Become a UX Designer in 2020
By: Eduardo Ramos
Tags: New York, UX Design, Design, UX, Interaction Design

With the start of a new year, you probably made a list of resolutions for each of the coming months, or overall. While resolutions are a great way to define and keep track of your priorities for the coming year, it’s a fact that you need a clear and systematic plan of action.

The UX industry remains it’s ascending path (in both recognition and importance), and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down in the near future. If you’re reading this, that means you’re contemplating a career in UX. And regardless of the reasons you’re considering it, if it’s a career change or career advancement, a job in UX design still offers immense potential for growth, success, and personal satisfaction.

If you want to increase your chances of success, then you’ll need to create a plan of action. To have the best plan of action, you need to ensure you have the best resources at hand.

Define your dream UX role

Maybe you’ve already decided that you want to work in UX design, or perhaps you’re after a promotion in your current UX job. In any case, have you thought about what role do you precisely want to be in? There are many different specializations offers on the UX field. And, in any case, UX generalists are also in high demand for their diverse toolkits.

Therefore, it’s crucial to spend some time and decide what role suits you and your goals best. To start making your mind, you can read the ultimate guide to understanding UX roles and see which roles stand out to you. You’ll learn about the many different options, like user research, product designer, and content strategist. Plus, you’ll read an excellent overview of the ins and outs of various of the most commonly found roles in UX teams.

Read The Guide

Create a learning plan

Once you’ve figured out your dream UX role, it’s time to start working towards it. If you’re overwhelmed and confused about where to start, don’t worry anymore! The good news is that the Interaction Design Foundation used all their years of experience to craft specific learning paths. Each UX role has a track tailored to it, with a clear definition of the role and the responsibilities that come with it.

These learning paths are the best place for beginners to start learning UX, and anyone who’s entirely new to design and wants to know more of the craft.

If you’re already working in the design field, UX or UI, then you can move further and select the courses that most appeal to you. Or following the levels on the platform, move on to advanced classes. The advanced courses cover more in-depth, specific topics that will help you advance and develop your career. This is a great way to improve your already existing skills.

With an Interaction Design Foundation membership, you’ll get access to more than 25 online, self-paced courses. At the end of each lesson, you’ll find multiple-choice and open-ended questions (open-ended questions graded by real people!) depending on the lesson and course. The reward for all your hard work is that as soon as you get the passing grade, you can generate an industry-recognized certificate.

Explore Learning Paths

Seek knowledge from the experts

If you want to keep up with the latest advances and trending topics in the UX design industry, it’s by learning from the design leaders who are breaking through and experiencing those advances in first hand. The IDF Master Class webinars are the best place to expand your knowledge about UX design from top executives, award-winning authors, and distinguished professors. Anyone can attend these webinars, but members get access for just $1.

You can check the upcoming Master Class webinars here. You can register now and save your spot!

Master practical design tools

One of the most asked questions by people who want to learn design or have already started their journey is, “Which tools do I need to know and master to get a job in UX design?”

It’s a fair question because being proficient with a tool will certainly make you more employable and will help you to build a stronger portfolio. I can say that right now, most of the design tools come with helpful tutorials and demos, and they’re easier to learn and master more than ever.

At the IDF, they’ve taken measures to ensure their members can access these tools. They have partnered with top design tools to offer exclusive discounts to UX designers. They’re fully aware that adding more design tools to your skillset shouldn’t come with a hefty price tag, and that’s why a membership to the Interaction Design Foundation includes over $540 in savings on design tools!

Learn and Save With Their Partners

Read about UX Design every day

For over 17 years, the IDF has worked with the best minds in design and technology to compile the world’s most extensive library of free to access UX resources.

At the IDF literature section, you’ll find from an encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction to eBooks to thousands of articles on over 500 topics related to UX.

It’s been a massive effort from the IDF team to curate and keep this collection open to all; it’s set up in a way that even if you don’t have a membership, you can benefit from these resources and share them with anyone who needs them.

If you dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to read something new about UX design from this library, imagine how much your knowledge would grow within one year! If you make the time to read at least one article a day, you’ll be surprised at how much your career can benefit from something so simple! You can try it during your commute, or along with your morning coffee, and then, apply at work what you learn whenever you can.

Browse All Articles

Connect online and offline

The IDF is home to the world’s largest community of designers and UX enthusiasts! With 475 groups in 95 countries, the IDF local groups make it easy for you to meet other designers in your area. This is a great way to share knowledge, make new friends, and even learn of work opportunities near you.

Community members individually run local groups. These members independently organize live, on-site events, conferences, and workshops, as well as online meet-ups to help designers network and connect. The local group meet-ups are open to everyone, so you can find one near you, and attend with a friend. You can simply show up and say hi, even if you’re not a member.

The communities also share ideas and information about design, job openings, and coming events on the local group discussion forums. Don’t miss on these opportunities as your dream UX opportunity might just come through making a new friend or connection, so be sure to network with designers and employers all year round!

Connect With The Community

The key to progress is consistency. If you take small steps every week, you’ll get closer to your goal soon than expected. I hope the tips above will help you get there and when you look back, a year from now, you won’t even be able to recognize the you form the past. :-)

If you got all the way here, and want to know what do people who know UX think of the Interaction Design Foundation (IDF) or how does being a member of the Interaction Design Foundation help, click the links to read more.