Introduction to UX Design for Beginners by a New York Product Designer

UX Design: Learning Living Knowledge!
We help you get started in UX with solid fundamentals and practical know-how.

Hello, this is Eric! 😀

I came to New York to study abroad at the School of Visual Arts (Interaction Design major) and currently work as a product designer at The Knot Worldwide (TKWW), a global tech company based in New York, where I specialize in UX, UI design, and user research. Incidentally, TKWW creates platform services focused on weddings and parties. Prior to that, I worked as a product designer at a fintech startup in New York, and before coming to New York, I worked as a UI planner in Seoul, planning and developing smartphone apps. Incidentally, even though I'm currently in New York, I'm a pure Korean.

Since I entered the UX field, I've witnessed a tremendous amount of change over the past decade. One of them is that people have significantly increased their internet use since the introduction of the iPhone, making UX design more important than ever. People now use their smartphones and the internet to solve so many aspects of their daily lives. This makes it possible and crucial to scientifically design apps and websites based on experiments and data to tailor them to their needs. Consequently, the demand for UX designers who understand users, experiment, iterate, and improve designs is growing. So, if you're considering a career in UX or have already decided to pursue it, I recommend considering the future.

Through this course, I'll help those who haven't majored in design or are just beginning to study UX gain an easy and fun introduction to the field. I'll share the fundamentals of UX and UX design, as well as the know-how I've gained from working in various environments, including corporations, startups, tech companies, and freelancers, over the years. I'll also share my knowledge and experience on how UX designers identify problems and develop solutions, as well as how to collaborate with developers and project managers, to help you build a solid foundation for your UX career. 💪

1. Course Introduction 👋

An Easy and Fun Introduction to UX Design from Practitioners

People may experience discomfort while using a product or service. What causes these problems? Are they due to people's mechanical incompetence?

That's not true. In the world of UX design, this is strictly the responsibility of designers and architects. They believe this stems from a lack or absence of consideration for the user's perspective when developing a service. UX designers exist to empathize with the user's perspective, not their own, and to solve their problems. This can even be crucial to business success.

Do you see what these products have in common? Regardless of aesthetics, they're all uncomfortable for users to use. In UX, designing a beautiful product isn't enough.

Airbnb, Uber, Pinterest, Facebook...these well-known services have achieved success for the same reason. They didn't just create beautiful, stylish apps and websites; they continually learned about the challenges and problems their users faced and solved them.

For example, Airbnb was born out of a need for recent college graduate founder Brian Chesky to monetize his spare space in his San Francisco home, and a need he recognized for travelers experiencing a shortage of accommodations for conferences and other events. UX design is central to this ongoing process of understanding these user needs.

Airbnb's early design (Source: fueled.com)

To understand user needs, UX designers repeatedly formulate hypotheses, devise solutions to address them, and verify whether these solutions actually address user needs. This process requires collaboration with relevant team members, including developers, product managers, and marketers. This process can be challenging. Furthermore, the UX design approach can vary depending on the company's size (startup vs. large enterprise), its problem-solving approach, and the nature of the product.

Therefore, to enter UX design, you must ask yourself the fundamental questions of UX. What is UX? What is the role of a UX designer? In a constantly changing environment, you must be able to answer questions about the unchanging core competencies of UX designers, how to adapt to change, and how to communicate with coworkers.

In this lecture, I'll share the knowledge and experiences that have been truly helpful to me as a practitioner, helping you find the answers faster.

And a bonus "designer mindset"! 🎁

There's a mindset I've discovered while working as a UX designer in the US. Knowing this concept has made my work 100, 1,000 times more comfortable and enjoyable. While I'm working with a relaxed mind, I've also grown and found my work more rewarding than before. I'll share with you this mindset I've discovered and how it can be a huge help to UX designers!

2. Target Audience: This course is designed for these people. 👨👩

I've been teaching introductory UX design courses for beginners through various channels, including Tal-ing ( link ). Most of my students have asked the following common question:

"What does UX design do?"

"I'm not a major, can I become a UX designer?"

"I don't know if I have a good visual sense, but would I be able to get into this field?"

I was able to help you find the answer to this question based on my experience and knowledge. I think sharing the knowledge and experience I've accumulated from working in various environments, from startups to tech companies and even as a freelancer, since I first entered the UX field until now, has been helpful to beginners.

I believe the most effective way to get started in UX design is to learn from practitioners. Even if you study a lot of theory, if you don't understand how it's applied in practice, the meaning of your learning will be diminished. In other words, studying practical, living knowledge is paramount.

So! 💡 This class was created with the following people in mind:

✔️ Anyone interested in UX design and want to know what a UX designer does

In this class, I'll cover the fundamental definition of UX, the specific work of a UX designer, and how they collaborate and communicate with other team members, such as developers and product managers. I'll also cover practical aspects like how designers can increase their salaries. This will help even those completely unfamiliar with the field gain a basic understanding of UX.

✔️ Non-design majors, those who are working in a field completely unrelated to UX but are considering switching careers to UX

The UX field is growing in importance and market share, fueled by the rise of the internet and technology. This trend is not limited to Korea, but also globally. I've met many people who see the potential of UX and are considering a career change. However, these non-design majors share a few common concerns: They don't have a design degree, and they lack visual sensibilities or the ability to visualize ideas. They wonder if they can truly excel. This course will explore the core competencies required of designers and the efforts they need to develop them. This will hopefully provide some insight into whether non-design majors can pursue UX and UI design.

✔️ Those who want to quickly build a solid foundation in UX and UI

To excel in UX and UI design, it's crucial to have a solid foundation. This ultimately boils down to logical reasoning. One of the most common mistakes designers make when designing products is explaining the rationale behind their designs. UX focuses heavily on explaining these rationales: why a design is good, how it can benefit users, and what experiments led to its conclusion. Therefore, in this course, I'll cover the design principles and their importance to quickly develop logical reasoning.

✔️ Those who have a desire to learn about new fields

The UX field demands constant learning and experimentation from designers. They need to understand what users want, how technology is evolving, and understand business and business models. In this sense, UX is a great fit for those who enjoy learning. You can even learn about UX itself through this opportunity.

3. What you'll gain from this course 🙌

① Understanding the core concepts of UX and how UX is created

First, after taking this course, you'll understand the core concepts of UX and how and through what processes UX is created in the real world. You'll also learn about the product development methods currently used in the tech industry and how the designer's role can vary depending on each method. This ultimately determines how UX designers will collaborate with stakeholders like product managers, engineers, and marketers, so you'll also gain an understanding of collaboration.

Introducing wireframing, one of the core activities for creating UX.

An introduction to UI design, from high-fidelity prototypes to final deliverables.

② Principles for "quickly" doing UX, UI design, and user research ✨

You'll learn the design principles used in the field to create excellent UX and UI designs, and why you need to continue studying to become a successful designer. No matter what you start, a solid foundation will help you achieve faster and better. Through this course, I'll help you build those fundamentals, and through these fundamentals, you'll be able to build a solid foundation for your career.

"Consistency," one of the design principles for creating a good UX in classes, will be discussed. Throughout the class, I'll explain how each concept and principle can be applied in practice through examples. I'll stick to a case-based approach. 🤝

A section on "Heuristic Evaluation: Status Guidance" among the design principles for creating a good UI for classes.

③ Understanding UX jobs and types

The field of UX design encompasses a wide variety of positions. They include UX designers, UI designers, product designers, and user researchers. Even within the same title, the roles assigned can vary depending on the nature of the company. This course will help you understand the various positions available and their respective responsibilities, allowing you to consider which career path would be best for you.

④ Understanding UX/UI design tools 🛠️

Designers need to be able to create visual representations of their ideas, whether through wireframing or UI design. To achieve this, it's crucial for beginners to understand the various design tools available on the market, their strengths and weaknesses, and which tools to learn.

There's been a tremendous shift in UX/UI design tools in recent years. Photoshop, once the go-to tool just a few years ago, is now being overlooked, with Sketch and Figma on the rise. I'll explain which tools are hot right now, why they're hot, and why they're making it easier for you to become a UX/UI designer.

Figma is a rising app. Let me tell you why it's gaining popularity among designers and what its pros and cons are. ( Image source: Figma.com)

⑤ Career Planning and Roadmap 🚀

After taking this course, you'll be able to develop a concrete plan for your career and roadmap. If you've decided to enter the UX design industry after taking this course, it's important to know how to develop a specific plan to quickly become a designer and achieve your goals, such as finding a job or studying abroad. I'll provide recommendations and tips on the next steps you should take to achieve your goals.

⑥ And, bonus tips revealed🍯. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Here, I'll share some frequently asked questions from students, including: how designers can quickly increase their salaries, whether designers need coding skills, and whether working at a large corporation or a startup is better. If you have any additional questions, please leave a comment in the Q&A section!

See you in class then! 👋