A note to readers: This post was totally revamped for relevancy on March 13, 2017
User Experience/Interface Designers are responsible for designing websites and other applications with user-centered design principles. This means they design sites to best support the end user through studying user research, testing and psychology principles.
A User Experience Designer primarily creates navigation structures and interface functions, which serve as the foundation of a site. An expertise in programs and coding languages is a necessity of this position.
Recommended Skills
The following are skills and past experience to look for in a UI/UX Designer, dependent on the role the person will play in your company. You’ll likely want to remove a few to provide a concise description of the position. Gain insight into technologies required from your IT team, and ask to see a portfolio of previous work to give insight into the person’s style, logic, and flexibility.
As a job seeker, aim to use these phrases as keywords when describing your previous roles, and use the following list as a starting point to round out your skills.
- Languages and infrastructures, eg: HTML, CSS, Javascript, jQuery, Perl, XML/XSL
- Software skills, eg: Flash, Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver
- Google Analytics
- Project Management
- Competitor Analysis
- Customer Analysis
- Content Development
- Wireframing
- Prototyping
- Testing and Debugging
- Development Planning
- Analytics and Tracking
- Branding
- Graphic Design
An Entry-level employee will typically have 1-2 years’ experience in a similar role or on independent projectsd, whereas a Mid-level employee will have 2-5 years’ experience, and a Senior generally 5+ years. Executives and Upper-level Management will have 10+ years’ experience, and will likely have acquired experience in back-end development, dependent on the size of the company and what their role will involve.
Education
UI/UX is an often self-taught career, with professionals coming from a wide range of backgrounds and schooling including Information Technologies, Web Development, Interaction Design, New Media Design, Graphic Design, and Marketing. Ask potential employees about their path to UI/UX Specialization, and what, if any, continued education courses or paths they have taken.
As a job seeker, utilize MOOCs and online courses from sites like kahnacademy.com and coursera.org to add to your education. If you’re looking for a career change, you may want to consider a coding bootcamp such as brainstation.io or lighthouselabs.ca to jumpstart your skill set.
Payscale
The median salary for a User Experience Designer in Canada is $58,748 as of 2017, according to Payscale.com. This varies from $44,224 – $81,426 dependent on experience level and skill set.
Questions to Ask When Hiring for a UI/UX Designer
- How would you describe your style?
- How would you define our user needs?
- What is your design process?
- What are some apps or websites that you love?
- Do you follow any industry blogs or authors?
- What is your process with a shared project (Product Managers, engineers, other designers)?
Ready to hire a UI/UX Designer? Post a job with Canada’s top marketing and creative job board now.
