A Look into UX as a Career: Why Become a UX Designer in 2022

From purchasing items at the supermarket to driving a car, almost everything you do can be termed as user experience (UX). In a way, UX is in every part of our daily lives. However, the specific term “user experience” is more commonly referred to for user experiences in digital design, such as for mobile apps or websites. The discipline’s main goal is to ensure that users are able to achieve their desired outcome with a positive experience.

First coined in 1993 by Don Norman, the field has grown rapidly along with the advancement in digital technology. UX is no longer considered a niche subset of technology development but rather an aspect that has to be seriously considered for companies that want to maintain a competitive edge.

In 2022, many big organisations in the technology sector have departments specifically for UI/UX. Dependent on the company, such departments usually consists of UX specialists, such as UX writer, UX research, or UI/UX designer. A report has shown that companies with the highest investment in UX saw a sales increase of up to 75%, while companies who were invested to a lesser extent saw sales increase by 60%.

It is no doubt that the UX industry will progress even further in years to come. Here are our top reasons as to why one should consider transitioning to a UX role today.

Why Do You Want To Be A UX Designer:

1. Ease of transition

The variety of roles in the UX field allows people with different backgrounds to get into it. Good at designing? Be a UX designer where you can mock up wireframes and UI prototypes. Talented in writing? Be a UX writer where you craft meaningful sentences to help users easily understand what you need them to do and so on. Many of the skills required in UX are overlapped with other professions and one can definitely add value with their prior experience.

2. A multidisciplinary industry with continuous growth

What makes UX so compelling is how practitioners are not only able to hone their expertise but also learn a wide range of useful skills. It is a field that promotes versatility, collaboration, and continuous growth that spans multiple industries, from banking to tech. Search up UX/UI on a job portal and you’ll be able to notice the number of industries that require such a role.

3. A blend of creativity and logic, with a human touch

Perhaps one of the most compelling things about being a UX designer is how both creativity and logic are intertwined in the discipline. Practitioners are able to put a creative touch on their ideas through design interface prototypes, wireframes, and the final product. Being able to set up visually creative presentations to engage shareholders is a useful strength as well.

The logic part comes in at the point where practitioners have to analyse the problem at hand, engage in research, and then conduct interviews with the relevant demographics. The findings are then synthesised using various methods like personas, storyboarding and grouping common themes. Once completed, the team has to craft an actionable plan and work on the prototypes and conduct further user testing.

The whole process leans towards human-centrism, where UX practitioners get to engage directly with real people to understand their needs, frustrations, and pain points. Collaboration between different departments (e.g. front-end developers, software engineers) and presenting your ideas to stakeholders are other key aspects of the job that requires interpersonal relation.

4. Rewarding Pay & Progression

On top of that, being a UX designer is a profession that pays rather well (especially within the design industry) with a national average base salary of up to $4,500 monthly in Singapore according to Glassdoor.sg. However, this is also heavily dependent on the company as bigger companies may offer a more competitive salary. This trend may be more prevalent in up-and-coming tech companies such as Shopee, Grab, or Meta. The field offers many different opportunities for progression, with roles such as lead UX designers or product managers.

5. Strong demand

As more and more companies recognise the value of good UX and focus on prioritising it, demand for UX practitioners will also increase. With over 1.85 million mobile apps and many more websites in the digital space, demand for such a role is greater than ever.

6. Accessibility

Unlike professions like engineering or medicine, a particular university degree or course is not required for you to step into the world of UX. From online literature to sample projects and video lessons, there is a wide range of resources online available for aspiring-UX practitioners to learn from. There are also many certified courses available online, for those looking for a more structured and mentored approach to learning.

Aside from skills, it is important to be up to date with current UX trends as the digital UX design space moves very quickly. Practitioners have to be aware of the current market needs and consumer wants. For example, having accessible design options for users with disabilities has become a staple in many mobile applications, with features such as voiceovers for the visually impaired.

The needs of modern UX are constantly transforming alongside new technologies being developed. Looking at recent reveals of various metaverse projects with uses virtual reality devices, or even augmented reality games such as Pokemon Go, we can see how the UX/UI concepts for these mediums have to be drastically relooked. Users are no longer just looking at a screen or typing on a keyboard, many of these projects integrate both real and virtual life, where the user’s movements and the environment have to be taken into account.

We hope that we have provided you with better insight into the UX industry coming into 2022. As much as it may seem intimidating to transition into a new field, UX design as a career is one that is fulfilling and exciting. If you want to know more about user experience and its industry, do check out our other resources available on our websites, such as our articles, weekly webinars, and podcasts.

CuriousCore also offers both a 2-day UX course and an intensive 4-month career accelerator course for those interested in embarking onto UX programmes with a structured learning approach, where students will learn from established industry professionals and work on real clients projects. Click the buttons below to find out more.