5 Essential Skills for Aspiring UI/UX Designers (with Online Learning Resources)
If you’re interested in becoming a UI/UX designer, there are several things you should learn in order to succeed in this field. Here are the top five things you should learn to start your journey towards becoming a UI/UX designer, along with some great online learning sources for each topic:
Design fundamentals:
In order to create effective user interfaces, you need to understand the principles of design, such as hierarchy, contrast, balance, and repetition. These principles will help you create interfaces that are visually appealing and easy to navigate. To learn more about design fundamentals, check out the following online learning sources:
Coursera’s “Graphic Design Specialization”: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/graphic-design
Udemy’s “The Complete UI/UX Design Course”: https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-ui-ux-design-course/
Typography:
Typography is an essential part of UI/UX design, as it helps create hierarchy and clarity in your designs. Learning about different font families, font weights, and how to combine fonts will help you create interfaces that are easy to read and visually appealing. To learn more about typography, check out the following online learning sources:
Skillshare’s “Typography for Beginners: Designing a Font”: https://www.skillshare.com/classes/Typography-for-Beginners-Designing-a-Font/1778163514
LinkedIn Learning’s “Typography Fundamentals”: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/typography-fundamentals/
Color theory:
Choosing the right colors for your designs is crucial, as it can affect the mood and overall user experience of your interfaces. Learning about color theory, including color wheel, color harmonies, and color psychology, will help you make informed decisions about color choices in your designs. To learn more about color theory, check out the following online learning sources:
Coursera’s “Color and Design”: https://www.coursera.org/learn/color-design
Skillshare’s “Introduction to Color Theory”: https://www.skillshare.com/classes/Introduction-to-Color-Theory/667774848
User research and testing:
In order to create successful interfaces, you need to understand your users and their needs. This means conducting user research and testing to gather data and insights that will inform your design decisions. To learn more about user research and testing, check out the following online learning sources:
Coursera’s “User Experience (UX) Research”: https://www.coursera.org/learn/ux-research
LinkedIn Learning’s “User Experience (UX) Research”: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/user-experience-ux-research/
Prototyping and wireframing:
Prototyping and wireframing are important tools for UI/UX designers, as they allow you to quickly create and test different design ideas. Learning how to use prototyping and wireframing tools, such as Sketch and InVision, will help you iterate on your designs and create user-friendly interfaces. To learn more about prototyping and wireframing, check out the following online learning sources:
LinkedIn Learning’s “Prototyping for UX Design”: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/prototyping-for-ux-design
Udemy’s “UI/UX Design with Figma”: https://www.udemy.com/course/ui-ux-design
Overall, becoming a successful UI/UX designer requires a combination of design skills, technical expertise, and a deep understanding of users and their needs. By learning the fundamentals of design, typography, color theory, user research, and prototyping, you can start on your journey towards becoming a UI/UX designer.
