Why did I make the transition from graphic design to UX?
My career has been winding and non-traditional, currently landing me as a freelance user experience designer. I started my bachelor’s as a fine arts student studying animation and illustration. About halfway through my degree, I realized I was more attracted to design. I started studying graphic design and took a marketing design internship as I completed my degree. I thought, hm, okay, I like this enough — I’ll pursue graphic design full time.
Fast forward through three years in the workforce (so, the end of 2021), I decide I want more responsibility over what I am designing. I want to do more than beautify static web pages and create social media graphics. I started exploring what else I could do with my current expertise and interest. Here, I discover user experience and user interface design. I take a couple of short courses on Udemy and LinkedIn Learning. I immerse myself in books like Don Norman’s “Design of Everyday Things” and Jesse James Garret’s “The Elements of User Experience.”
As far as I could tell, there was a ton of overlap between UX and what I had previous experience with:
- Fluency with design tools like Adobe creative suite
- Reporting designs to stakeholders & incorporating feedback
- Customer research & persona generation
- Being able to measure and analyze the impact of a new campaign or new design.
Enter the boot camp
But there was also a lot of stuff I had yet to understand — like, what the heck is a double diamond? Do you mean the ski-slope level? After creating a spreadsheet to compare the various educational options available to me, I landed on a decision. In January 2022, I enrolled in CareerFoundry’s UX Design boot camp course. CareerFoundry was attractive to me for several reasons, but some large factors were the asynchronous learning & 1-on-1 mentorship. Since the classes weren’t live, I was able to complete coursework part-time (so I could keep my full-time job & income). I am fully committed to entering the field, but I am not blind to the reality of the process: this skill will take time to develop. While I am training, I still need to be able to eat (ideally without amassing credit card debt). If my journey takes longer to get there, that is A-okay.
CareerFoundry was a good investment for me, as I knew I wanted a structure for my foundational education. There are pros and cons to a boot camp (more on that in another article), but it fit into a manageable lifestyle for me. I completed my course with CareerFoundry in January 2023. The boot camp provided me with a strong foundation in UX design, and I am now working on freelance projects to further sharpen my skills.
I am optimistic and persistent
Transitioning from graphic design to UX design was not an easy decision, but it was the right one for me. I am excited to be part of a constantly evolving field where I can make a real impact on the user’s experience. While the job market may be challenging right now, I am committed to developing my skills and pursuing my passion for UX design. With patience, perseverance, and dedication, I am confident that I will succeed in this field.
