As another engineering student added to the mix of a million others graduating every year in India, I wasn't sure if hardcore Computer science Engineering was my jam. I was part of everything outside my class and I realised I love storytelling. I stumbled upon UI/UX in 2019 and I felt like this could be the bridge between me exploring coding and development and do something creative.

First things first, UI/UX is NOT an easy way to get into tech, contrary to social media opinions. Especially if you don’t have some form of creativity, writing or documentation experience before. It can be learned with enough practice like everything else in the world!

So you’ve finally decided to get into UI/UX design or Product design (Both terms can be used interchangeably, although product design is more encompassing), perhaps because you need a change of career, you’ve heard it is the trending thing in tech or because there is money in it. There’s no right or wrong reason for getting into UI/UX design if you ask me. But let’s start off with these questions.

Why do you want to be a UI/UX Designer?

Whatever answer you provide here is going to be the main motivation you’ll need throughout the course of your career and it might change from time to time. But the day you run out of this motivation, there might be a lack of focus or clarity.

So really ask yourself, why do you want to be a designer and let that be your guide.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

One thing being a UI/UX designer will do to you is test you in various ways. Understanding your strengths and weaknesses will make it easy to navigate your work process. If you’re not so good at carrying out research, but better at creating visuals, it might be easier for you to solely be a UI designer. Some people are good at designing for mobile while others are better at web.

Let me be honest with you, you need not know all these things. But the ones you do know, be so good at it that you can deliver excellently whenever you have to.

Simply put, get ready to leverage on your strengths and work on your weaknesses.

What skills do you need?

1.Empathy
2.Collaboration
3.Thinker and problem solver
4.Creativity
5.Analytical skills
6.Visual design
7.Research skills
8.Management skills
9.Receptive to feedback
10.Good communicator
11.Writing and documentation
12.A grasp of coding will help you relate better with the developer
13.Curiosity and a desire for endless learning

How long would it take for you to be a good designer?

There is no specific time, but the good part is the answer to this is solely up to you and how much you’re willing to dedicate to designing.

Let’s view it this way, one person spends 30 minutes reading up and practicing daily and another spends 3 hours. Which person do you think might be a better designer at the end of a set duration?

Although, a month - two months should have you pushing basic flows and designs.

What exactly do you need to do?

Know and understand of UI/UX design, get better knowledge through courses. The internet is so vast, there’s literally endless resources.

Understand design principles as well as the actual tools used in designing. Tools will change overtime, but not processes. Do not be so quick to start taking on jobs before you’ve had a good grasp of UI/UX design. The jobs will always be there.
Take a look at designs from other people, understand how they’ve been put together.

Practice as well, and take your time to build your skill set.
Network with other designers and possibly get a mentor.
Keep yourself up to date.

Challenges to expect

1.Understanding what to do.
2.Imposter Syndrome.
3.Receiving negative feedback.
4.Working under tight time schedule.
5.Communicating and collaborating with clients/stakeholders.
6.Deciding what features to address first during problem solving.
7.Relating with developers and working in a team.
8.Carrying out research within a target scope/limited resources.

The road is always long but new in this case as its a field which is evolving by the minute but I am hopeful that this is something that will be something sustainable for years to come!