Successful Career in UX Design - Ux TIPS FOR A - Academy Xi

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Successful Career in UX Design - Ux TIPS FOR A - Academy Xi
Ux

T I PS F O R A

Successful Career
in UX Design
“Educate yourself—
 learn the key
 artefacts, skills,
 approach and
 thinking behind
 user experience.”
           —Robert Williams,
          Lead UX Instructor
Introduction
As businesses begin to grasp the
value of a seamless User Experience
(UX), the demand for specialised skills
such as research and prototyping
continues to grow.
Whether you’ve dabbled in UX Design,
or you’re transitioning into the field,
it’s never too early to give yourself
the best chance of success.
From interview to ideation, Academy
Xi and recruitment specialists at Mint
Talent are sharing the top hiring tips to
launching a career into UX Design.

Tips for a Successful Career in UX | Academy Xi ©   3
What are the most
important skills for a
UX Designer?

                                           A UX Designer has the
                                                 following skills:

   Fundamental skills                                Complementary skills

        Insight driven, human-centred                   Consultative, facilitation &
        research                                        presentation ability
        Innovative, design focussed                     Understanding of project
        methodology                                     methodologies, and the UX
                                                        role within it, particularly ‘Agile’
        Usability testing
                                                        Information architecture
        Wireframe and prototyping
                                                        Visual design
        Analytical and empathic
        processes                                       Website analytics
        Problem solving                                 Workshop facilitation

Tips for a Successful Career in UX | Academy Xi ©                                              4
What are the 4 top
things a business looks
for when hiring a UX
Designer?

Spotted a job ad in UX                              2. Showcase your best work
Design? Here are some tips                          Invest a significant amount of time into
to remember during an                               building your portfolio. If you have a
                                                    wide range of work samples to choose
interview for a UX Design
                                                    from, adapt your portfolio with the most
role:                                               relevant pieces of content for the job
                                                    you’re applying for.
                                                    Paul Zines, a Product Lead has hired
                                                    for different UX roles and says that
                                                    candidates are often asked to
                                                    provide examples that demonstrates
1. Confidence is key
                                                    the way they approach the UX
Businesses will be looking to hire                  research and design process from
candidates that have the ability                    personas. The thinking behind a design
to convince and persuade others—                    is just as important in a portfolio as
personality traits such as confidence,              the final product.
strong communication, and leadership
                                           “We like to see people with clear
will be a compelling case for your talent.
                                           outlines of how they work. We always
“The most important traits I would         ask people what their plan is, and the
say are having a high EQ, genuine          more specific they are the better. How
passion for problem solving, a strong      do you work? It’s such a simple question
ability to communicate effectively, and but it answers so much. We don’t want
putting the customer at the heart of       to waste time or money, which is why we
everything.” —Stefano Portaluri , Senior   need to know how they work. ” —Paul
UX Researcher at SBS.                      Zines , Product Lead at Racenet.

Tips for a Successful Career in UX | Academy Xi ©                                              5
Paul Joe Hajj, a former Academy Xi                   • Which ways did you test the
student says one of the best ways to                   feasibility of your solution?
standout is to include specific details
                                                     • What were the amendments as a
in your portfolio. He suggests including
                                                       result of your testing?
details such as:
                                                     • How can you prove that your
• What was your process?
                                                       proposed solution will work?
• Can you back your design rationale
                                                     • Can you justify each individual detail
  up with research?
                                                       of your wireframe?
• What have you done to try and
                                                     • Is it finished? If so, why? If not, what’s
  disprove your solution?
                                                       next?
• How did the end product differ from
  your initial impression?

                                          Don’t forget: Project portfolios can also be
                                                     stored online. Here’s an example:

                                Benjamin Chen, UX/UI Designer, Former Academy Xi student

Tips for a Successful Career in UX | Academy Xi ©                                                   6
3. Prepare for the interview
Businesses are still maturing in their
understanding of UX and with the
variation of roles in the industry,
interviews are typically general chat to
determine the depth of a candidate’s
product understanding and experience
across past projects.

                                   “Most organisations have 2-3 rounds of
                                   interviews. Even if one was to not have much
                                   experience in these interviews, try to assess
                                   cognitive flexibility and adaptability to problem
                                   solving as well as measure things like cultural fit,
                                   previous experience, personality, capability and
                                   if the candidate is right for the available role.”
                                   —Stefano Portaluri , Senior UX Researcher at SBS.

   According to specialised recruitment agency Mint Talent, potential questions
   at the interview stage can range from:
   • “What are some projects you’ve worked on?”
   • “What are your passions?”
   • “What are some research techniques you used in the past?”
   • “Recount a time when you were faced with a difficult situation and
     how did you resolve it?”
   • “What are your key strengths and areas for development?”

Candidates for a UX Design role may be              In any interview, honesty and
required to work on a sample project as             confidence is key. Be transparent with
part of the interview process—it could              your expectations and be as specific
range from a response to a brief that               as possible with the types of projects
requires you to identify improvements to            you’ve worked on and the roles you’ve
a landing page or a whiteboard session              contributed to any UX Design process.
with the team where brainstorming,
teamwork and problem solving skills will
be on display.

Tips for a Successful Career in UX | Academy Xi ©                                            7
4. Align yourself with the business
UX is still something that many agencies
and companies are still familiar and
accustomed to. As a result, a lot of
businesses may have slightly varying                TIP: Need some career
definitions of what UX Design entails.              guidance? Get in touch
Do some research to determine what                  with the experts at
that the business’ needs are and                    Mint Talent for career
an understanding of what UX is and                  guidance and advice.
determine early on whether it aligns with
your skills and ideal role.
Each business has a unique set of core
values and with the growing number of
UX talent, stand out from the crowd by
demonstrating how your skill set aligns
with the product, industry or business.
The alignment of commercial and
cultural values is going to be particularly
important for roles within startups or
huge enterprise businesses with an
established product that is continually
improving.

Tips for a Successful Career in UX | Academy Xi ©                            8
Where do I even
start?

Launch your career into UX
with an accredited course to                        Look out for networking
                                                    and UX industry events
learn the basics/fundamentals.                      here:
Try a dedicated part-time
                                                    • Academy Xi
course in User Experience                             workshops and
Design.                                               industry events
                                                    • Sydney Designers
                                                      Meetup Group
                                                    • Sydney UI/UX
“UX is a very broad field and it can                  Meetup
help greatly to pick a specific area
that appeals, or is most familiar to you
to investigate the broader field of UX.
Know who you are and what you want!”
—Pieter den Heten, UX Lead at Nine
Entertainment Co.
Go to networking events and make
an effort to meet people in the industry.
Design Meetups, industry nights or
event listings can be a good
starting point.                                     Don’t forget: Invest
                                                    in your skills evenly—UX
“At the end of every meetup I’ve been
                                                    Design can be as much
to, I’ve always gained something—
                                                    about research as it can
whether if it’s a new friend in the
                                                    be about the ‘design’,
industry, another way of approaching
                                                    so make sure you’re
a problem, or just a bit of inspiration. I
                                                    across the skills required
recommend UX meetups for everyone—
                                                    when researching and
no matter if you’re junior or senior!”
                                                    wireframing!
—Lucy Hyunh, UX Researcher at
William Hill.

Tips for a Successful Career in UX | Academy Xi ©                                9
“Build a network of
   people in UX—this will
   be invaluable and
   allow you to develop
   the credentials to
   build a carreer in UX.”
                               —Stefano Portaluri,
                     Senior UX Researcher at SBS

Get some real life UX experience in your
current role. Put your hand up for UX
projects—if this is not possible, choose a
course that provides industry exposure
and the chance to work on a real project.
Learn today,
succeed
tomorrow
Launch your career with an      If you want to know more,
industry-recognised course in   check the full UX Design
UX Design at Academy Xi.        Career Guide today.

      APPLY NOW                     CAREER GUIDE

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