How To Become A UX Designer in 2025

Step 3: Learn UX Tools

User experience design comes with its own suite of tools. There are apps specifically designed for wireframing, prototyping, usability testing, and creating polished, hi-fidelity mockups...as well as all-in-one UX/UI apps that will be your best friend once you start designing.

Rather than allow yourself to be overwhelmed by trying to "learn them all," it's a good idea to start with a popular, industry standard app like Figma (which was recently acquired by Adobe).

By familiarizing yourself with UX tools early on in your education, you’ll be able to practice each technique and establish good design habits early on.

Ready to get started? Check out our free email course: Figma 101.

Step 4: Commit to Your UX Education

Rapidly gaining new skills and switching careers can be challenging, and often requires long hours and an extensive amount of self-motivation and discipline. All of these obstacles can be overcome so long as you’re inwardly committed to success.

Before taking the next steps, reflect on whether you’re truly ready to commit.

If you are, you might find it helpful to find an accountability partner, UX mentor, or simply writing out an affirmation and sticking it on your office wall:

I, [Your Name], commit to gaining new skills in UX design, building my portfolio, and landing my first design job. It won’t be easy, but I will do it.

You could expand on this affirmation by writing out the reasons why you’re making this change. When you’re feeling stressed, it can be easy to lose sight of your original motivations, and having these recorded somewhere means they can become a helpful “reset” button for your mind.

For example, lots of people train in design because they want to do more creative work each day, or because they enjoy helping people and solving problems. Whatever your motivation is, make a note and keep it somewhere visible as you study.

Step 5: Take a UX Design Course or Bootcamp

There are a number of paths you can take to get trained in UX design skills.

While many of us might automatically think of formal education degrees from a college or university, a traditional degree often comes with a plethora of course requirements outside of UX design. Historically, these degrees are strong on theoretical knowledge, but often lack the practical, hands-on experience and portfolio building aspects that some other options provide.

Fortunately, as more programs and courses become available online, there are many UX bootcamps that offer intensive programs to help you maximize your time and energy. These bootcamps and UX courses stand out, not only in the effective way they help you learn UX design, but also because they are focused on helping you land a career in the industry.

Here are a few education options currently available for you:

• Self-study online courses, where you learn UX design at your own pace.
• Online UX bootcamp program, which covers a wider range of topics than the average course. Some can be taken at your own pace, while others include more accountability to ensure that you not only graduate the program within a specified amount of time, but also have the skills and portfolio you need to land your first design job.
• Offline bootcamp, which requires you to attend courses in a physical location, similar to a college or university.
• Traditional university programs, which provide a degree related to your course of study as an experience designer.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each option. We created UX Academy, our online UX bootcamp, as a middle ground between the high cost of university courses, and the lack of accountability in self-study and passive online video courses.

As you decide which route you want to take, keep in mind that many companies and businesses in the industry do not require a specific UX design degree. There are many successful designers who have degrees in another field (or no degree at all), and have successfully landed UX design jobs at top companies, thanks to the work they put into attending an intensive bootcamp and building their portfolio.

Step 6: Connect with a UX Mentor for Feedback

It is possible to be a self-taught UX designer and land a job in the field. However, it's extremely challenging to do this without any feedback or guidance from somebody who has already been successful in the industry.

This is where a UX mentor comes in. A UX mentor can provide you with honest, actionable feedback about your designs, and help you avoid some of the common mistakes that are made by beginners.

A good UX mentor will also be able to give you insights into the UX industry, and help you understand what it takes to be successful.

If you don't have any friends or contacts who work in UX design, there are a number of ways to find a mentor, such as:

• Asking your network of friends and family if they know anyone who works in UX design.
• Attending local UX meetups, and getting to know people there.
• Reaching out to designers on social media, and asking if they would be willing to chat with you for 30 minutes about their experiences in the industry.

This is another great benefit to taking advantage of online bootcamps like UX Academy, since it includes mentorship with an experienced designer, who will share their expertise, provide constructive criticism and critiques on your projects, and hold weekly 1:1s to answer your questions and support you in your new career.

Learn more about how mentorship works with UX Academy.

Step 7: Put Your UX Portfolio Online

Speaking of portfolios, your UX design portfolio will be one of the primary elements that hiring managers consider as they review your application.

This is an extremely important thing to keep in mind: abstract skills and an understanding of UX design principles won’t be enough to land you a full time or part time job. You’ll also need project work that demonstrates those skills and problem-solving processes. 

Many online courses are built around the concept of a design portfolio, and will offer a variety of projects that you can use to visually demonstrate your understanding of user research, layout, information architecture, design process, and even the visual and graphic design skills required to deliver a polished project.

As you create your portfolio, keep in mind that hiring managers aren’t just looking for a pretty interface.

They are also interested in seeing how you analyze and define a problem, engage in research and idea generation, and develop a viable solution.

Curious about what a good UX portfolio looks like? Check out our list of 10 UX/UI Design Portfolios that will inspire you.

UX Design Job Search Tips

At this point, you’re nearly at the end of your journey to become a UX designer. All that’s left is … landing a job.

Unfortunately, this is often dependent on many variable factors, from company and culture fit to the projects you’ve included in your portfolio and the soft skills you advertise and demonstrate in your interviews.

That’s why UX Academy graduates gain access to our Career Services program, which allows you to connect with a UX career coach, receive feedback on your resume, cover letters, and even offer insights into how you might better prepare for interviews and portfolio presentations during your job search.

This stage of your search can range in length from a few weeks several months, and will depend on a variety of factors such as market and location, finding a job that aligns with your skills, the type of role you’re looking for, and more. 

It’s true that in recent years, the UX space has become more competitive. As the field has matured, there are more designers with experience looking for roles, and tech layoffs have impacted some sectors of the industry. However, it’s important to remember that most economic trends are cyclical, and that the UX industry is still projected to grow over the next decade. 

The best thing you can do if you’re looking to transition into the space is make sure you’re prepared with a quality education, portfolio, and support system, so that you give yourself the tools for success.

Are You Ready to Become a UX Designer?

Are you ready to step into a career as a UX designer? Here are a few ways to get started:

1. Learn more about what it means to be a UX designer.
2. Try out one of our free 7-day email courses to add to your design toolbox.
3. Ready for a career switch? Start by enrolling in UX Academy Foundations to gain the  foundational skills you need to move into your career.