Web design is an in-demand skill.
The average salary for a newbie designer is around $54,000, and even goes up to $100,000 a year.
When AI is all set to take over major business operations, design enthusiasts are often in doubt as to how it could affect their career.
On a bright side, organisations like Top Website Design Agencies in New Zealand still need web design masters to amp up their digital game.
But, how can you get started and eventually become a web design expert?
In this blog, we’ll guide you through everything about becoming a UI/UI designer, opportunities that are in store for you and more..
What Does a UI/UX Designer Do?
You must’ve heard a lot about web developers and web designers. While both of them are completely different terms, web design does come under UI/UX (User Interface/User Experience).
So, what’s the job of a UI/UX designer? It’s simple — they create the overall look, feel, and functionality of digital interfaces to ensure a positive user experience.
To make it easily understandable, a UI/UX makes a website or an app user-friendly, by working on its appearance and navigation. Here, the design consists two parts – aesthetics and functionality.
UI/UX Vs Web Design
Website design and UI/UX are often used interchangeably. While it’s true that website design revolves around UI/UX, which further aims to improve user experience, UI&UX doesn’t necessarily mean website design.
Thus, UI/UX is a broad term and can include design for mobile applications, ERP softwares and much more.
Furthermore, Web design primarily focuses on the aesthetic and functional elements of website creation, emphasizing layout, colour schemes, typography, and overall visual appeal.
It’s about crafting an engaging and intuitive user interface (UI) that captivates visitors and aligns with the brand’s identity.
On the other hand, UI/UX design involves enhancing the overall experience of users by ensuring the site is easy to navigate, intuitively structured, and provides value.
In UX design, improving customer journey is key. Through empathy-driven solutions and understanding users’ behaviors and needs, UX & UI creates a seamless and enjoyable journey.
Opportunities for Web Designers
There’s no end to opportunities for UX/UI designers. Whether you’re determined to get hired or start solo, you’ll find your web design journey rewarding.
However, the options can be quite specific and you’ll need to discover which niche would suit you the most.
Here are some of the diverse opportunities that you can grab as a skilled web designer.
Web design Agencies
A Creative Design Agency In New Zealand that develops customised websites for their clients is always on the lookout for web designers. You can make it to Top Design Agencies in New Zealand as an intern or a designer with intermediate or advanced skills.
The best part about working in a web design agency is that you get to tap into unlimited growth potential. As you’re required to work on multiple projects at the same time, you get to be the jack of all trades (yet, the master of all.)
Understanding the design intricacies, customer behaviour and design preferences for various industries is what makes you thrive in the long term.
Freelancing and Contract Work
Many web designers opt for a laidback lifestyle and freedom, which comes with freelancing or contract work.
You provide your services to multiple clients that are looking for a single, third-party resource to collaborate with their inhouse teams.
Many UX & UI designers prefer to work from the comfort of their home, having both flexibility in choosing projects and managing work schedules.
At the same time, they also get the best compensation as per the industry standards.
In-House Design Teams
National and multinational corporations often have in-house design teams dedicated to creating and maintaining their website.
These include SaaS companies like Netflix and Google. If you’re comfortable with a 9-5, straightforward and a highly paying job, you’ll be in luck.
Usually, you’d be interacting and collaborating directly with marketing and development teams to achieve organisational goals.
E-commerce Platforms
E-Commerce companies are among the fastest growing online business models. Likewise, they also offer great opportunities to excel your career in.
Popular E-commerce companies like Amazon and Walmart are seek web designers time to time.
Here, you get to be an integral part of the design process, which includes enhancing the user experience of their online stores, optimising layouts, navigation, and visuals to drive sales.
Startups and Tech Companies
When starting out as a web designer, joining a tech startup gives you the much needed boost in your career. You can search for the best UX UI Design Company in New Zealand that offers competitive pay for your skills.
Opportunities to work on cutting-edge projects, be part of innovative teams, and contribute to shaping a product from its inception.
Educational Institutions
If you’re into web design and want to help others learn, teaching may be the job for you.
Nowadays, web design teachers are earning a fortune through educational institutions or online platforms such as LinkedIn, Coursera, Udemy and other websites.
This is a great option for experienced designers who want to share their knowledge and mentor aspiring designers.
Content Management Systems (CMS) and Website Builders
Websites like WordPress, come with pre-built templates with CMS platforms or website builders, designing themes, templates, and customization options for users who may not have design expertise.
What Skills Do You Need to Be a Great UI/UX Designer?
So, what does it take to be an expert UI/UX designer? In simple terms, a creative flair with an eye for design and comprehensive knowledge of customer behaviour is what designers learn.
Throughout your career, you’ll be developing and honing these skills to create interfaces that are visually appealing and intuitive for the users.
User Research
Understanding user behaviour through research, surveys, and interviews to inform design decisions and create user-centered solutions.
Wireframing and Prototyping
Creating wireframes and interactive prototypes to visualise the layout and functionality of the user interface before development.
Information Architecture
Organizing and structuring information effectively within the interface to enhance usability and accessibility.
Visual Design
UX & UI designers create perfect harmony between functionality and appearance of the website. You’ll utilise your proficiency in graphic design tools and principles to create visually appealing interfaces, such as colour theory, typography, and iconography
Interaction Design
Designing how users interact with the interface, focusing on providing intuitive and engaging interactions for a seamless user experience.
Coding and Front-End Development
Any UX/UI designer should have a basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to understand development constraints. Since design is translated into code on websites, a thorough understanding of coding languages is a must. This way, you can collaborate effectively with developers and get any tweaks implemented.
Usability Testing
Planning and conducting usability tests to evaluate the effectiveness of the design and gather feedback for iterative improvements.
Responsive Design
Designing interfaces that function well across various devices and screen sizes to ensure a consistent user experience.
Seize the Future with UI/UX Design
At the end, having creativity + technical expertise is all you need to be an exceptional UI/UX designer. Over the recent years, there’s been a great surge in demand of web designing, with Top Design Agencies in New Zealand hunting for the perfect talent — and you could be the one.
So, if you’ve got that creative flair and want to make the most of it through technology, you can become a successful UI/UX designer.
But remember, the more you work on your skills, the better you become. To land high-paying jobs or gigs in web design from Top UI-UX Design Companies in New Zealand, make sure to have a detailed portfolio of your previous projects — it helps!
