You might have come across a shopping website that was easy to navigate, immediately found what you liked, and made a purchase—or been to a website that was difficult to navigate and overall tiresome to make a purchase. The reason you had a good or a bad experience is because of the way the website/app was designed.
Ever wondered if there’s someone out there who takes care of, How a user experiences the app/website? Yes, a User Experience Designer is also known as a UX Designer. A UX Designer makes the user’s platform/website experience effortless and engaging.
In this blog, we are going to explore one of the most dynamic and upcoming professions in the field of design – UX Design. Making a sound, pleasurable experience for users who engage with a product or service is known as user experience design (UX).
The blog will discuss how to become a UX designer, the skills needed, the education required, job opportunities, and more.
A UX Designer employs the art and science of creating a web/app design to make the user’s interaction with the product as effective, efficient, and enjoyable as possible. In short, someone who designs things with the user’s experience in mind.
Learn more – Career as a UX Designer – create simpler everyday designs!
A person who wants to become a UX Designer can start upskilling right from their school days. Understanding design patterns is the first step and gradually progressing to understanding design thinking principles.
One can choose any stream after the 10th Grade to pursue a career as a UX Designer. You can apply for certificate courses after the 10th. And post Grade 12, apply for an undergraduate program in Design.
“The more you practice the better you’ll be, the harder you train the greater in you they’ll see.”
– Alcurtis Turner
And indeed the quote is true about being a UX Designer. You can work on your projects proposing a solution to existing problems in the design field or your innovation. This is also a good time to test your area of expertise in design and explore other areas.
The projects are a great way to showcase your creativity and skillset as a portfolio to potential employers.
Following are a few certificate courses you can try:
How to become a UX Designer after 10th
In order to pursue UX Design degrees after Grade 12, one can choose any stream – arts/science/commerce. One can also enroll in online courses that provide hands-on insight into UX designing. If you are someone who wants hands-on exposure to UX Design, make sure to check out the Clever Harvey Junior MBA course on UX Design.
How to become a UX Designer after 12th (UG Courses)
Candidates can apply to UX undergraduate courses after completing 10+2 in any stream from the recognized board. Following are the minimum eligibility criteria considered while applying for a UG program:
1. A completed 10+2 in any stream from a recognized board or institution.
2. A candidate should have scored a minimum of 55% in the chosen stream.
3. A candidate should appear for the entrance exam and qualify to attain a seat in the institution/college
How to become UX Designer In India
One can apply for a diploma or undergraduate degree after the 12th Grade.
Ideally, the Diploma course runs for 1 year. But a few courses run for a shorter duration. Below are a few names of diploma courses and their estimated duration.
| Sr. No. | Course title | Duration |
| 1. | UX Design Diploma | 25 weeks |
| 2. | International program in Web Design UI/UX | 12 months |
| 3. | Diploma in UI/UX Designing | 12 months |
You also may like : How to become a Fashion Designer after 12th in India
As mentioned above, UG courses require a 10+12 grade, and a minimum 55% aggregate to be eligible to apply for UG courses in India.
| Sr. No. | Course title | Duration |
| 1. | BDes in User Experience Design | 3 years |
| 2. | BDesign in Communication Design | 3 years |
| 3. | BDes UX | 3 years |
| 4. | BDes in Interaction Design | 3 years |
| 5. | BDes in Visual Communication | 3 years |
| 6. | BCA (Design-Animation/Graphics/UI-UX) | 3 years |
| 7. | BDes in Transdisciplinary Design | 3 years |
Following are a few popular entrance exams one will have to clear to get admission for the UG program:
Here’s a list of the top 10 colleges that offer UG courses on UX Design in India:
| Sr. No. | Name of the University | Location |
| NID (National Institute of Design) | Ahmedabad | |
| 2. | Industrial Design Centre | Mumbai |
| 3. | Pearl Academy | Multiple Locations |
| 4. | NIFT | New Delhi |
| 5. | MAEER’S MIT Institute of Design | Pune |
| 6. | Indian School of Design and Innovation | Mumbai |
| 7. | DOD (Department of Design), IIT | Guwahati |
| 8. | Vishwakarma University | Pune |
| 9. | Centre of Creative Arts and Design, Jain | Banglore |
| 10. | Chitkara University | Himachal Pradesh |
Also read: Career as an Interior Designer
Study Options for UX Design Abroad
Apart from 10+12 grade minimum qualifying marks, one will have to submit applications to Universities accompanied by a language proficiency certificate, passport copy, letter of recommendation, and intent.
1. Diploma Abroad
| Sr. No. | Course title | Duration |
| 1. | Professional Diploma in UX Design at Glasgow Caledonian University | 6 months |
| 2. | Immersive Design Strategy and Social Innovation Course – Austin Centre of Design. | 12 months |
| 3. | Diploma in UI/UX Designing | 12 months |
2. Undergraduate courses Abroad
| Sr. No. | Course title | Duration |
| 1. | BA UX/UI Design | 3 years |
| 2. | Bachelor of Fine Arts [Interactive and Visual Design | 3 years |
| 3. | Bachelor of Design [UX Interaction Design] | 3 years |
| 4. | Bachelor of Design (Digital Technologies) | 3 years |
| 5. | Interaction Design Program | 3 years |
| 6. | BA (Hons.) Visual effects | 3 years |
| 7. | BSc. User Experience (UX) (Hons.) | 3 years |
The admission requirements to apply abroad are – IELTS score (min. 5.5/9) or the travel country language proficiency certificate, portfolio, etc. Make sure to go through the university website for details on university course-specific requirements before applying for the course.
| Sr. No. | College Name | Location |
| 1. | University of Hertfordshire | England, UK |
| 2. | University of Creative Arts | Neston, England |
| 3. | The University of Europe for Applied Science | Germany |
| 4. | Edinburgh Napier University | Scotland, UK |
| 5. | George Brown College | Canada |
During your under-graduation and postgraduation, you will gain an in-depth understanding of the role of a UX designer through internships. The terms you will need to familiarise yourself with our – user testing, wireframe, prototype, etc.
A designer in any field needs an array of works as an example of how good they are at their field. One can build a portfolio from their early journey to becoming a UX Designer. The portfolio can have certifications, case studies, relevant experiences, and projects.
As a freelance UX designer, you can create system designs, analyze client websites, and work on projects. Build a network and discuss career insights.
Here are a few tools related to the terms mentioned above:
Survey and polling tools such as SurveyMonkey, Typeform, and user research platforms.
Sketch, Balsamiq, Wireframe.cc, Figma, Illustrator, with InVision Studio, Adobe XD, Axure, and Marvel.
Adobe XD, InVision, Sketch, Principle, Flinto, Framer, and ProtoPie.
Another way of exploring these tools is to use them in individual or collaborative projects.
UX designing involves creative thinking and a keen sense of design, which several creative professionals already possess. By attracting the user’s attention to the proper spot on a web page, visual design can substantially aid usability.
A deeper understanding of the psychology behind your users’ decisions can help you build more powerful, engaging, and effective user onboarding experiences. Here are different skills a UX designer should possess based on the following categories:
| Soft Skills | Industry Skills | Crossover Skills |
| Interpersonal, collaborative, communication skills | Wireframing and prototyping | Business Acumen |
| Empathy | UX writing | Research skills and analytics |
| Curiosity | Visual Communication and UI | Customer service |
| Critical thinking | User Testing | Coding and development |
Read about – How to become a Graphic Designer
Salary in India vs Salary Abroad
Based on the surveys conducted by websites like Payscale.com, ambitionbox.com, indeed.com and others the payscale varies based on skills and years of experience.
User Experience Designer Annual Salaries in 2022:
| Experience (Years) | USA ($) | UK (£) | India (₹) | Canada (C$) |
| Entry or >1 | $100,546 | £37,400 | 450,000 | C$62,400 |
Source: Payscale
| Top recruiters in India |
| Infosys |
| Wipro |
| GAIL |
| ONGC |
| ISRO |
| HLL |
| Johnson & Johnson |
| Ranbaxy |
| Cipla |
| Top recruiters abroad |
| Ideo |
| UX studio |
| Fantasy Interactive |
| Digital Telepathy |
| Designit |
| Frog |
| Work & Co |
| Fjord |
| Method |
| Nielsen Norman Group |
UX Designers have to communicate with multiple teams and require excellent time management. It can be a stressful job for many.
Knowledge in coding can surely give one an upper hand in UX design. But due to the dynamic nature of the field, one can be a UX designer without experience in coding.
Manufacturing, App design, programming, food industry, defence, automobile industry, etc are a few of the industries that need UX Designers.
Communication skills, time management, curiosity, ability to empathise, collaboration and teamwork. For more information refer to, Soft skills required to become a UX Designer.
An experienced UI/UX Designer with 10-20 years of experience gets an average compensation of 11.8 Lakhs per year, compared to a mid-career UI/UX Designer with 4–9 years of experience. For more information please refer to, Salary in India vs Salary Abroad
A UX Designer needs industrial skills such as wireframe, prototype, user testing, visual communication,etc. For more information refer to, Industrial skills required to become a UX Designer
It is a career which is in high demand globally and the salary statistics support this information. With increase in digitization, it is estimated to grow further in dem
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