The Requirements for Becoming A UI Designer in 2023

User interface design is a fascinating, difficult, and financially rewarding career path, and there are plenty of opportunities in the commercial world of today. Design has become unquestionably essential to economic success, with design-led businesses surpassing their rivals by a wide margin. The need for skilled UI designers will only increase as more and more businesses become aware of this.

UI designers currently make an average base pay of $79,620, but for many of them, the actual pleasure comes from influencing the user experience and contributing to the success of the business.

1. What does a UI designer do?

The UI designer is responsible for the user’s visual and interactive experience with a product interface—be it an app or a website. As the user navigates their way through an app, for example, they will swipe, scroll and tap various buttons in order to move between different screens. All of these touchpoints are created by the UI designer.

Whilst UI design is a very creative role, there is much more to it besides designing the interface itself. First, the UI designer will spend lots of time getting to know the client and their brand, as well as the target user for whom they are designing. There’s plenty of research to be done before the creative work can begin. You’ll also collaborate very closely with the UX designer throughout this process.

The role primarily consists of:

• Working together with the client and UX designer to establish a common vision
• Researching your target audience and getting to know the user personas
• Designing screens, buttons, scrollbars and other navigational elements
• Prototyping and testing
• Liaising with developers to ensure correct implementation

2. How do I know if a career in UI design is right for me?

To help you determine whether this is the job for you, let’s take a look at what makes a great UI designer. It goes without saying that a flair for design is a must. UI designers have an eye for color, spacing, patterns and typography—but not just from an aesthetic point of view. It’s crucial to design functional interfaces that not only look good, but also feel effortless and intuitive so you need to understand how each visual element impacts the overall user experience.

This brings us to user empathy. The best UI designers are able to see things from the user’s perspective, anticipating their needs and expectations when interacting with the product. If you find it easy to step into someone else’s shoes and understand where they’re coming from, you’re already halfway there. Excellent communication skills are also key: from clients to UX designers, and developers, you’ll be working with others throughout, so an ability to articulate and discuss your ideas is essential. At the same time, UI designers are not afraid to get technical—especially when it comes to things like wireframing, communicating with developers and getting to grips with responsive design.

3. Do I need a certification or formal qualification to become a UI designer?

To start a career in UI design, you don’t need to follow a particular course of study. A background in graphic design can be useful, but in theory, anyone can learn the necessary skills. So what are they?

UI designer skills

When hiring a UI designer, employers will want to see that you’ve mastered the following:

• Interaction design principles
• Branding, typography and color theory
• Wireframing and prototyping
• Style guides
• User research and personas
• Teamwork and communication skills
• Key industry tools, including Sketch

More often than not, employers will be more interested in your UI design portfolio than your formal qualifications. As long as you can demonstrate your understanding of core UI design principles, there’s nothing to stop you marketing yourself as a UI designer.