesthetics and design.
A UX designer ensures that a product makes sense to the user by creating paths that flow logically from one step to the next.
UX designers also research specific users in order to develop a clear understanding of their needs, define interaction models, design wireframes, build prototypes, and work well on the user experience. In addition, they perform user tests and review metrics and focus-group feedback so they can make any necessary adjustments to improve the product.
On the other hand, UI designers focus on applying all this work to how the web, app or game interface should look like, so that the user experience is the one that has been defined, sought-after and is consistent with the values that represent the brand.
The UI designer is in charge of designing all types of visual elements, interactions and animations within the web pages, mobile applications or video games in which they work.
The UI is the user interface, it describes the graphic design involved in any application. It consists of the buttons users click, the text they read, the images, the sliders, the text input fields, and everything else the user interacts with. This also includes the screen layout, the transitions, the interface animations and every single micro-interaction.
The day to day of a UX/UI designer
As we have seen, the work of a UX/UI designer is divided in two parts in case they focus on both experience design and interface design. There are professionals who are specialized in both aspects and there are professionals who only focus on one of them.
In any case, the most common functions to be performed on a day-to-day basis by a UX/UI designer (or, in other words, the most common UX/UI designer profile description) include:
- Create user-centric designs and understand business requirements, voice of the customer, journeys, feedback, and usability findings.
- Quickly and iteratively create user flows, wireframes, prototypes, low and high fidelity mockups.
- Communicate with product and engineering teams.
- Make sure the voice of the customer is present by incorporating feedback, usage metrics, and usability findings into the design.
- Perform post-launch metric analysis to be able to do design optimization.
- Know how to use prototyping tools such as Sketch, Invision or equivalent
Common job opportunities for a UI/UX designer profile description
UI/UX design is a multidisciplinary field with a growing range of niche specializations including UX writing, interaction design, usability testing, visual design, and more. In general, related jobs mix tasks from both roles:
- UI/UX design. The scope of this work includes the creation of the user interface based on the research insights gained from the users.
- Visual design. Visual designers are responsible for the appearance of a physical or digital product.
- Research and usability. UI/UX researchers focus on collecting information from users.
- Coding. UX engineers are liaisons between the design and engineering teams.
- UI/UX writing. UI/UX writing is the words we read or hear when using a digital product.
UI/UX designer profile description
In order to meet the specifications for a UI/UX designer profile description, there are a number of skills, competencies, and prior knowledge that are needed. It is a specialized profession that needs qualified people who usually come from multidisciplinary branches of knowledge.
A UI/UX designer job profile requires knowledge of how to execute, facilitate and analyze research and data and proficiency in composition and graphic design, color palettes, typography and branding. This way it’s possible to build a brilliant interface that has its own identity.
Next, we are going to see in more detail these professionals’ profiles, as well as the interpersonal skills and competencies necessary to be a ux/ui designer.
Admission profile
In order to meet the UI/UX designer profile description and become specialized, it is useful to have a background in one of the following disciplines:
- Computer science or other technical engineering (special interest and taste in design)
- Graphic design
- Fine Arts (specializing in multimedia)
- Communication (specialized in multimedia)
- Advertising (multimedia specialty)
Transversal skills
For you to meet the UI/UX designer profile description, it is necessary, although not essential, to have a series of interpersonal skills and transversal abilities that are valuable in almost all professions today:
- Flexibility
- Analysis
- Communication skills
- Empathy
- Interest to learn
- Open mind to question ideas
- Capacity to observe
- Critical thinking
- Listening skills
Technical skills
Of course, in order to become a UX/UI designer, you need to have or acquire a series of technical skills:
- Project management
- Information architecture
- Design thinking
- Linguistic and writing skills
- Notions of graphic design and visual communication to be able to make wireframes and prototypes
- Notions of programming (coding)
- Research techniques for users and contexts.
Train as a UX/UI designer!
As you have seen, to become a UX/UI designer you only need to have some previous training in areas related to design or computer science and a desire to continue learning. This, of course, involves finding the right training. But that’s what we’re here for, that’s what Tokyo School is for. To help you be able to meet all the requirements of the professional profile of a UX/UI designer.
With our Front-end Programming course: HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript you will acquire the necessary knowledge not only for web design, but also to be able to specialize to meet all criteria in the UI/UX designer profile description. A career choice that presents great prospects for the future as well as being very well paid.
Fill out the form below and request more information about this training. We can’t wait to meet you!