It’s never been so easy to learn something new without leaving your home. UX design is not an exception! I am a self-taught UX designer myself. I learned all I know about UX design on my own, and I know for a fact that many (if not most) successful designers are also self-taught.
You can learn UX design on your own by using free and widely available resources such as free courses, books, videos and articles. There is abundance of information as well as great examples of UX portfolios and case studies that you can explore and use as inspiration for your own projects.
Let’s look at some reasons why I believe you can learn UX on your own as well as how to learn and get started in UX.
Reasons to learn UX on your own
I can think of at least 4 reason why you can and should learn UX on your own.
Perhaps one overarching theme that I’d like to convey to you is that paid is not necessarily better. There is really not much those expensive courses can offer you that you can’t have while learning on your own.
#1 There no requirements for formal education in UX
Many tech companies do not require any formal education. It is true for software engineers as well as UX designers. Of course, there are certain specialized positions that do require a bachelors, masters or even a PhD but they are not entry level, and they are more of an exception and not the norm.
The truth is, you don’t need a degree in UX. You don’t need to attend an expensive bootcamps. You don’t even need to get a UX certificate. Those things are nice extras, but they are definitely not a requirement to enter the field of UX.
If you have money and you need structured learning and accountability to keep yourself learning, go ahead, and take a bootcamp or a certificate program. But don’t expect too much. All you will gain is SOME superficial knowledge, and MAYBE make some connections that MIGHT lead to a job. Note there lot’s of uncertainty there!
Most companies want experience and not education, and you can get that by learning on your own! Many actually look down on certificates. All they signal is “I took some generic course and I have some superficial knowledge of material”. That’s not what the serious recruiters are looking for.
#2 Abundance of materials
When I started learning, I pretty much had to stick to books and articles. There wasn’t Youtube. There weren’t any courses to take. Even the term UX wasn’t used that often. And yet I learned on my own! I don’t have a design degree, nor have I completed any design online programs, or bootcamps.
Things are so different now!
There is an abundance of material to choose from, and most of it is free! There is Youtube, there are free courses, podcasts. There are many more UX books.
And you can literally “steal” the curriculum to follow from any of the paid programs. But why even do that if there are free quality courses from accredited universities and colleges!
#3 Supportive Community
Probably the biggest benefit of joining a bootcamp or taking a course is the feedback you can get from your mentors and fellow design students. But that is something you can get while learning on your own from the UX Design community.
You will have to hassle a little to make connection, but that’s not out of reach! UX designers tend to be very welcoming and understanding bunch.
Just don’t go around asking if people can be your mentor… that’s weird. It’s like asking strangers if they can be your friend. Ask specific questions that you can’t find answer to by doing basic Google search, and you will be fine.
#4 Flexibility
Lastly if you choose to learn on your own you will have flexibility that you won’t have if you commit to a course or a study program.
You will be free to choose materials to work with, but also the pace. You can work around your schedule and fit things in nicely.
Hope these reasons are enough to elevate some hesitancy and how you that you actually can learn UX design on your own without missing on important aspects of paid programs. Of course, you will need a good amount of self-regulation and control, but I’d argue you need that to succeed with a structured course just as well.
How to Learn UX on Your Own
To become a UX designer you need education, not certification. It doesn’t mean that you have to go back to school. No! You can educate yourself, and learn UX design on your own.
To become a UX designer you need education, NOT certification.
With some structure in place (and a bit of self-discipline) you can learn UX design on your own, and you can become a UX designer in no time, and nearly for free.
It might be a rocky ride at first, but once you get going you will set yourself up for a long-term success, and save lots of money along the way.
0. Mindset
Before you go any further make sure you have the right mindset.
I already told you that you don’t need a degree or a certificate. Remember, you are not studying to be a doctor or an engineer that are legally bound to follow certain procedures.
Treat your learning as a project. You get to learn something new! Explore and acquire new skills (great for the brain)! That’s exciting!
Also remember that feeling inadequate is normal. Imposter syndrome is a bane of many creative people, and not just the ones starting out but experiences ones as well. You learn to live with it.
1. Learning the basics
To learn UX design you will need to know some basics. They are covered in numerous design books and courses. I always recommend The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett as a great book for beginners. It is short but it covers lots of ground!
You will learn about different aspect of UX design, design process, as well as various deliverables like personas and wireframes.
You will also learn the difference between UI and UX 😎
If reading is not your thing, there is a plethora of free courses (including university level) available. They are all high quality so just choose one and go with it.
One of great benefits of studying on your own is you can “fire” the instructor for whatever reason (bad explanations, not clicking etc) and “hire” a new one. Simply switch over to a different course!
Of course, it is best if you can read The Elements and take some courses! That’s the path I’d recommend you take!
It might take couple weeks, but you will lay a solid foundation for what is to come, that is practice!
2. Practice
Learning UX design by reading a book or watching some videos would be akin to learning to ride a bike by simply reading the manual. You’ll get the idea, but you won’t have any experience!
To become a UX designer and then be marketable you will have to have a portfolio. Good news is you can start building your portfolio from day one.
You won’t need to get a website set up just yet.
Focus on working through 2-3 projects first. I’d recommend you start working on made up projects.
Your made up project might be either to improve an existing, or to design a brand new product. If you do choose to improve an existing product, make sure you are focusing on solving a design problem, and not merely giving a product a facelift (so called unsolicited redesign).
Treat your made up project seriously, just like a real job. Don’t cut corners. Do your research, and follow the design process.
Speaking of design process, UX design is not like cooking. Design process is a general guideline, and you will learn to be flexible with it, so don’t feel obligated to force on a particular step on each and every project.
If you feel stuck anywhere along the way don’t be ashamed to look around and ask for help. Feel free to shoot me a message if you need help!
The deliverables and artifacts that you collect along the way will become invaluable in presenting your work in your UX portfolio.
One thing you can do (and that is an approved form of procrastination) is study UX portfolios of established UX designer. Learn how they present themselves and their work, especially case studies. It won’t hurt to steal ideas from others. Just make sure you Steal Like an Artist.
Once you do couple of made up projects you can ask around to see if your friends or a local businesses needs some design work done.
That’s how I started!
It might seem like I am oversimplifying things. Really? Just read a book, watch couple videos, work on some made up problems and that’s all?
Yes, that’s would be a great start! That way you will not only lay a solid theoretical foundation, but also will have enough experience to understand what you know and what you don’t know.
You will also get some REAL project experience that you can show something for if needed! It won’t be your best work. In fact, you might be too shy to show it to anyone. And that’s totally fine. The goal is to move quickly and learn.
Regardless of the path you choose to take it doesn’t take that long to become a UX designer. You are looking at 6-12 months of continual learning.
A wise thing would be to get started now!
