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What are the best ways for a seasoned freelance designer to build UX design experience and progress to paid work in this field?

Katy Mawhood
Katy Mawhood
Founder & Designer

Replies1

  • Brian Grant
    Brian Grant
    Creative director
    Hello Katy,

    UX design is a relatively new field so there are many ways that you can build experience and become established in the field.

    I am assuming that you are already familiar with the principles within UX design, and if not then a good place to start would be to take a few courses to get up to speed with everything. Because the field is young there is no specific authority or council that you have to go through, so you can take a few courses and gather as much information as you can.

    There are a number of free courses online as well as paid courses.

    In regards to getting work the companies that will be able to afford high level UX design (research, focus groups, whiteboard sessions, group meetings, etc.) are typically large corporations, and the best way to get into them would be either to have a contact with someone there or to use a recruitment agency.

    Recruitment agencies will have a specific set of criteria i.e. knowing how to use particular software (Sketch, Axure, Figma, XD, Principle, Invision, Marvel, etc.) and ideally they would expect you to have some experience in a professional environment.

    To get around this, you can learn about UX principles and then apply them to new projects for smaller companies, this may need to be for free or at a discounted rate until you build a track record of producing high quality work, then you will be able to increase your rates.

    You should also create a portfolio where you can show high quality finished work, as well as demonstrating the UX process that enabled you to arrive at the final piece of work as the journey is as important as the final piece of work.

    Some UX designers cannot draw or sketch very well and the key to UX design is to master the concept of “User centred experiences” and this will be a very important shift from that of a visual or UI designer that focused on aesthetics. Once you have grasped that concept then you will be fine.

    There is a lot of discussion and dialogue required as you work through projects, so the ability to work with others is essential, as well as the ability to adapt to continuously changing circumstances.

    So to sum up, here a few keys to get you ready for making money:

    • A thorough understanding of UX design software

    • The ability to understand user centred design

    • A grasp of the core elements of UX

    • A network of companies to work with

    • A network of recruitment agencies with access to high paying clients

    • An outstanding UX design portfolio

    • The ability to communicate and work successfully with others

    I hope that helps and if you have any questions then give me a shout.

    Have a great day.

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