What Does a UX Designer Do? A Complete Overview for Aspiring Designers

Ever wondered how your favourite app, website, or physical product feels intuitive and easy to use?

Every product and service includes user experience. It might involve navigating a mobile app, browsing a website, or interacting with a physical product. 

Behind every seamless interaction with an app or website is a UX designer who bridges the gap between the user’s needs and functional design. 

The UX designers consider steps in how a customer or individual interacts with a product to make it simple, effective, and delightful. 

Read on to learn about what a UX designer does and how you can start a career in it.

What is a UX design?

UX design is the process of creating a product or service that offers users a seamless and enjoyable experience. It focuses on the user’s needs and goals to design intuitive, functional, and user-friendly interfaces. 

The goal of UX design is to create functional, user-friendly, accessible, and easy-to-use products.

Also read: What is User Experience (UX) Design? A Beginner’s Guide

Who is a UX designer, and what does a UX designer do?

The user experience designer creates simple, intuitive interaction experiences that solve user problems in ways that are easy to use, efficient, and enjoyable. 

Their ultimate goal is to create a seamless and unique experience that meets user needs while aligning with business objectives. 

Moreover, UX designers also research why users adopt products, the key tasks they accomplish with them, and their attitudes toward the product itself. 

A UX designer blends different skills to create unique user experiences and serve the company’s needs.

A well-rounded UX designer: 

• Research user needs and behaviours.
• Build user personas to guide design.
• Organize content for easy navigation.
• Create user flows, wireframes, and prototypes.
• Test designs with real users to refine and improve.

Core Responsibilities of UX Designer

As a UX designer, your role is all about creating user-centred experiences that align with business goals. Here are some responsibilities of a UX designer –

1. Understand User and Business Needs – What problem are we solving for the user? How does this fit with the brand’s mission? You need to focus on bridging the gap between user needs and business goals.

2. Conduct User Research – Understand your customer’s needs, pain points, behaviors and goals by conducting surveys, interviews, and A/B testing. 
3. Analyze – Create user personas to represent the audience and analyze how they will interact with the product and service. 
4. Design – Start by creating site maps, wireframes, and prototypes to visualise design ideas and help your team understand. Further, collaborate with the team to integrate other elements.
5. Conduct Tests – Test and validate the ideas before sharing them with the stakeholders, and track how the users feel about or interact with the final product.
6. Communicate and Showcase—Present your final design or solution to the stakeholders and the client. Share the story behind your work and how it solves the customer’s problems while focusing on brand goals. 

Key Skills for a UX Designer

UX designers leverage a wide range of technical and workplace skills to build  a strong foundation for a career –

• Prototyping, wireframing, user flows, and mockups: These are key tools in the product development process. Wireframes outline layouts, prototypes simulate functionality, mockups show realistic visuals, and user flows map user journeys. 
• Visual Design: UX and UI designers create user-friendly visuals by using tools like Figma and Sketch and combining expertise in typography, colour theory, layout, and design principles.
• User Research: User research identifies needs, and user testing validates design key steps to creating impactful products. Many teams even have dedicated UX researchers for this vital process!
• Communication and Collaboration skills: It helps to connect with the team and communicate the idea & solution more effectively with the team, client, and stakeholders.
• Information Architecture: It helps to organise content logically and design clear navigation structures for seamless user journeys. 
• Critical Thinking: It helps to challenge your assumptions, enhance creativity, and innovate new perspectives for new solutions. 

Also read: What Does a UX Designer Do? A Complete Overview for Aspiring Designers

Career Growth and Opportunities

Here are some of the Career opportunities for a UX designer: 

1. Career Progression: Start as a Junior UX Designer, advance to UX Specialist, move into leadership as a UX Manager, and eventually become a UX Strategist, driving design strategy and innovation.
2. Specialisation: Explore niches like interaction design, user research, accessibility design, or visual design to tailor your career to your strengths and interests.
3. Freelancing and Consulting: Pursue independent paths as a freelancer or consultant, offering expertise to multiple clients and industries and enjoying flexibility and variety in projects.

How to Become a UX Designer

UX design is a diverse and evolving field, and multiple paths can lead to a successful career as a UX designer. 

Following these steps can help you build a foundation for a career in UX design –

• Take a Course: Even if you have no experience, you can take a course or certification in UX design. Look for a program that teaches the fundamentals and expertise and allows you to build a portfolio.
• Practice Your Skills: You don’t need to get hired to gain experience; start by volunteering projects for brands and showcasing your skills with real-world projects. 
• Stay Updated: UX design is an ever-evolving field, so stay updated with current tools and methods that help you keep achieving career growth. 

Conclusion

The role of a UX designer is to blend different skills to craft a unique experience for customers.

It’s a career for those who are passionate about understanding people’s needs and user-centric solutions to create a design that addresses pain points while aligning with the brand’s goals.

To kickstart your career, explore programs from the MIT Institute of Design, one of the top design colleges in India, which offers a comprehensive UX design course to equip you with the skills needed for career growth in the field.

Also read: 

1. Key Principles of UX Design Every Beginner Should Know
2. The Difference Between UX and UI: Why It Matters for Designers
3. History of UX Design: How the Field Has Evolved