If you want to make a change in your career from a graphic designer to a user experience designer looking at the promises it has on offer, there is a need to create and follow a specific roadmap. There are a few essential things that you, as a graphic designer, must know before you move on to UX.

You may have several skills that are common for a UX designer. Still, you need to know that there is a significant difference in the end-goals of a UX designer as it is in their responsibilities when compared with a graphic designer.

The Road To Take Switch From A Graphic Designer To User Experience Designer

• You, as a graphic designer, may know how to create a beautiful and polished design, but UX design will need much more than that from you. Apart from a pixel-perfect design, you should also make sure of the high fidelity for such tasks.
• You will need to use high fidelity prototypes often as deliverables so that you can comprehensively communicate your design concepts.
• You must resist the temptation, coming from a graphic design background, to develop visual layouts too early in the project.

To be a successful UX designer, you will need to select fidelity based on the needs of the projects. This will make the design process more effective and efficient. Other requirements in this field include:

• User-centric design
• Collaborative design process
• Product research
• User testing
• Iterative problem-solving
• Specialization
• Multidisciplinary skills and of course
• Unending learning.

Ideally, understanding the right time to produce polished work is one of the key requirements and mindset that is vital in user experience design jobs.

Learn and learn more

The field of UX is ever-changing, and therefore, to be a good UX designer, you must continuously learn new things.

• This will ensure that you stay competitive and create the best products being able to know and tackle the different challenges when you approach a different market.
• This will also make the process of transitioning from a graphic designer to a user experience designer smoother.
• You will also know the new demands in the skill sets that every new job comes with and proceed in your career with an open mind.

At the same time, you will also have a better knowledge of what exactly is expected from you in this new job role. You will need to do several things, such as:

• Conduct user interviews.
• Do usability testing.
• Create information architecture.
• Build personas.
• Map customer journey and much more.

To learn more about this human-centered design process, you may choose different ways, such as:

• Take up a new online course on user experience design.
• Attend immersive programs on UX design.
• Attend events, seminars, and workshops.
• Read various UX articles from expert professionals.
• Research online for the latest UI and UX trends.
• Practice designing and testing different user interfaces.

Once you are confident about your potential and skills, browse through different UX jobs to find the one that is best suited for you.

Consider the job requirements

Your decision to become a UX designer from a graphic designer will only prove to be wise and productive if you know that you will be able to fulfill all the requirements of this job. If you find that you lack some specific requirements, try to find out whether or not there is a scope to expand your skillset.

However, you will find this job easy to perform because you come from a designing background already. All you have to do now is team up with an industry veteran as your mentor. It will make your transition process even smoother.

Ideally, your job responsibilities will include:

• Building wireframes for mobile apps as well as for the websites
• Defining style types
• Storytelling
• Prototyping
• Knowing and using different user interface design tools and software
• Researching on UX
• Writing design blogs, and more.

From time to time, you will also need to skype with your mentor and read different design articles on various media.

Prepare yourself well

Next, you will need to prepare yourself well right from scratch after you are done with your learning stage to move forward in your journey as a UX designer.

• First, you will need to build a stunning UX portfolio. You can start working as a freelancer on any reputed graphic design platform. Make sure that the platform offers an opportunity to you and your clients to get connected from any part of the globe. You can also participate in design contests to get good reviews
• Then, promote your work. It is no good to create a design portfolio as that will not help you to get a job all by itself if people do not know about your skills. Make the best use of different social media platforms to promote and showcase your work.

You can also choose different online websites to promote your work, but make sure that you know the pros and cons of these sites before selecting one. Ideally, a good site will have the following attributes:

• Instant client conversion.
• Social media exposure
• Payment security and
• Hassle-free communication.

When your work reaches out to several probable recruiters, your chances of getting your dream UX job will be more.

Be an interaction designer

If you want to create a significant niche in the UX industry, you will need to improve your design ability and push your limits. Your graphic design capabilities will help you a lot in improving your performance. Apart from making the best use of this congenital advantage, you should also focus on becoming an interaction designer. This will put you in an even better position.

Therefore, make sure that you read a lot to know at least the fundamental aspects of interaction design and the concept of user experience. Make sure that you learn from the predecessors and also use learning tools to master the process.

Finally, be informed that there is no shortcut to reach the top in this field. Therefore, if that is what you are looking for and you are lazy, then UX design job is certainly not your cup of tea or coffee!