What Does a UX Designer Do?

Anytime you interact with a product or service, you have a user experience. It might entail navigating a mobile app, browsing a website, interacting with a physical product (like trying out a new running shoe), or taking advantage of a service (checking into a hotel or using public transportation, for example).

“User experience (UX)” refers to all aspects of this interaction. Think about the last time you used a new product. Were you able to accomplish your task? How easy was it? How did it make you feel? 

UX design seeks to create products and services that are easy, effective, and delightful. When you accomplish this, you earn loyal customers who’ll recommend that product or service to their friends and family. 

Learn more about what a UX designer does, how to become one, and the difference between this role and a UI designer. 

Did you know?

Don Norman, a cognitive psychologist and designer, coined the term “user experience” in his 1988 book The Design of Everyday Things. Norman became the first official user experience architect during his time at Apple in the 1990s.

What is a UX designer?

The role of a UX designer is to make a product or service usable, enjoyable, and accessible. While many companies design user experiences, the term is often associated with digital design for websites and apps. While the process varies between products and companies, the general design phases remain the same.

The vocabulary of UX design

Before exploring the essentials of UX design, defining a few terms you’re likely to encounter while working in the field is helpful. Discover 10 to get you started:

A/B testing: A method for comparing two versions of a product or service to evaluate which is more successful

Accessibility: The concept of whether a service or product is usable by people of all abilities, irrespective of their situation

Card sort: A session where participants organize information into logical groups to help determine information architecture

End user: The person who will use a finished product or service once it has been purchased

Human-computer interaction: Field of study examining computer technology design and the interaction between humans and computers

Information architecture: The structural design of information to make it more understandable

Mockup: A realistic visual model of what a final webpage or application will look like

Persona: A fictional representation of an ideal customer to help you understand their needs, goals, and behaviours

Prototype: A sample or simulation of a final product used to test and gather feedback

User flow: A diagram that maps out each step a user takes when using a product or service

Wireframe: A web page layout stripped of visual design used to prioritize page elements based on user needs

UX designer tasks and responsibilities

As a user experience designer, you’re responsible for users' overall satisfaction with a product. Think of yourself as the customer’s advocate, always looking for ways to improve their experience. Discover some tasks and responsibilities you may encounter throughout the design process.

1. Understand the user and the brand: Consider what problem you’re trying to solve for the user (and how this aligns with brand goals).

2. Conduct user research: Identify user needs, goals, behaviors, and pain points. Tools for user research might include surveys, one-on-one interviews, focus groups, or A/B testing. At some companies, a UX researcher leads this process.

3. Analyze what you’ve learned: At this stage, you’ll build user personas based on your research to help you identify the product's or service's critical elements. Then, you'll begin to map out the user flow accordingly.

4. Design: As you build out the design, you’ll create site maps, wireframes, or prototypes to give you and your team a better idea of what the final product will look like. A user interface (UI) designer will add visual or interface elements at this stage.

5. Conduct user testing: Validate the design by tracking how real users interact with the product or service (usability testing). Identify any problems with the design and develop solutions.

6. Present your work: Deliver the design solution to your client or company.

Essential skills for a UX designer

UX designers leverage various technical and workplace skills to bring a successful product or service to market (or improve upon an existing product). Many of these skills transfer from other fields, so even if you’re new to UX design, you’ve likely developed a few already. Focus on your essential skills, and you may begin to build a strong foundation for a career:

Workplace skills

• Communication skills can prepare you to effectively interview users and present solutions to clients or management.

• Empathy allows you to think about problems and solutions from the user’s point of view.

• Collaboration skills empower you to work harmoniously with your team, taking feedback, exploring solutions, and leveraging expertise.

• Critical thinking encourages you to challenge your assumptions and innovate new solutions.

Technical skills

• Research, including interviews, surveys, and observation, guides you to make the best decisions in the design process.

• Information architecture helps you organize and prioritize large and complex sets of information.

• Wireframing (building a skeletal framework for a website or app) enables you to explore design solutions in an efficient way.

• Prototyping is essential for testing functionality and identifying problems.

While not essential for UX designers, fundamental visual design and coding skills can help you understand how your design fits the greater product development process.

Types of UX designer jobs

UX design is an exciting and always-evolving field, so you might encounter several job titles (UX designer and product designer, among them). 

As a UX designer working at a smaller company, you’ll likely have a more general role with responsibility for each step of the design process. At a larger company, you might focus on one specialty or facet of UX design, like information architecture, UX research, usability analysis, UX writing, UX engineering, or interaction design. 

As you gain experience, you’ll have the opportunity to advance within your specialization to move into a managerial role as a project manager, product manager, or director of user experience.

UX vs. UI design

User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design often go hand in hand, though the two fields have some essential differences. While UX encompasses the user's overall experience with a product or service, UI focuses on the graphic design and interface. 

For example, user interface designers incorporate ideas from user experience designers to make a platform’s interface more functional and accessible.

Why pursue a career in UX design?

Working as a UX designer allows you to apply your creativity and analytical skills in various fields that interest you. Your work may vary daily and from project to project, allowing you to continually learn and grow throughout your career.

How much do UX designers make?

According to Indeed, the average base salary for a UX designer in Canada is $110,316 CAD [1]. However, your earnings will depend on several factors, including location, industry, company, and years of experience.

How to become a UX designer

UX design is a diverse and evolving field, and you could take many paths to have a successful career as a UX designer. The overlapping skill sets of many professional fields, including graphic design, architecture, interior design, software development, and industrial design, transition well into UX design. 

Watch the following video to learn how Karen, an interaction designer at Google, transitioned from a career in event planning to UX.

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

1. Take a course in UX design. Even if you have no specific prior experience, you can start getting career-ready with a course or certification in UX design. Look for a course or program where you’ll learn the fundamentals, get hands-on experience with the latest UX design tools, complete projects for your portfolio, and network with others in the industry.

By completing the Google UX Design Professional Certificate, you may equip yourself with the job-ready skills you’ll need for an entry-level role in UX design.

2. Practice your skills in the real world. Gain experience as a UX designer by volunteering for a friend or family member's charitable organization, non-profit, or business. Alternatively, you could redesign a user experience you’ve had in the past that wasn’t as good as it could have been. This is commonly referred to as an unsolicited redesign. 

If you’re already working full-time in another field, practice your UX design skills by identifying a potential challenge and designing a solution.

3. Build a design portfolio. While you don’t necessarily need a degree to get a job in UX design, you will want to demonstrate your skills through a portfolio of work. Compile the projects you’ve finished in your coursework, volunteer work, and unsolicited redesigns. Continue to add your best work as you gain more experience.  

Get started in UX design with Coursera

UX designers ensure that customers have an enjoyable and successful user experience. You would research and use your analytical skills to create strategies to improve the user experience.

If you’re ready to get started as a UX designer (or learn more about what UX design is all about), consider the Google UX Design Professional Certificate on Coursera. You can equip yourself with the job-ready skills you’ll need for an entry-level role in UX design.

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