Passionate about a career in UX Design? Our career guide will help you launch and maximise your UX Design career. Take a look at our interview tips and expert advice from professionals or get an industry overview at https://bit.ly/2J1dDxk

3.
Tips for a Successful Career in UX
Design
As businesses begin to grasp the value of a seamless User Experience (UX),
the demand for specialised skills such as research and prototyping continues
to grow. Whether you’ve dabbled in UX Design, or you’re transitioning into the
field, it’s never too early to give yourself the best chance of success.
From interview to ideation, Academy Xi and recruitment specialists at ​Mint
Talent​ are sharing the top hiring tips to launching a career into UX Design.
What are the most important skills for
a UX Designer?
A UX Designer has the following skills:
Fundamental Skills Complementary Skills
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
HTML
Usability
Interaction Design
Agile Management
User Research
Interaction Design
Javascript
Agile Management
Information Architecture
User-centered Design
Adobe Creative Suite

4.
What are the top things a business
looks for when hiring a UX Designer?
Spotted a job ad in UX Design? Here are the skills you need to display in an
interview for a career in UX Design:
Confidence is key
Businesses will be looking to hire candidates that have the ability to convince
and persuade others – personality traits such as confidence, strong
communication, and leadership will be a compelling case for your talent.
“The most important traits I would say are having a high EQ, genuine passion
for problem solving, a strong ability to communicate effectively, and putting
the customer at the heart of everything.”— ​Stefano Portaluri​, Senior UX
Researcher at SBS
Showcase your best work
Invest a significant amount of time into building your portfolio. If you have a
wide range of work samples to choose from, adapt your portfolio with the
most relevant pieces of content for the job you’re applying for.
Paul Zines, a Product Lead has hired for different UX roles and says that
candidates are often asked to provide examples that demonstrates the way
they approach the UX research and design process from personas. The
thinking behind a design is just as important in a portfolio as the final
product.
“We like to see people with clear outlines of how they work. We always ask
people what their plan is, and the more specific they are the better. How do
you work? It’s such a simple question but it answers so much. We don’t want
to waste time or money, which is why we need to know how they work.​” -
Paul Zines​, Product Lead at Racenet

5.
Paul Joe Hajj, a former Academy Xi student says one of the best ways to
standout is to include specific details in your portfolio. He suggests including
details such as:
● What was your process?
● Can you back your design rationale up with research?
● What have you done to try and disprove your solution?
● How did the end product differ from your initial impression?
● Which ways did you test the feasibility of your solution?
● What were the amendments as a result of your testing?
● How can you prove that your proposed solution will work?
● Can you justify each individual detail of your wireframe?
● Is it finished? If so, why? If not, what’s next?
Don’t forget:​ Project portfolios can also be stored online. Here’s an example:
Benjamin Chen, UX/UI Designer, Former Academy Xi student
Prepare for the interview

6.
Businesses are still maturing in their understanding of UX and with the
variation of roles in the industry, interviews are typically general chat to
determine the depth of a candidate’s product understanding and experience
across past projects.
“Most organisations have 2-3 rounds of interviews. Even if one was to not
have much experience these interviews, try to assess cognitive flexibility and
adaptability to problem solving as well as measure things like cultural fit,
previous experience, personality, capability and if the candidate is right for
the available role.” — ​Stefano Portaluri​, Senior UX Researcher at SBS.
According to specialised recruitment agency ​Mint Talent​, potential questions
at the interview stage can range from:
● “What are some projects you've worked on?”
● “What are your passions?”
● “What are some research techniques you used in the past?”
● “Recount a time when you were faced with a difficult situation and how
did you resolve it?"
● “What are your key strengths and areas for development?”
Candidates for a UX Design role may be required to work on a sample project
as part of the interview process – it could range from a response to a brief
that requires you to identify improvements to a landing page or a whiteboard
session with the team where brainstorming, teamwork and problem solving
skills will be on display.
In any interview, honesty and confidence is key. Be transparent with your
expectations and be as specific as possible with the types of projects you’ve
worked on and the roles you’ve contributed to any UX Design process.
TIP​: Need some career guidance? Get in touch with the experts at ​Mint Talent
for career guidance and advice.
Align yourself with the business
UX is still something that many agencies and companies are still familiar and
accustomed to. As a result, a lot of businesses may have slightly varying

7.
definitions of what UX Design entails. Do some research to determine what
that the business’ needs are and an understanding of what UX is and
determine early on whether it aligns with your skills and ideal role.
Each business has a unique set of core values and with the growing number
of UX talent, stand out from the crowd by demonstrating how your skill set
aligns with the product, industry or business. The alignment of commercial
and cultural values is going to be particularly important for roles within
startups or huge enterprise businesses with an established product that is
continually improving.
Where do I even start?
Launch your career into UX with an accredited course to learn the
basics/fundamentals. Try a dedicated part-time course in User Experience
Design.
“UX is a very broad field and it can help greatly to pick a specific area that
appeals, or is most familiar to you to investigate the broader field of UX. Know
who you are and what you want!” — ​Pieter den Heten, UX Lead at Nine
Entertainment Co.
Go to networking events and make an effort to meet people in the industry.
Design Meetups, industry nights or event listings can be a good starting point.
“At the end of every meetup I’ve been to, I’ve always gained something -
whether if it’s a new friend in the industry, another way of approaching a
problem, or just a bit of inspiration. I recommend UX meetups for everyone -
no matter if you’re junior or senior!” ​– ​Lucy Hyunh​, UX Researcher at William
Hill.
Look out for networking and UX industry events here:
● Academy Xi workshops and industry events
● Sydney Designers Meetup Group
● Sydney UI/ UX Meetup

8.
Don’t forget​: Invest in your skills evenly – UX Design can be as much about
research as it can be about the ‘design’, so make sure you’re across the skills
required when researching and wireframing!
Get some real life UX experience in your current role. Put your hand up for UX
projects – if this is not possible, choose a course that provides industry
exposure and the chance to work on a real project.

9.
Learn today, succeed tomorrow
Read the full ​UX Design Career Guide​ ​here​.
Launch your career with an industry-recognised course in ​User Experience
Design ​at Academy Xi – it’s our mission to empower the
next generation of skilled UX Design professionals.