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Mastering Color Theory: A Comprehensive Guide

Mastering Color Theory: A Comprehensive Guide

by | Aug 5, 2023 | UX Design

Have you ever found yourself struggling to choose the perfect color palette for your projects? Do you wonder why certain colors evoke specific emotions and how to harness this knowledge to your advantage? If you have ever struggled with these questions, fear not! In this comprehensive guide, you will learn all the tools and insights you need to master color theory and elevate your design game to new heights.

Color theory is not just about picking pretty colors; it’s about understanding the language of hues and harnessing their immense power to evoke emotions, convey messages, and create harmonious visual experiences. From understanding the color wheel to exploring color psychology, we will dive into the nitty-gritty of how colors interact and impact your designs.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction to color theory
  2. Color terminology
  3. Color wheel
  4. Color psychology
  5. Color schemes
  6. 5 best practices to select color

Introduction to color theory

Color theory is the study of how colors interact, blend, and evoke emotions in visual arts and design. It explores the principles behind color mixing, harmony, and contrast, providing a framework to create captivating and impactful designs. Understanding color theory empowers artists and designers to make informed choices about color palettes, ensuring their creations evoke the desired mood and convey the intended message. From the color wheel, complementary and analogous colors, to color psychology, color theory covers a wide range of essential concepts. 

Also in the world of design, color theory plays a crucial role in branding, user experience, and communication. Understanding how colors influence perception empowers designers to evoke desired emotions and connect with audiences on a deeper level. With this knowledge, designers can craft eye-catching visuals that leave a lasting impression on their audience. 

Color terminology

In this section, we will learn the language of colors, empowering you with a comprehensive understanding of the terms and concepts. From hue and saturation to tint and shade, we’ll explore the essential terminology that shapes how we perceive and use colors in art, design, and beyond.

Let us dive into “Color Terminologies” and understand them in details.

Hue

“Hue” refers to the purest form of color – the distinct shades of red, blue, and yellow. It’s what makes a color unique and recognizable. By tweaking a hue’s brightness or saturation, designers can transform the mood of a design, whether it’s a cheerful logo or a serene landscape.

Hue-colors

Saturation

Saturation refers to the intensity and vividness of a color. It’s what makes a color appear vibrant and rich, or muted and pastel-like. A highly saturated color might communicate energy and excitement, while desaturated colors can evoke calmness and sophistication.

Saturation-colors

Tint

Tint refers to a color that has been lightened by adding white to it. By using tints strategically, UX designers can infuse a sense of elegance and harmony into buttons, backgrounds, and other design elements. In the context of color theory, tints are an essential element in creating harmonious color palettes and crafting great user interfaces.

Saturation-colors

Shade

Shade refers to a color that has been darkened by adding black to it. By having good understanding of shades it allows designer for creating depth and contrast in visual compositions. By using shades strategically, UX designers can add sophistication and create visual hierarchy in their designs. For example, using darker shades for background elements can make foreground content pop, enhancing readability and user experience.

Shade-colors

Color wheel

A color wheel is a visual tool used to showcase the relationships between colors. It’s like a rainbow of hues arranged in a circular format, making it easier to understand how colors interact and complement each other.

The color wheel is divided into different segments, each representing primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. The primary colors, including red, blue, and yellow, are the foundation of all other colors. When you mix primary colors, you get secondary colors like orange, green, and purple. Tertiary colors are created by combining a primary color with a neighboring secondary color. 

It’s a valuable tool that helps UX designers add depth, contrast, and visual appeal to their designs while maintaining a pleasing and balanced aesthetic.

color-wheel

Color psychology

Color psychology in UX design is the study of how colors impact human emotions, perceptions, and behaviors in the context of user experiences. It recognizes that colors have a profound influence on how users interact with products and services, evoking specific feelings and associations.

Color psychology also considers cultural influences and individual preferences, ensuring that designs resonate with diverse audiences.

Color psychology

Color harmony

Color harmony refers to the skillful combination of colors in a design to create a visually pleasing and balanced composition. It’s like a beautiful melody where colors work together in perfect  synchronization, evoking emotions and setting the mood.

In a harmonious color scheme, colors complement and enhance each other, resulting in a cohesive and appealing look. Whether it’s a website, logo, or artwork, color harmony plays a crucial role in creating memorable and impactful visuals. Designers like us use various color harmonies, such as complementary, analogous, and triadic, to achieve different effects.

Color harmony refers to the skillful combination of colors in a design to create a visually pleasing and balanced composition. It’s like a beautiful melody where colors work together in perfect  synchronization, evoking emotions and setting the mood.

In a harmonious color scheme, colors complement and enhance each other, resulting in a cohesive and appealing look. Whether it’s a website, logo, or artwork, color harmony plays a crucial role in creating memorable and impactful visuals. Designers like us use various color harmonies, such as complementary, analogous, and triadic, to achieve different effects.

Monochromatic

The beauty of monochromatic color revolves around the variation of a single color. From light tints to deep shades, this scheme creates a sense of elegance and sophistication, perfect for creating a cohesive and polished look.

Monochromatic color harmony

Analogous

Embrace the power of analogous color that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. These combinations offer a smooth and pleasing transition, evoking a sense of comfort and harmony. 

Analogous color harmony

Triadic

Triadic color harmonies involve three colors that are equally spaced on the color wheel. This scheme provides a vibrant and energetic appeal, making it perfect for eye-catching designs.

Triadic color harmony

Complementary

One of the most popular color harmonies, complementary colors sit opposite to each other on the color wheel. When paired, they create a striking contrast that adds vibrancy and excitement to your designs. Think of red and green, blue and orange – the magic happens when these opposites meet.

Complementary color scheme

Learn more on how to use colors with this 6 step process to select colors for your next project

5 best practices to select colors

  1. Understand the brand and the preferences of your target audience before selecting colors.
  2. Consider color psychology to evoke specific emotions and behaviors.
  3. Create a harmonious color palette that works together to create a balanced and visually pleasing design.
  4. Ensure your color choices meet accessibility standards to accommodate all users, including those with visual impairments.
  5. Maintain color consistency across all platforms, including websites, social media, and marketing materials.

Conclusion

Understanding color theory empowers designers to make informed and intentional color choices that resonate with their target audience. By learning color theory you will be able to understand how colors interact, evoke emotions, and communicate messages.

What you can do next?

  1. Become a member to stay updated on design news
  2. Download the ultimate starter guide to become a UX Designer
  3. Schedule a power session for mentorship
  4. Join my 5 weeks crash course on UX Design
6 must-have elements for User Persona

6 must-have elements for User Persona

by | Nov 19, 2022 | UX Design

If you are just starting out in UX design and looking out how to create a user persona, and what all elements the persona should have then worry not, you are not alone in this journey.

In the article below, you will learn about all the essential elements you need to have to create an effective User Persona that not only provides value to your team but also acts as a guiding tool for the product design team.

Let us explore the details below.

Table of contents

What is a User Persona?

6 essential elements for a User Persona

Key takeaways

Next steps

What is a User Persona

A User Persona can be defined as a fictional character, that contains the details of your target audience received via multiple research processes. The persona can be created during any stage of a project. But good to have a Persona created before the actual design work starts, as it acts as a guiding path for the team to brainstorm ideas for the product by knowing for whom you will be actually creating things.

6 essential elements for a User Persona

While creating a persona, you can add different elements depending on the needs and goals of your project. Below are some of the essential elements a well-documented persona must have.

1. User details

In this section, you can include some of the user information like Name, Age, Location, About, etc. Not to mention, while for some personas you may not get the age directly, and can go with mentioning the age group.

2. Goals

Specify the goals that users may have and want to achieve through the product. There could be multiple goals from different users.

3. Challenges

Similar to goals, try to gather the user challenges also known as pain points. Depending on what problems you are trying to solve for users through your product ask some open-ended questions to the users to capture a few of their challenges. Find the User Interview Questionnaire here.

4. Motivations/Inspirations

This section is optional but good to have. In this section, you will try to understand the driving factors for your users. What are those elements that persuade them to do their work?  The idea of this type of data point is to have a deeper understanding of your users, and how better you can help your users with a better customer experience.

5. Personality

Having some understanding of your user’s emotions and personality is always good. This information actually helps the designer to create a better user journey for your product.

6. Technology understanding

Capture what system your users are using. This is a great finding helpful for all your stakeholders to create the product design specific to the system users are using.

The elements mentioned above need to be drafted from your research findings and the analysis you make from them. While there are no exact numbers on how many personas you need to have for your product, having one or two personas could be a great start.

If you are having more than one persona, you need to define one of them as your primary persona based on your business goals and the problem you will be solving. 

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Key takeaways

  1. Focus on 1-2 personas to avoid confusion during the design process.
  2. The elements to add to your personas depend on the goals of your persona.
  3. If your product requires more than one type of persona, define one of them as your primary persona.

Conclusion

Well, congrats 🎉✨for completing the article, and by now you must have got a fair understanding of all the essential elements that you need to have to create a great User Persona.

Let me know, in the comments below your experience of creating the User Personas and what elements you are using to create your persona.

See you in my next article.

What’s next?

1. Check out my step-by-step guide on how to create a user persona.

2. Join me live on CRATER streams to understand more about UX topics.

3. Reach out to me for a free 1-on-1 design mentorship

4. If you are a self-learner, and want to learn at your own pace, then explore my Youtube channel, where I explained topics related to UX Design.

5. If you are someone who needs a more guided and structured approach, then enroll yourself in my upcoming UX Crash Course.

How to host project using GitHub Pages

How to host project using GitHub Pages

by | Oct 15, 2022 | Web Design

Are you learning about Web Design and want to host your project code on a server? Are you looking for a platform to host your project live for free? If that sounds something like you, then probably you are at the right place. 

In this article below, we will look over one such amazing platform where you can not only upload your project and share it with others but can also host your project completely for free.

So let’s try to explore how you can host your project for free using GitHub Pages in just 3 simple steps.

Table of contents

#What is GitHub Pages?

#Benefits of GitHub Pages

#3 step guide to host project using GitHub Pages

What is GitHub Pages?

GitHub Pages is a feature provided by GitHub which allows you to create your website for free directly from your code repository. Since it is available for free you do not get the flexibility of choosing or using your custom domain. Your website will URL (Uniform Resource Locator) will follow the github.com domain starting with your repository name, which looks something like the one below.

repositoryname.github.com

To learn more, follow the official documentation of
GitHub Pages

Benefits of GitHub Pages

Simple to use

GitHub Pages is very simple and easy to use. You just need to have a GitHub account and create a repository. Need help in creating your GitHub account, check out my 12-step guide on how to upload a project on GitHub. In this, step-by-step guide I have explained in detail how you can get your GitHub account and create a project repository.

Free usage

GitHub Pages is completely free to use. You can use it to create your portfolio,  project documentation, or host any static websites. Since it is a free feature available inside GitHub, you do not have the flexibility of using your own custom domain like .com or .org. Instead, your hosted site will look something like this repositoryname.github.com.

Cloud support

GitHub Pages is a part of GitHub which is a great version control tool. It is web-based so you can create it from any place and access it from anywhere remotely. You just need your GitHub account username and password.

Collaboration

What makes GitHub Pages more interesting is its collaboration feature. You can onboard your team members to work with you or you can collaborate with others for any code feedback. You can even set code review limits.

By now you must have got some understanding of what GitHub Pages is and the benefits you can get by using it. Let us now explore and learn how you can create your website using GitHub Pages and host your project for free in just 3 simple steps.

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3-step guide to host project using GitHub Pages

Step: 1 – Select Setting

Click on the Settings tab at the top right corner to visit the GitHub Pages section, as shown below.

settings

Step: 2 – Select Pages

Click on the Pages tab at the bottom left and provide the details required. Follow the visuals below for a better understanding.

GitHub-Pages

Step: 3 – Enter details

Under Custom Domain enter your repository name and leave other field options as it is. This means, under Source -> Select Deploy from a branch, and in Branch, select main and root. 

Click on the Save button once done. You should get a success message as shown in the visuals below.

Rename your homepage/main page to index.html as the server needs to know the entry point of your website. You might experience this if the entry or main page is not set properly.

Save-Success

Check out the video guide below for detailed implementation.

Grab your freebies

Download the PDF version of the 3-step guide to host the project using GitHub Pages.

Conclusion

Well, congrats 🎉✨for completing the article, and by now you must have got a fair understanding of how to host your project for free using GitHub Pages.

Let me know in the comments below, your experience using GitHub Pages.

If this resource has helped you in any way, do not forget to share it with others.

Catch you soon, in my next article. 

What you can do next?

  1. Download the PDF guide to learn more about How to become a Web Designer in 2023.
  2. Connect with me for mentorship in Web Design.
  3. Want to build your career in Web Design, enroll in my upcoming Web Design Specialist program
  4. If you are a self-taught designer like me, then visit my Youtube channel, to explore more about UX Design

The ultimate guide to become a UX Designer in 2023

The ultimate guide to become a UX Designer in 2023

by | Sep 25, 2022 | UX Design

Are you passionate about creating exceptional user experiences? If so, this ultimate guide is your gateway to becoming a successful UX designer in 2023. Packed with valuable insights, expert tips, and step-by-step strategies, this comprehensive resource will equip you with the essential knowledge and skills needed to thrive in the dynamic world of UX design.

From understanding user psychology to mastering design tools and creating compelling portfolios, embark on this transformative journey and unlock your full potential as a UX designer in the year ahead.

Table of contents

  1. Introduction to UX Design
      • What is UX design?
      • Why pursue a career in UX design?
      • Overview of the UX design industry in 2023.
  2. Understanding the Role of a UX Designer
      • Key responsibilities of a UX designer.
      • Differentiating UX design from other design disciplines.
  3. Building a Foundation
      • Laws of UX design.
      • Design Principles.
      • UX design Processes & Framework.
  4. Gaining UX Design Skills and Knowledge
      • UX Research Methodologies
      • Ways to measure the success of UX
      • Building a portfolio to showcase your skills
  5. Tools for UX Designer
      • Overview of popular UX design tools in 2023.
      • Understanding the role of prototyping and wireframing tools.
  6. Gaining Practical Experience
      • Internships and entry-level positions
      • Freelance projects
      • Building your own projects to gain experience
  7. Visual Design
      • Fundamentals of Visual Design
      • Color Theory
      • Typography
      • Design System
  8. Continuous Education and Growth
      • Staying updated on UX Design Trends and Tools
      • Participating in UX design communities and events.
      • Advancing your career in UX design
  9. Design Deliverables

Introduction to UX Design

In our digital-driven world, UX Design has become a key ingredient in creating products and services that truly resonate with people. It goes beyond just making things look pretty; it’s about understanding how users think, feel, and interact with technology. UX designers wear many hats, blending psychology, creativity, and problem-solving skills to create user-centric designs that are easy to use and leave a lasting impact. In this ultimate guide to UX design, I will take you on a journey through the fascinating world of UX, exploring why a career in this field is so fulfilling and what exciting opportunities await in the thriving UX design industry of 2023. So, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and get ready to embark on an adventure where the user is at the heart of every design decision.

But what exactly is UX design? Well, it’s all about crafting delightful, intuitive, and meaningful experiences for users.

What is UX Design?

“UX Design can be defined as a concept or a process followed by designers while designing any new or existing product to meet the user’s needs and goals in a meaningful way.“ The main goal of UX Design is make products functionable and enjoyable to use for the end users by solving a specific problem. The term UX Design was coined by Don Norman.

Why pursue a career UX Design?

Before diving into more details on how to become a UX Designer, let us explore why UX Design is such a compelling and rewarding career path.

  1. An ever growing industry

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of UX Designers is expected to grow by 13% from 2020 to 2030. This growth is twice the growth for all occupations. Therefore, pursuing a career in UX Design helps with job stability, competitive salaries, and endless opportunities for personal and professional growth. Glassdoor also ranks UX designer as the #6 job in America in 2021, based on salary, job satisfaction, and the number of job openings.

  1. Creative Expression

An excellent career path for individuals who enjoy solving complex problems. As a UX designer, you get to encourage creativity and innovation by designing digital products or services that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also user-centered. This profession allows you to engage in a range of tasks starting from ideation to prototype, testing and implementation thus giving you a broader scope of creative expression

  1. Varied industry options

UX Design is not limited to any specific industry or sector. From healthcare to finance to e-commerce, UX Designers are needed in almost every industry. This makes UX Design an ideal career choice for those who want to work across a variety of fields or who may have interests in different areas.

    Overview UX Design industry in 2023

    In 2023, the UX Design industry is poised for continued growth and innovation. With an increasing demand for user-centered experiences, companies are investing heavily in UX design to gain a competitive edge. Emerging technologies like AI, voice interfaces, and VR/AR are reshaping the landscape, while mobile-first design and inclusive practices are becoming standard. UX designers can expect a flourishing job market, attractive salaries, and a focus on data-driven decision-making.

        Understanding the role of UX Designer

        A UX Designer’s role is to ensure that the user’s experience of a product or service is easy to use at the same time solves users problem and help the business with UX suggestions. A UX designer works closely with other design professionals and stakeholders, and is responsible for creating the wireframes, creating designs, and conducting user research.

        Key responsibilities of UX Designer

        • Conducting user research and gathering data
        • Creating user personas and scenarios
        • Developing wireframes and prototypes
        • Collaborating with other designers and stakeholders during the design process
        • Testing design concepts with users
        • Iterating on designs based on feedback from users

        Differentiating UX Design from other principles

        UX design is distinct from other design disciplines such as graphic design and web design. While graphic design focuses on aesthetics and visual appeal, UX design is centered around the user’s experience and solving problems. UX designers prioritize usability over aesthetics, ensuring that the design is accessible and easy to use for all users. Let us try to understand how different they are.

        UX-vs-UI

        Building the Foundation

        To become a successful UX designer, it is essential to have a strong foundation in design principles, UX processes, and frameworks. The following areas are particularly important:

        Laws of UX Design

        Laws of UX Design are a set of Heuristics and best practices that we should follow during our design process, to make more effective designs that enhance the User Experience.

        Below are some of the resources to learn about UX Laws.

        Design Principles

        Design principles are a set of guiding rules that help designers make decisions about design. They provide a framework for creating aesthetically pleasing designs that are functional and usable. Some of the common design principles are contrast, hierarchy, space, alignment, etc. To learn more on Design principles, check the below resources:

        Principles.design

        The principles of design by Toptal

        UX Design Frameworks

        A UX design process is a step-by-step methodology that UX designers follow when designing a product or service. The process includes elements such as research, designing, testing, and iteration.

        Below are some of the commonly used ux design frameworks.

        Design Thinking

        Design Thinking is an iterative process of coming up with UX solutions and consists of five phases. It is an approach to problem-solving that emphasizes empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing. It involves understanding user needs, generating creative solutions, and iterating based on user feedback.

        Design Thinking

        Double Diamond

        The Double Diamond framework, developed by the British Design Council, consists of four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. It emphasizes divergent and convergent thinking to explore and refine ideas during the design process.

        Double Diamond

        Design Sprint

        Design Sprints are known for their efficiency and ability to compress the design process into a short timeframe. The Design Sprint is a time-constrained, structured framework developed by Google Ventures (now known as GV) to solve problems and validate ideas through rapid prototyping and user feedback. It is typically a five-day process that helps teams quickly iterate and make informed decisions about product or service concepts.

        Design Sprint

        Lean UX

        Lean UX focuses on reducing waste and maximizing value by integrating UX design into agile development processes. It emphasizes rapid experimentation, early validation, and continuous collaboration to deliver user-centric solutions.

        Lean UX Canvas

        Cognitive Walkthrough

        The Cognitive Walkthrough framework evaluates the usability of a design by simulating how users think and reason while interacting with it. It identifies potential cognitive challenges and aims to create intuitive and efficient interactions.

        Cognitive Walkthrough

        Gaining UX Design Skills and Knowledge

        UX design requires a diverse set of skills and knowledge. It is essential to keep up with new trends, technologies and research methodologies. The following areas are among the most important:

        UX Research Methodologies

        UX research involves gathering data and insights from users. It provides UX designers with a deeper understanding of their users and helps them design products and services that cater to their needs. To learn more on UX research methodologies check the below resources:

        The ultimate guide to UX Research

        Top 5 UX Research tools

        UX Success Metrics

        Measuring the success of UX design is critical to designing products and services that meet user’s needs. Various metrics such as usability, customer satisfaction, and engagement can be tracked to measure the success of a UX design.

        Building Portfolio to Develop your Skills

        A portfolio is a collection of your best work that showcases your skills and experience as a UX Designer. A well-curated portfolio can make all the difference when applying for a job. To learn more on how to create a UX portfolio check the below resources:

        The ultimate guide to create UX casestudy

        5 common mistakes to avoid in your UX portfolio

        Tools for UX Designer

        As a UX designer, having the right tools in your arsenal can supercharge your productivity and creativity. From wireframing and prototyping to user testing and data analysis, there are a plethora of powerful tools available to streamline your design process. So, grab your favorite tool, unleash your creativity, and watch your designs come to life!

        Overview of popular UX design tools in 2023

        Below are the list of tools used by UX Designers in their day-to-day work.

        Figma

        One of the best and most commonly used design tools across the industry. It is completely free to use although FIGMA has premium plans. The best part about FIGMA is it can be accessible in the browser through its shareable link and you can also import design files worked on other design software like Photoshop or Sketch.

        Invision

        Invision is a great tool when it comes to creating complex animations for your application. You can also create wireframes, and prototypes and even do a collaboration like FIGMA. Learn more about Invision from official learning page. It has a free tier so you can learn it for free, like FIGMA.

        Adobe XD

        Adobe XD is a product from Adobe that is a similar design tool to FIGMA. Unlike FIGMA, Adobe XD is mainly used for designing digital products with minimum collaboration. It requires a subscription and is available for a trial of 14 days.

        If you are a seasoned UX Designer or an aspirant to enter in this field, check the Top 20 UX design tools to try out in 2023.

        Gaining Practical Experience

        Gaining practical experience is essential to being a successful UX Designer. Practical experience can be gained in a variety of ways, including:

        Internships and entry-level positions

        Internships and entry-level positions provide aspiring UX designers with an opportunity to practice designing real-world products or services. If you are looking for internship or entry level job in UX, check the below resources:

        Top 20 UX interview questions for job aspirants

        The ultimate guide to create UX casestudy

        Building your own project to gain experience

        Creating your own projects is an excellent way to develop your skills as a UX Designer. Make sure you choose projects that target areas where you need more experience. Are you curious to learn how can you get project ideas. Below are some of the suggested platforms.

        Uplabs

        It is a platform created for designers and developers to find ready-made UI kits and other resources. Both freemium and paid resources are available. You can create your own account for free and participate in those challenges.

        Design Challenge

        One of the best platforms to work on UX projects with pre-built design problems. One thing that I like most about this platform is they have challenges specific to different UX areas like Journey Mapping, Persona, Heuristic Evaluation, and many more. It is completely free to try.

        Drawerrr

        Another cool platform for beginners looking out to work on design challenges or searching for a job. It is definitely a go-to platform where you can identify your skill gap once you create your profile and import or attach your case studies if created any.

        Freelance projects

        Freelance projects enable UX designers to work on various projects and collaborate with a diverse range of clients.

        Visual Design

        Visual design plays an important role in UX design. It involves designing the visual components of a product or service, including color, typography, and layout.

        Color Theory

        Color theory explores the psychological and emotional effects of different colors. An understanding of color theory is necessary for choosing colors that evoke the desired mood or emotion.

        color-wheel

        The color wheel mainly comprises two different color models. One is RGB, i.e., Red, Green, and Blue which is mainly used for designing digital applications like websites, apps, dashboards, etc. The other is RYB, i.e., Red, Yellow, and Blue used by artists.

        To learn more about Color Theory, check the below resources:

        Introduction to Color Guide

        How to apply colors in UI

        Typography

        Typography can be defined as the technique of arranging texts or fonts in UI design in a legible, readable and appealing way. To learn more on typography, check the below resources:

        Introduction to Typography

        Key terminology and concepts related to typography

        Design System

        A design system is a collection of visual standards and guidelines for designing digital products or services. It includes components such as buttons, forms, and typography. To learn more on Design System, check the below resources:

        Introduction to Design System

        Atomic Design Methodology

        Top 7 Design System

        Continuous Education and Growth

        Staying updated on UX Design Trends and Tools

        As a UX designer, staying up-to-date with the latest trends and tools is crucial to thrive in this ever-evolving field. Some of the suggested ways to keep yourself updated with trends is by subscribing or reading blogs, watching videos of top design agencies, following great designers in social media where they share about trends and keeping yourself informed via design platforms like Behance, Uplabs, etc.

        Participating in UX Design communities

        Partcipating or becoming a member of Design communities can be a huge plus, as you get chance to interact with multiple awesome people. Such forums are great for networking, exploring new opportunites and learning or exchanging ideas. Below are some of the great design community that I am associated with, which you can try joining.

        Advancing your career in UX design

        Advancing your career in UX design requires dedication, continuous learning, and a proactive mindset. By setting clear goals, expanding your skill set, building a strong professional network, and showcasing your work, you can position yourself for exciting opportunities and growth in the field. Whether you are a seasoned designer looking for a promotion or a beginner eager to climb the professional ladder, this guide will provide valuable insights to help you unlock your full potential.

        1. Set clear career goals
        2. Expand your skillset
        3. Build a Strong Professional Network
        4. Showcase Your Work and Expertise
        Guide to Advance your career in UX Design

        Design Deliverables

        Design deliverables are the artificats or design documents created by designers to support their design decisions. It also acts as a part of their delivery that are shared to respective individuals like stakeholders, client or engineers, etc. Such documents are created throughout the design process starting from UX Research till Usability Testing. Below are a list some of the common design deliverables created by designers:

        User Persona

        Personas are design artifact (or design deliverables) that contains the details of your target audience received via multiple research processes represented through a fictional character. To learn more on Persona, check the below resources:

        Introduction to User Persona

        5 best tools to create User Persona

        However, a Persona looks something like shown below.👇

        Persona

        Journey Map

        A Journey Map allows you to understand the end-to-end journey of a user in the product. It also defines all users involved in the different stages of the product, captures user’s emotion, and figure out the overall experience of the users engaging with the product. To learn more about Journey Map, check the below resources:

        Introduction to Journey Map

        Difference between Journey Map and Experience Map

        Journey map

        Wireframes

        Wireframes are blueprint for the final design of your product. The main purpose of creating wireframes is to align with layout, spacing, content, understanding of any functionalities to be implemented. They are also easy to create which saves time and effort for a designer before actually making the high fidelity visuals with brand colors, typography, etc. To learn more about wireframes, check the below resources:

        Introduction to wireframes

        Top 5 wireframe tools

        Wireframe

        Hifi Mockups

        Hifi (aka High Fidelity) Mockups are the final designs created with brand colors, typographic specification, standard iconography. These are the actual designs shared with the product or engineering team to be implemented with functional code. To learn more about Hifi mockups, check the below resources:

        Best Practices for Creating Hi-Fi Mockups: Tips for Designers

        Hifi Mockups

        Conclusion

        That brings to the end of this guide. Hope you have enjoyed reading this ultimate guide and have the knowledge and resources to start your journey as a UX designer. Last but not the least, UX Design is not just about designing screens, but to help business solve users problem through an iterative approach.

        Let me know in the comments below, your journey and experience of becoming a UX designer.

        Frequently asked questions

        What is UX Design?

        UX Design is an iterative method of solving users problems. The ultimate goal of UX is to make products functionable and enjoyable to end users.

        Do I need to have a UX certification?

        While certification can provide a bonus in your resume and good to have a structured learning, but it’s not mandatory.

        Can I become UX Designer without coding knowledge?

        Its good to have additional skillset like coding. As a designer, we closely collaborate with developers for our day-to-day work. Having some understanding on HTML & CSS can actually benefit you to understand what developer speaks. But again, not a mandatory skillset to become a UX Designer.

        How much salary can I expect as an entry level UX Designer?

        When it comes to salary, there are multiple factors to consider like job level, role that your hired, organization, etc. According to Ambitionbox review, an average salary of 7 LPA is paid out for an entry level candidate. 

        P.S This number might differ when you are actually viewing the article based on market situations.

        Can I become UX Designer if I learn design tools like Figma?

        Learning design tools like Figma is definitely added advantage for your design career, but that alone is not sufficient to work as a UX Designer. You need to have detailed understanding and practical knowledge of end-to-end design process and other areas some of which are mentioned in the article above.

        What you can do next?

        1. Download the roadmap to start your career in UX Design
        2. Join my free upcoming short course in UX Design
        3. Visit my Youtube channel to learn more on UI/UX Design
        4. Schedule a call for power session