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April 29, 2025 - 34 minutes

The Ultimate Guide to UX/UI Design: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Career

Your complete introduction to UX/UI design, including tools, career paths, and how to break into the industry.

Juliette Carreiro

Tech Writer

Articles by Juliette

UX/UI design ranks among the top 10 fastest-growing professions globally, due to the rapid growth of digital platforms and an increasing focus on user-centered design in the majority of industries. As competition rises rapidly and users are flooded with tons of similar options, the most successful platform will be the one that most resonates with users.

UX/UI design focuses on just that: the user experience of using a digital platform and the actual interface with which the user interacts. Although they are frequently used together, UX design and UI design are not the same and actually deal with two distinct areas of product creation. Let’s take a look at exactly what differentiates the two: 

  • User experience (UX) focuses on the overall experience a user has when interacting with a product, service, or system and tries to create a positive and efficient experience through considerations such as user research, information architecture, and usability testing. 

  • User interface (UI) considers the specific visual and interactive elements of a product that the user directly interacts with, including buttons, icons, and page layouts. Successful UI designs are user-friendly, appealing, and functional. 

We’ll dive into both in more detail later on, but for now, let’s discuss exactly how they differ–and relate–to ensure you have a clear understanding of exactly what responsibilities fall under both UX design and UI design. If it seems like both UX and UI design are concerned with how a user interacts with a design, you’re totally right. But while UI design focuses on actually creating the elements with which users interact, UX design encompasses the research and understanding of why those elements are chosen.

Similarly, their deliverables reflect this key difference. UX experts research users through interviews, studies, and journey mapping to create wireframes that outline the important things to keep in mind when creating a page’s UI. Then UI professionals are the ones that turn that research into the visual design you see on products, services, or systems.

Both UX and UI design, however, are committed to understanding the user and creating an experience that is accessible, user-friendly, and effective. Why? Because user design is an imperative aspect of the creation of any product for many reasons, but here are a few: 

  • Usability: This one is a given–interfaces that are easier to navigate, use, and find information are more popular with users and will lead to a more successful product. 

  • Accessibility: Not all designs are created equal and interfaces that were designed with accessibility in mind guarantee access to everyone, regardless of their ability to type, navigate a page, see distinct colors, or access high-speed internet. 

  • Engagement: Users who have a positive experience will not only be more likely to return to the page in the future, but also explore the product further, spending more time on the web page and seeing more options.

  • Business impact: well-designed interfaces can lead users to make more purchases, create a sense of loyalty to the brand, and differentiate themselves from the competition–and ultimately impact the success of the company.

This focus on the user is what’s driven the evolution of UX and UI design itself. What began as a visual discipline rooted in graphic design has grown into a strategic function—one that shapes how products are built, tested, and improved from the ground up. It wasn’t always like this, however; the importance of UX/UI design skyrocketed as digital products became more advanced and usability took center stage. 

Early digital design was heavily focused on aesthetics—clean layouts, colors, typography—but often overlooked how people actually used the interface. As expectations for digital products grew, usability became just as important as visual appeal. However, when digital products began to take center stage, usability also became a major player. Beautiful layouts are great, but ultimately, users needed to be able to navigate through websites and easily access what they were looking for. 

While UI design naturally emerged alongside early digital interfaces, UX as a formal discipline developed as teams began prioritizing research, structure, and user needs. The field evolved from styling interfaces to shaping end-to-end user journeys. Companies across industries—from fintech to e-commerce to health—are investing in design to stand out. With AI, accessibility mandates, and mobile-first demands on the rise, strong UX/UI skills are more valuable than ever.

Users & Interfaces Explained

At the heart of every digital product is an interaction between a person and a machine. UX/UI design exists to make that interaction as seamless, intuitive, and effective as possible. To do that, designers need to understand the systems behind what users see and how those systems shape the overall experience.

To better explain exactly how this interaction is created, UX/UI design refers to input and output systems. Input systems refer to how users provide data or instructions to a system (clicking buttons, tapping drop-down menus, typing commands, or speaking voice commands); output systems describe how the system communicates the results back to the user (error messages explaining something went wrong, sounds, or visual displays). 

In real-world terms, imagine you’re completing an online order at an e-commerce retailer. The information you add for your shipping address is the input and the confirmation button you click to order and the output is a screen showing you that your order is confirmed. 

An essential part of user interface design is recognizing that users have expectations based on past experiences–or, as they’re known in the field, mental models. Quality interface designs will align with these expectations instead of forcing them to learn new behaviors. A few examples of mental models are:

  • Blue underlined text meaning there’s a link to be clicked

  • A shopping cart icon will add the item to your cart

  • The company’s logo in the top left corner will bring the user to the homepage 

  • Red text means error, and green means success 

  • Scrolling, especially on mobile content, will lead users to more content 

The Anatomy of Digital Experiences 

Just as users expect familiar trends across all websites, they also expect websites or apps to follow the same basic anatomy and contain these basic interface elements: 

  • Navigation Menus: Navigation menus can take different forms (top of the screen, sidebar, or tab menus), but ultimately serve as an essential backbone of the page, guiding users through different sections and explaining what the page offers. 

  • Buttons: Buttons can take many different shapes and forms, but all should trigger actions. CTAs, back/next, submit, or cancel buttons should clearly communicate to the user what that action is.

  • Cards/Menus: Grouped content within cards/menus can help free up space on your page and create a more visually appearing interface without removing value from the site.

  • Modals/Popups: On well-designed web pages, urgent or secondary information is communicated to the user without forcing them to navigate to another page through popup notifications or modals. 

While these elements are key, another essential element of UX/UI design is user flows, or the set actions a user is likely to take from the moment they navigate to the page until they complete the desired action. It’s impossible to anticipate the exact path a user will always take, but user flows help designers optimize the user experience to make it as seamless as possible. 

In addition to improving the user experience, user flows help to:

  • Ensure the existing interface is intuitive: If users have to navigate through many pages or take unnecessary steps to reach the desired outcome, it’s likely they’ll give up or choose a competitor that offers a faster experience. By laying out the movements users take through your plan, you’ll be able to see exactly what steps are being taken.

  • Optimize any navigation issues: Even for existing pages, user flows can diagnose problems or highlight areas for improvement, helping the page perform better.

  • Communicate the product to stakeholders: A key part of any product development process is deciding how it will be marketed to users and stakeholders will want to see exactly how users will interact with the site to achieve the desired results. 

Designing clear user flows is only part of the puzzle. For teams building and maintaining large-scale products, consistency across screens and interactions is just as important. That’s where design systems and component-based architecture come in.

Design Systems 

Quality interface designs don’t just come from including what we mentioned above. Today’s market is incredibly competitive and brands need to stand out and create a sense of loyalty. To do this, they’ll need to commit to a design system that governs the design of a brand’s digital experience. This translates into using consistent patterns, typography, colors, spacing, and design elements across the website or system–it also creates reusable components that can be assembled to enhance digital experiences on social media, websites, or in-person marketing materials. 

Component-Based Architecture

Similarly to design systems, component-based architecture makes up a major part of today’s UX/UI design techniques. Let’s break it down: a component is a reusable element and could be a button, card, form field, or any other element. Like Lego bricks, designers can take existing components and build interfaces quickly and efficiently by re-using components and combining them as needed. 

In UX/UI design, component-based architecture not only guarantees visual consistency across products, but also the mental models we mentioned before. Don’t think of a button as just a button; think of it as the door to the next step you want your user to take. With cohesive components across a brand’s website or app, you can urge users to complete the desired outcome. 

Designers aren’t just using these systems—they help build and evolve them. As a product grows, so does the need for documentation, naming conventions, and regular audits to keep the system useful and scalable. Design components often have direct counterparts in code. This alignment between Figma and frameworks like React means teams can move faster and reduce errors when building products.

With a strong system and reusable components in place, designers can spend less time reinventing the wheel—and more time solving real user problems. 

User-Facing Design vs. System-Level UX

While components and design systems shape what users see and interact with, there’s another layer that’s just as important but often invisible. To create truly seamless experiences, designers also need to understand what’s happening behind the scenes. That’s where the distinction between user-facing design and system-level UX comes in.

Imagine a beautiful website…that doesn’t load or is impossible to navigate. Or, on the other hand, imagine a website that is ultimately very fast, but doesn’t capture your attention or transmit confidence. A product needs to both look great and function well–which means alignment from the user-facing design and the system level is essential.

As you can probably imagine, user-facing design focuses on the visible interface elements that users interact with directly, such as buttons, tabs, and forms. System-level design, however, is everything that happens behind the scenes, such as loading times and system response, security, error handling, and integration with the back-end. 

Some of the system-level responsibilities fall to developers, but UX/UI designers play a crucial role in designing interfaces that will work as best as possible. For example, designers work with developers to understand system limitations and requirements, anticipate issues and come up with solutions, and design error messages or recovery paths for when things do go wrong.

Now that you understand how digital products are structured and what shapes a great user experience, let’s look at the tools and technologies that bring it all to life. From research and prototyping to interface design and testing, today’s UX/UI designers rely on a powerful toolkit to work faster, collaborate better, and build smarter.

Key UX/UI Tools & Technologies

UX Design

User Research

For UX Designers, the most important aspect of their role is finding a way to truly understand the user, their wants, their needs, and what guides their decisions. Therefore, user research is critical, and UX designers employ various qualitative and quantitative methods to get into the minds of their users. 

Many use interviews, focus groups, field studies, or field research to gather important information about the group and their motivations when beginning a new project or launching a new service. For designers looking to optimize their existing product or service, usability testing, A/B testing, or site behavior analysis can provide valuable insights into what’s working–and what isn’t.

Many tools exist for this stage of the design process, but some favorites are Maze for remote usability testing and A/B testing, Google Forms/Typeforms for survey responses, and Lookback for live moderated testing.

Wireframing & Prototyping

We briefly mentioned wireframing above, but UX designers use two distinct types of wireframes throughout their process. Low-fidelity wireframes only contain the basics (the desired structure, layout, and functionalities) with the goal of allowing easy changes and collaboration across teams as initial decisions are made. This initial wireframe is valuable for brainstorming sessions, early user feedback sessions, and testing different layouts at a low cost–but fast.

Once the initial idea has been decided upon, high-fidelity prototypes are used, which are more detailed visual proposals that include interactive elements and specific UI components that will be used. These prototypes use the real fonts, colors, and designs that will be used in the finished product and are typically presented to stakeholders for final approval before the development process begins. 

Figma, Sketch, and InVision are popular options for UX designers looking to create wireframes and receive feedback from developers, stakeholders, and product managers. 

User Personas, Journeys, and Flows

Although frequently grouped together, user personas, journeys, and flows are separate and essential methods for UX design research:

  • User Personas: These fictional, yet truth-based, representations of your target users are the result of the interviews, field studies, and testing we mentioned earlier. User personas help designers connect with the motivations of their users instead of just thinking of them as abstract, unknown entities and frequently include information about demographics, pain points, motivations, and behaviors.

  • User Journeys: User journeys are visual representations of the steps users take throughout their time interacting with a product or service, beginning with the first time they discover the product. These maps allow designers to see exactly what users encounter, what channels they use, and what they’re feeling as they advance through the timeline. 

  • Flows: Think of flows as a zoomed-in version of user journeys; instead of showing the entire picture of a user’s connection with a product or service, flows focus on one specific part and the exact steps users need to take to achieve the desired result. For example, a flow could study the process of adding an item to the cart and checking out, evaluating the process and seeing where the process could be sped up or optimized.

Two popular tools for mapping out flows and journeys are Miro and Whimsical–they both offer intuitive and editable layouts that help designers easily ideate and provide various options. 

UI Design

Design Principles

Although designs will differ, all follow seven basic principles that ensure all are functional and appealing to users. Properly applied UI design principles increase usability, guide users to make the right decision, and encourage them to return. These seven principles are key to creating clear interfaces for users:

  1. Hierarchy: Quality designs clearly communicate value to the user and on busy pages with tons of information, designers employ hierarchy principles to guide the user towards the most important areas. For example, they can use bigger fonts or deeper bolding to draw attention to buttons, in addition to contrasting colors that can make a certain element pop.

  2. Progressive disclosure: Too much information at once is definitely something to avoid within the UI space–after all, no one wants to be flooded with so much information that they don’t know where to look. Designers that stick to UI design principles will evaluate what information is essential at each stage and what can be moved elsewhere so that users aren’t overwhelmed with the sheer amount of information provided.

  3. Consistency: A good interface is one that feels consistent and familiar to the user; using too many different elements, colors, or themes can create confusion and directly impact the possibility of brand familiarity. Suddenly using different colors or font sizes for buttons can lead to confusion with users–and they might abandon the process. 

  4. Contrast: Strategically using contrast to draw attention to certain elements is a great way to reinforce certain ideas with your users (red means delete or end the process; green can mean continue or accept).

  5. Accessibility: Not all designs are equally accessible and certain choices, such as contrasting colors or smaller text, may not be accessible for all users. Therefore, keeping accessibility at the forefront of your design process is essential. Providing alternative text to describe images, ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies, and using sufficient contrast between foreground and background colors are great places to start.

  6. Proximity: This one is simple: things that belong together should stay together. Don’t make users hunt for information that should be easily accessible and put all similar elements together (such as the buttons that play, pause, or fast forward a video). 

  7. Alignment: Your site should be clearly organized, with a grid system that ensures elements are balanced and ordered properly. In addition to providing a superior user experience, properly aligned sites make it easier for users to navigate.

Although design principles are conceptual, there are tools that help designers implement and test them more effectively. For example, Stark is a Figma plugin that helps ensure consistent spacing, proper contrast, and visual alignment, while tools like GuideGuide (for Sketch and Adobe apps) can generate custom grid systems to maintain consistency throughout a design.

Visual Design Elements 

Strategy and principles are essential to UI design–but so is the visual design of the page. Decisions such as typography, fonts, colors, and spacing are essential parts of creating a design. In addition to being readable, font choices should fit the vibe and objectives of the company. 

Here are some tips that can help vary your design, without using too many different fonts or styles: 

  • Play with different line spacing and letter spacing to draw attention to certain elements without creating a disjointed experience with different fonts or colors.

  • Test your designs across different browsers and devices to guarantee readability for all users.

  • Use grids to guarantee alignment in terms of format and display.

  • Remember that less is more and use strategic spacing to draw attention to specific elements.

When working on typography, spacing, and color systems, designers often turn to inspiration platforms and typography libraries. Google Fonts is a widely used resource for browsing and testing font combinations, and Typewolf is a helpful site for exploring real-world font usage and design pairings. For building cohesive layouts, Figma and Sketch both include powerful spacing, snapping, and alignment tools that help ensure clean, readable designs.

Responsive Design

No matter how polished a layout looks, it also needs to work across different screen sizes. That’s where responsive design comes in–the practice of creating a seamless user experience across a wide range of devices and screen sizes. Today, responsive design isn’t just a good thing to have; it’s an absolutely essential part of any website design. Users must be able to jump from one device to another with limited interruptions and elements, images, interactive designs, and information must remain readily accessible. 

To test and preview how a layout performs across devices, many designers rely on the built-in responsive preview modes in tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch. These allow quick adjustments at common breakpoints (mobile, tablet, desktop). For browser-based testing, tools like BrowserStack and Responsively App let designers view their work across different devices and screen sizes without needing the physical hardware.

The UX/UI Design Process

Designing a great digital product doesn’t happen all at once—it’s a process. From initial research to final handoff, UX/UI design follows a structured workflow that helps teams stay aligned, make informed decisions, and build user-centered solutions. Whether you’re creating a new product from scratch or improving an existing one, understanding the steps in this process is key to designing something that works for both the user and the business.

Discovery Phase

As you can probably imagine, the first step in any UX/UI design process is to define business goals and project objectives. Who is the desired user? What are their needs and wants? What competition already exists in this space? Once these questions are answered, the UX team will begin their user research, conducting interviews, surveys, and field studies to create a full picture of the user.

This research will allow the UX team to bring their findings to the rest of the team and align around project goals, timelines, and deliverables. Although this stage does not include the initial wireframes or sketches yet, this is an essential step on the way to creating a draft.

Ideation Phase

With the team aligned on project goals, it’s time to start creating some sketches for the product. This is where user flows and journeys come into play; including these aspects from the beginning help ensure your design makes sense and fulfills the user’s needs. In addition to creating the framework of the site, now’s the time to also explore the actual content that each page/section will contain–remember, the best designs provide lots of value to their users. 

Prototyping Phase 

Low fidelity wireframes are incredibly valuable during the design and prototyping phase; providing stakeholders, developers, and product managers with an early version of the product for feedback helps flag major issues early on. When these initial wireframes are approved, high-fidelity prototypes with real branding elements such as font choices, colors, and images are passed to stakeholders for approval, providing another opportunity for feedback before getting too deep into the production process. 

Prototypes are also an effective way to evaluate different options and presenting two different options is a great way to visually decide what works best for your project goals.

Testing Phase

With a design draft completed, it’s time to start testing. When testing within UX/UI designs, getting real user feedback is essential; evaluating how the product works with specific groups of users or using A/B testing for different flows or formats can give you a clear picture of what’s working–and what could be improved. 

During this stage, data analysis plays an important role. All feedback and testing stages should be recorded and then analyzed to make an objective decision about possible improvements. Heatmaps, clickmaps, site analytics, and behavior recordings are all quantitative methods to receive feedback from users.

Handoff Phase

The end is near–and it’s time to hand off the design to the development team so that they can work on getting the site live. Although it may seem like your job is done, new challenges can pop up in this phase and you might need to make adjustments. As the developers take on the product and bring it to life, remember to check in and ensure the design is still true to the plan and functions as you’ve designed it. 

From research to handoff, each phase of the UX/UI design process plays a critical role in shaping a product that’s intuitive, effective, and user-centered. But tools and workflows can only take you so far—the real impact comes from the skills you bring to the table. So what exactly do you need to succeed in UX/UI design? Let’s break it down.

The Skills You Need to Become a UX/UI Designer

Now that we’ve broken down the web development process, you might be wondering—what does it take to become a UX/UI designer?

Technical skills like researching and wireframing are essential, but UX/UI isn’t just about creating aesthetic designs. Successful designers also need to know how to give/receive feedback, have an eye for design, and boast strong collaboration skills.

Let’s explore the key skills that will set you up for success in a UX/UI career by breaking them into two areas: technical skills and soft skills.

Technical Skills in UX/UI Design

Just as we discussed above, creating wireframes and sketches is an essential part of UX/UI–and one that every designer should master early on in their career. In addition, familiarizing themselves with visual design principles and color schemes will help produce better and more aesthetically pleasing designs. 

Designs are not surface-level, however, and designers should have a deeper understanding of design systems and information architecture to design websites that make sense to the user. Lastly, data analysis skills can help designers better understand what users need and what their research results yield.

Soft Skills in UX/UI Design

UX/UI design demands a connection between the designer and the user–after all, if the designer doesn’t understand the wants and needs of the user, how will they create an effective design? That’s where empathy and user advocacy come into play. And on the production side of things, designers must be able to both receive and give feedback in a constructive manner, collaborating with developers, product managers, and stakeholders to ensure the project runs smoothly is imperative. 

Within UX/UI design, there’s another essential soft skill: ethical decision-making. As the ones who decide how a website will function and what accessibility options it will have, UX/UI designers have the unique responsibility of ensuring all designs are inclusive and ethically used. What does this mean? Well, designs should be accessible to all, regardless of ability to see color contrast, small text, or use a mouse to navigate. And any information that users share with designers, whether in the research phase or on the website, should be protected and secure.

Continuous Learning in UX/UI Design

When paired with hands-on practice and continuous learning, both soft and hard skills will set you apart as a capable, well-rounded UX/UI designer. The tech and design landscape evolves quickly, and keeping up with new tools, accessibility standards, and user expectations—while fine-tuning your communication and collaboration skills—will make you a valuable asset on any team.

Developing both your technical and soft skills is the first step—but staying curious, adaptable, and proactive about your growth is what turns a beginner into a professional. Whether you’re just starting or leveling up, the most important thing is to keep designing, keep testing, and stay open to feedback.

Mastering the right skills is what helps you get your foot in the door—but understanding how those skills translate into real roles is what helps you move forward. Let’s take a look at the different career paths available in UX/UI design and how each one puts your strengths to work.

Career Paths in UX/UI Design

We’ve discussed the difference between UX design and UI design, but those aren’t the only two roles available to those interested in the field. In fact, there’s another major role that should be included when we talk about UX designers and UI designers: product designers.

Just to recap: UX designers focus on the backbone of the design, using user research and wireframes to create the structure and logic of what the design will ultimately look like. UI designers focus more on the visual design and interactive elements that appear on a web page or app. Product designers, on the other hand, combine both UX and UI with product thinking and have a more holistic approach to the entire product lifecycle, playing a major role in the product’s discovery and strategy, instead of just on the user side of things. 

If both UX and UI design interest you, and you want to play a larger role in the product’s existence, exploring roles as a product designer might be the right choice. 

Specialized Tracks in UX/UI Design

If none of these really spark your interest, that’s totally fine: there are other specialized roles within design:

  • Does the user research stage really draw your attention? If so, a career as a UX researcher may be up your alley. These essential designers take a closer look at the qualitative and quantitative methods used to assess user needs and then inform UX designers about the best path forward.

  • If you don’t want to focus too heavily on design and instead want to use your writing skills, UX writers play the essential role of crafting the text that appears on each page. From error messages to navigation language, UX writers are experts at guiding the user through the desired flow.

  • Interaction designers take the interactive design elements more seriously and focus on motion and animation; these professionals optimize transitions between pages and use their design skills to create smooth flows. 

Your Work Environment

Your area of focus isn’t the only other decision to make–where you actually work will also dictate your experience and choosing to freelance, work in a company, or work at a startup are also important.

Freelancing in UX/UI design 

Being your own boss sounds great, right? It is, and freelancers get to experience the freedom and flexibility that comes with the role as they create their own schedules and find their own work. It’s not all easy though, and freelancers are responsible for every aspect of their own business: from invoicing to actually finding work, freelancers must have excellent time management, communication, and self-promotion skills–and be able to find enough work to keep them afloat.

Working in-house in UX/UI design 

If you’re working in-house, you’re either working with an agency on specific client projects or at a company as their UX/UI designer. At a company, you’ll enjoy structure and stability, but little ability to dictate exactly what you’ll be doing. Depending on the company, you might also not have remote work options or flexibility with your hours–you will, however, have the chance to work in new fields and with a large team of developers, product managers, and other crucial parts of the design process.

Startups in UX/UI design 

Almost every startup will require a designer and that’s because establishing a solid user experience and visual identity is essential for all companies. Startup designers will frequently act as both UX and UI designers due to necessity and gain valuable experience in a wide variety of tasks; it’s important to remember that startups can be fast-paced and intense environments and wearing multiple hats is the rule, not the exception.

How to Learn UX/UI Design

UX/UI design is a field available to everyone, regardless of their previous experience in tech or formal education. In this section, we’ll compare the three main paths to learning (self-teaching, bootcamps, and traditional education routes) and dive into the exact steps you can take to learn the UX/UI skills that will set you up for success.

Self-learning is a great option for those who aren’t completely sure if they want to commit to a course or degree in UX/UI design, and luckily for you, there are quite a few free resources out there—such as YouTube tutorials, Figma community files, and sites like UX Collective—to introduce you to the basics. Self-learning, however, does require strict discipline and structure, in addition to the available time to dedicate yourself.

Bootcamps are an increasingly effective way to switch careers and learn a new skillset, and that’s because they are intensive, skills-focused programs that usually provide quite a bit of career support and mentorship help to assist you with your transition. In addition, bootcamps give you valuable real-world experience that can be very useful for your portfolio as you begin the job hunt.

The last path to a career in UX/UI design is studying a traditional design or human-computer interaction (HCI) degree at a university or college, where you’ll receive a thorough education, in addition to a broader academic focus that widens your horizons. These programs can take anywhere from two to four years, however, and can be quite the financial investment.

Build Your Design Skills

Now that you’ve explored the different roles and career paths within UX/UI design, the next question is how to actually build the skills you’ll need. The good news? There’s no one right way to become a UX/UI designer.

Whether you’re starting from scratch or pivoting from another career, there are multiple paths to get there—and each comes with its own benefits, tradeoffs, and level of flexibility.

The first thing to do is get your hands dirty. Start with small, achievable projects such as redesigning a mobile app you use regularly or building your personal portfolio site. You can use free tools like Figma, Notion, and Miro to practice wireframing, layout, and user flows. As you become more comfortable, consider diving into case study writing, usability testing, and interactive prototyping.

The UX/UI design online community is one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal. In addition to keeping up with the latest design trends, online forums, design challenges, and Slack groups can help you troubleshoot, improve your work, or get inspired for your next project. They’re also a great way to network with other designers who can offer advice, share resources, or open doors to new opportunities.

The most important tip we can give is to stay consistent with your learning. There’s no need to rush into learning every tool or trend on day one; instead, focus on tracking your progress over time and breaking the process into clear, achievable milestones. Master the fundamentals—like layout, typography, and user flow—and slowly build your skills from there. A strong foundation is key in UX/UI design.

UX/UI Trends & Future Outlook

Once you’ve started learning UX/UI design, the journey doesn’t stop there. Technology continues to evolve rapidly, and staying current with emerging trends is part of the job. Understanding where the industry is headed not only keeps your skills sharp—it helps you make smarter decisions about what to learn next and where to focus your efforts.

One of the most transformative technologies within UX/UI design is artificial intelligence. In addition to automating tedious or repetitive tasks, AI design tools can create more personalized experiences for users and analyze user behavior quickly to help designers make the best decision for next steps. 

Another benefit is streamlined design processes. Creating multiple wireframes or sketches, or starting from scratch when facing new feedback can take up a lot of time, but AI tools can help automate layout adjustments and asset creation to ensure designers spend their free time on more creative and strategic parts of the design process. 

Although it’s tempting to consider a world where AI tools can do everything, this is not the anticipated impact within UX/UI designers. Instead, designers will be expected to work alongside AI, using it to improve processes and optimize workflows–not be replaced by it. 

Four more emerging technologies are accessibility-first and inclusive design, AR/VR, and systems thinking: 

  • The rise of accessibility-first and inclusive design has come from a larger focus on making sure all experiences are accessible to all users, and not just a select few. Accounting for users who might need voice-operated navigation or a low-contrast design option from the beginning guarantees that everyone is included. 

  • AR/VR, and the overarching theme of immersive technologies, is transforming the level of personalization a user can have with a brand, and provides a more human-like connection to the product or service. When working with these technologies, designers take their imagination off the page and start to create 3D experiences that users interact with.

  • Our dependence on technology does affect the environment and designers must commit to sustainability-centered design. Why? Because the improper use of technology could lead to intense ecological problems down the road–and no one wants that.

  • DesignOps and systems thinking takes a holistic approach to UX/UI design, focusing on improving workflows and creating better user experiences through understanding how every single element within a product or system works with the next.

Salaries in UX/UI design

Before you begin your career in UX/UI design, having a clear vision of what your salary will look like is essential. And although we can’t definitively tell you what you’ll be making throughout your career, we want to provide a helpful breakdown of what UX/UI design compensation packages usually look like across the world, and demystify exactly what bonuses, equity, and benefits are.

Before we dive into the exact numbers, let’s discuss the other (and still important) parts that make up a total compensation package

  • Salary: This one you’re probably clear on, and it’s the paycheck you’ll be receiving either monthly, weekly, or biweekly directly in your bank account.

  • Signing bonus: Some companies offer a one-off payment designed to incentivize you to take the job, but read the conditions closely–some jobs require you to stay with the company for a certain amount of time, or you’ll have to pay the bonus back. 

  • Benefits: Although perks and benefits may not grab your attention like a salary does, vacation time, health insurance, remote work flexibility, wellness discounts, or even childcare can really make a difference in your overall happiness at your role. 

  • Equity: Equity is a share of the company that’s awarded to you as an employee as stock, meaning that as the company improves, your stock will increase. This is a very common form of compensation in tech companies and startups and while this can be very lucrative, it’s important to fully understand how it works before signing any contract.

Here is a country-by-country guide about average salaries in 2025 for UX/UI designers. Entry-level designers usually have 0-1 years of experience, mid-level designers have around five years of experience, and senior-level designers have seven or more years of experience.

  • United States:
    Entry-level UX/UI designer salary: $55,000
    Mid-level UX/UI designer salary: $100,000
    Senior-level UX/UI designer salary: $145,000

  • United Kingdom:
    Entry-level UX/UI designer salary: £28,000
    Mid-level UX/UI designer salary: £49,000
    Senior-level UX/UI designer salary: £72,000

  • Spain:
    Entry-level UX/UI designer salary: €26,000
    Mid-level UX/UI designer salary: €41,500
    Senior-level UX/UI designer salary: €60,000

  • France:
    Entry-level UX/UI designer salary: €30,000
    Mid-level UX/UI designer salary: €45,000
    Senior-level UX/UI designer salary: €60,000

  • Portugal:
    Entry-level UX/UI designer salary: €24,000
    Mid-level UX/UI designer salary: €40,000
    Senior-level UX/UI designer salary: €60,000

  • Germany:
    Entry-level UX/UI designer salary: €48,000
    Mid-level UX/UI designer salary: €68,000
    Senior-level UX/UI designer salary: €90,000

  • The Netherlands:
    Entry-level UX/UI designer salary: €40,000
    Mid-level UX/UI designer salary: €60,000
    Senior-level UX/UI designer salary: €80,000

As design technologies continue to evolve, the most successful designers will be those who keep learning, adapt to new tools, and stay curious about what’s next. Whether you're excited by AI-assisted design, intrigued by accessibility-first design, or simply want to create holistic designs—this is an industry built on growth.

Resources for Aspiring UX/UI Designers

Getting started in UX/UI design is easier when you know where to look. From design platforms and expert blogs to supportive communities and curated newsletters, here are some of the best resources to help you grow your skills and stay connected to the field.

The Figma community is a fantastic place to start your UX/UI journey, thanks to its wide collection of templates, plugins, and shared design systems that can spark inspiration–and see what other designers are doing. Dribbble and Behance are two other options that offer complete case study design portfolios, trends, and project breakdowns from designers across the world. 

Staying up to date with UX/UI design best practices means learning from the people and organizations leading the industry:

  • The Nielsen Norman Group is one of the most respected authorities in UX research and offers practical, research-backed advice that designers at every level can apply. 

  • UX Collective, hosted on Medium, shares personal stories, case studies, and real-world lessons from designers across the globe. 

  • Smashing Magazine covers a wide range of topics including UX design, front-end development, accessibility, and emerging tools, helping you connect design theory with everyday practice.

Podcasts like DesignBetter (by InVision), Wireframe (by Adobe), and The UX Podcast offer behind-the-scenes insights from industry leaders and explore how design impacts everything from product development to user trust. On YouTube, channels like Jesse Showalter, CharliMarieTV, and Flux Academy break down design techniques, portfolio tips, and real project walkthroughs, perfect for visual learners. 

Other key resources for UX/UI designers are online communities, where you can get feedback, ask questions, and connect with others in the field. Design-focused Slack groups like Designership and Designer Hangout offer spaces to collaborate and share resources. ADPList is a standout platform for booking free mentorship sessions with experienced designers. 

If you're looking for inspiration or peer support, Discord communities like Design Buddies and UX Café are active and welcoming. And for structured conversations around design workflows, challenges, and tools, LinkedIn groups focused on UX/UI and Figma communities can be a valuable place to exchange ideas.

Next Steps: How to Start Your UX/UI Design Journey

In this section, we’ll walk through the concrete steps to start your UX/UI design journey: building your first project, connecting with others in the industry, and exploring how programs like Ironhack can support your transition into tech.

Your First UX/UI Design Project

If you think you won’t begin UX/UI design projects until you land your first role, we have some news: you can get started on your own. In fact, we recommend starting on your own to get your feet wet and have something to add to your portfolio.

Start small and work on redesigning an app you already use, building a personal portfolio website, or creating a user flow for a tool you think could be improved. If you’re stuck, try solving a real problem or designing something you’d actually use. This will help you fine-tune it and work out any usability issues.

As you advance through the project, focus on creating a clean and intuitive user experience. Use the tools we’ve suggested in this guide—such as Figma, Notion, or Miro—to wireframe, test, and iterate. Remember, excelling in UX/UI design requires lots of practice, and as you work on more projects, your skills will naturally grow.

Your First UX/UI Job Application

The interview process can be daunting, especially if you’re new to the field. The most important thing to remember is that the right opportunity will come—and while you’re waiting, you should be taking steps to advance your career.

Prepare your CV

The first thing that recruiters or potential employers will see is your resume, and that’s why creating a quality resume is an essential part of the UX/UI design job hunt. Ensure that your resume has the following crucial elements:

  • Contact details: Without a phone number, email address, or LinkedIn profile link, people interested in your skills won’t be able to reach out. Make sure these are clearly listed at the top of the page.

  • Introduction: Include a concise summary of who you are and what you bring to the table. Use action verbs and highlight your strongest design skills or accomplishments.

  • Education: If you’re new to the field, include any relevant courses, bootcamps, or certifications. Add degrees, areas of concentration, or any awards you’ve received.

  • Experience: Focus on the impact you’ve had. Include freelance, client, or volunteer design work—even if it wasn’t a full-time role—and be sure to mention tools used, project outcomes, and timelines.

  • Skills: Employers are looking for a strong mix of design tools (like Figma, Adobe XD, or Sketch), user research methods, and soft skills like collaboration and communication.

Networking

Apart from creating a portfolio and resume, one of the most valuable things you can do while job hunting is networking. In a fast-moving field like UX/UI design, building a network where you can connect with other designers, stay up-to-date with the latest trends, and discover new opportunities is crucial. You can join online design communities or attend in-person meetups, portfolio reviews, or local design events.

Lastly, platforms like LinkedIn and even Twitter/X are great resources for connecting with other designers and recruiters, discovering design trends, and getting your work seen by hiring managers.

How Ironhack Can Help

If you’re looking for a more structured approach to beginning your UX/UI design journey, Ironhack’s UX/UI Design Bootcamp is a great place to start. With a career-focused curriculum tailored to the real needs of today’s designers, you’ll learn to conduct user research, design wireframes and prototypes, and create real-world design solutions.

With a learn-by-doing approach and experienced instructors, you’ll complete multiple design projects throughout the bootcamp—perfect for building your portfolio.

And that’s just the beginning: Ironhack also offers Career Services to prepare you for your job search, including personalized coaching, portfolio and resume reviews, and mock interviews. After graduation, you’ll join a global community of Ironhackers—a network of designers and developers ready to support each other in the tech world.

Starting a career in UX/UI design might feel overwhelming at first, but the steps are clear. Whether you begin by building small projects, connecting with others in the industry, or enrolling in a structured program like Ironhack’s Bootcamp, you’ll be moving closer to your goal every day. What matters most is consistency, curiosity, and a willingness to keep learning. The next generation of digital experiences will be shaped by designers like you.

About the Author:

Juliette Carreiro is a skilled content creator with over five years of experience in SEO, content ideation, and digital marketing strategy. She has spent more than two years at Ironhack, where she developed in-depth articles on topics ranging from career growth in tech to the future impact of AI. With expertise across tech, hospitality, and education industries, Juliette has helped brands like Ironhack engage their audiences with impactful storytelling and data-driven insights.

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