5 Tips To Move From Graphic Design To UX Design

Angela Huang
5 min readOct 5, 2022

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The demand for digital design has increased over the years, and many graphic designers are looking to move to UX design. Designers who understand user experience and how to design interactive products that people want to use are in high demand, and we want to help you become one of those designers.

A graphic designer and UX designer have many transferable skills that can make the transition more accessible, and we will give you tips to make this move quickly and without as much difficulty. If this is what you want, then this article will tell you what you need to know.

Photo by Theme Photos on Unsplash
Photo by Theme Photos on Unsplash

What Do Graphic Designers Do?

Graphic designers focus on the visuals of the product they are working on. This includes the color palette used in the product, the typography, images, and other design elements used. Graphic designers need to communicate information to the target user quickly and clearly.

What Do UX Designers Do?

UX designers focus on the user experience of the product. They must ensure the target users have a great and easy time using the product. The UX designer needs to think about the information architecture, the layout of the product, how the users will interact with the product, and more. These designers must create a product design that people want to use.

How To Move From Graphic Design To UX Design

Creating Your UX Design Portfolio

If you want to be hired as a UX design portfolio, then you need to have a portfolio that others can look at and see your UX design skills. You need to do this, especially if you don’t have experience in a UX design job. It would help if you had a way to show your skills and what you can do for whoever wants to hire you.

You should continue to update this portfolio to show what you have learned and are learning. Use this portfolio to showcase your skills, and don’t abandon it immediately. They will ask to see your portfolio if you want to work for UX design companies. It would help if you made a great first impression.

Photo by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash
Photo by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash

Learning New UX Design Skills

If you want to be ready to become a UX designer, then you need to learn new skills that will help you as a UX designer. Take the time to learn new skills and build on the ones you already have. There will be some transferable skills, and you need to know what they are and then improve on them.

If you want to specialize in a specific part of UX design, then you need to focus on that. UX design is complicated, and you need to understand what it involves and what you want to do. You can learn about all this online or ask someone who is already a UX designer.

UX designers work on information architecture, visual design, user research, how users interact with product designs, and more. Learning all of this will not be easy; you should focus on what you already know and start from there.

Learn About User Research

You might have already done this, but you must keep working on it. When designing the UX of a product, you will need to understand the user and what they want, their pain points, and what will help them have a better user experience.

Using user feedback to enhance designs is essential, something experienced UX designers do on every project. If the users have a problem with the design, you need to fix it. The fastest way to do this is by asking them what it is and what improvements they would want. You don’t need to add in every edit they ask for, just the important ones that will make the user experience better for everyone.

Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash
Photo by UX Indonesia on Unsplash

Networking With The UX Community

While you are building your portfolio, you should become a part of the UX designer community. Connect with people looking to become UX designers or already are. This will help you learn what you can do, meet the right people, and learn from the mistakes others have made.

Having a mentor will help you quickly learn essential skills and information UX designers need. If you can find one, use their expertise to help you get closer to becoming a UX designer.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash

When looking to work for a UI UX company, they might look into how interested you are in UX design, and your interaction and engagement with the community will help you seem like a good choice.

Apply For UX Designer Jobs

You need to apply for the jobs you want. Don’t wait too long to use it. You do not need to perfect everything you have been learning before you apply. When you start applying to UX design companies, the experience will help you build confidence and understand what the UI UX company is looking for in a UX designer. You can then use this information to improve your skills and portfolio and apply it again.

Talk with other UX designers and ask them what they did to get their job. They might be able to give you more tips that you can use to get hired. Look at the requirements of the jobs and what UX design companies want, and keep building your skills.

Conclusion

Using these tips, you should be able to start looking for UX designer jobs and getting closer to being hired by a UI UX company. Don’t wait too long before applying, even if you don’t feel like you’re ready. Lots of people think like that; ask around.

Good luck!

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Angela Huang
Angela Huang

Written by Angela Huang

Aspiring UX designer and writer.

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