For beginners, UX design is both an exciting and potentially daunting topic. With so much to learn, where do you begin? How do you go about tackling all the different concepts, tools and terminology?<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve got you covered. This UX design for beginners guide will show you where to focus your learning and how to slowly but surely gain mastery of this fascinating field. We\u2019ve included:<\/p>\n
We also link to tons of useful resources throughout, so you\u2019ve got everything you need to get started.<\/p>\n [UX DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS COURSE]<\/p>\n Get the Best Start in UX Design<\/span>\n <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n If you\u2019re a UX beginner, the first thing you should do is to make sure you have a clear understanding of exactly what UX design is.<\/p>\n So what does UX actually stand for<\/a>? It stands for \u201cuser experience\u201d and it relates to the overall quality of a user\u2019s end-to-end experience with a product, service or brand. User experience (UX) design is the process of creating these experiences, ensuring that they are as user-friendly as possible.<\/p>\n UX design is all about solving problems in a user-centric way. The UX process<\/a> starts with user research and problem definition. That is, getting to know your target audience and pin-pointing the problem they need you to solve.<\/p>\n From there, the focus moves to coming up with potential solutions and sketching out initial ideas for how the product (i.e. the solution) might look in terms of the user journey and the overall structure.<\/p>\n As the idea evolves, the UX designer will create wireframes and prototypes (i.e. a blueprint of how the product will be structured) and test it on sample users before getting it developed into a live product.<\/p>\n That\u2019s just a brief introduction to what UX design is. In your quest to learn UX design, you\u2019ll dive deeper into the topic and zoom in on the specifics for a more thorough understanding of the field. Let\u2019s do that now.<\/p>\n There\u2019s lots to learn when it comes to UX, so it\u2019s important to start from the beginning and work your way up. Which begs the question: as a UX beginner, what should you learn first?<\/p>\n We suggest starting with the fundamental concepts, terminology and principles before moving on to learn and apply practical UX design skills.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s our recommended approach:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a complete UX beginner, we recommend starting broad. Learn exactly what UX design is and the steps that a typical UX design process follows and get familiar with key UX terminology and principles.<\/p>\n All you really need at this stage is Google! You can use these questions to guide your research and learning:<\/p>\n You can also read through our glossary of 101 UX terms<\/a> all designers should know and use that as a springboard for further research.<\/p>\n With a good grasp on UX concepts and fundamentals, the next step is to get practical with your learning. UX is a very hands-on profession, after all, so it\u2019s essential that you\u2019re able to carry out the UX process from start to finish.<\/p>\n This includes:<\/p>\n You can experiment with some aspects of the UX process independently. For example, you could define a hypothetical user problem and conduct user interviews with friends and relatives and create wireframes and prototypes with free tools (or free trials).<\/p>\n However, if you really want to become a professional UX designer, it\u2019s best to master these practical skills with the structure and guidance from a UX design course. We\u2019ll share some course recommendations in the next section.<\/p>\n [GET CERTIFIED IN UX]<\/p>\n Take our Professional Diploma in UX Design course<\/span>\n <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n We\u2019ve outlined a two-pronged approach for learning UX, starting with essential theory before moving on to practical skills. Now let\u2019s share some tips for actually setting the wheels in motion.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re just starting out, make the most of free and not-so-expensive or time-consuming courses geared towards beginners. Consider:<\/p>\n YouTube is also a great resource for free tutorials and explainers, although you won\u2019t necessarily get the same structure as you would with a dedicated course.<\/p>\n With the fundamentals under your belt, you might decide to take it up a notch with a more weighty course. This is definitely worth considering if you\u2019re learning UX in order to get a job as a UX designer.<\/p>\n With a professional UX diploma, you\u2019ll benefit from expert instruction, a ready-made and thorough curriculum and a certificate to prove your skills once you\u2019ve finished.<\/p>\n The UX Design Institute offers a university credit-rated Professional Diploma in UX Design<\/a>, teaching everything from user research and analysis to interactions, design patterns and mobile UX, right through to prototyping and handover \u2014 essentially everything you need to learn the full UX process from scratch.<\/p>\n Beyond your chosen UX course, UX beginners can learn a lot from others in the field. Take steps to grow your UX network and connect with those already in the industry \u2014 be it through LinkedIn, networking at your current job or by attending meetups. You\u2019ll find a list of some great UX communities here<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth connecting with fellow UX beginners, such as other students on your UX course. You can share your journey, participate in knowledge exchange and generally take comfort in knowing that you\u2019re not alone in learning UX from scratch.<\/p>\n And, finally, learn and take inspiration from influencers in the field. You don\u2019t need to connect with them personally to benefit from their knowledge and expertise; that\u2019s the joy of social media. Here are our top 15 UX influencers<\/a> we think everybody should be following \u2014 check them out and add them to your network.<\/p>\n The real learning begins when you actually practice and apply your skills to UX projects.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re taking a UX course, the curriculum should include project work. As you gain confidence, seek out additional opportunities to do UX. You can volunteer your skills for free (we show you how and where to find UX volunteering opportunities here<\/a>), come up with your own user problems and apply the UX process to them or redesign existing products to improve the user experience (known as an unsolicited redesign).<\/p>\n The more you practice, the more confident you\u2019ll become and the sharper your UX skills will be. If you can, try to get feedback on your work from an expert, too; that will accelerate your learning and help you move quickly from UX beginner to professional.<\/p>\n Your UX portfolio isn\u2019t only crucial for showing employers what you\u2019re capable of. The process of building your portfolio also presents a valuable learning opportunity.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll apply what you\u2019re learning about UX to your portfolio website itself and you\u2019ll practice the art of writing up project case studies in a logical, coherent and user-friendly way \u2014 a skill you can eventually transfer to the task of sharing your design process with stakeholders when you\u2019re working as a UX designer.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve got plenty of guides to help you with your first UX portfolio. Start with this practical step-by-step guide on how to create your first UX portfolio from scratch<\/a>, then perfect your portfolio with these 8 UX portfolio tips<\/a> and best practices. And, if you\u2019re struggling with what to include in your portfolio, we\u2019ve got 5 tried-and-tested ways to find UX projects<\/a>.<\/p>\n UX is a vast, varied topic and there\u2019s lots to learn \u2014 in terms of both theory and practical skills. Our advice on UX design for beginners? Start with a broad, bird\u2019s-eye overview of the field before drilling down into more specific topics and concepts.<\/p>\n From there, practice and hone those key practical skills like user research, wireframing and prototyping. Practice as much as you can, learn from others in the industry and don\u2019t be afraid to experiment.<\/p>\n UX designers never stop learning, and everybody has to start from somewhere. Jump in and enjoy it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What\u2019s the best way for beginners to learn UX design? What should you learn first? Start with this complete guide to UX design for beginners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":9549,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[266],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-into-ux"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7116"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7116\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9390,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7116\/revisions\/9390"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9549"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What is UX design? A beginner-friendly definition<\/h2>\n
UX design for beginners: Learn these things first<\/h2>\n
1. Start with the fundamental concepts, terminology and principles<\/h3>\n
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2. Learn and practice essential UX skills<\/h3>\n
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How to start learning UX design: Tips for beginners<\/h2>\n
Take some \u201cUX design for beginners\u201d courses<\/h3>\n
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Get a professional diploma in UX design<\/h3>\n
Grow your UX network and learn from others<\/h3>\n
Practice and apply your new skills at every opportunity<\/h3>\n
Build (and continuously work on) your UX portfolio<\/h3>\n
The takeaway<\/h2>\n