I chose to virtually attend a webinar about “transitioning from graphic designer to UX/UI designer” offered by Elizabeth Alli, who I promptly started following on Linkedin. Her slideshow might have been a little bit more visually engaging, but she presented very helpful suggestions and tips on what being an UX/UI designer means and how to become one. She presented herself as a previous graphic and visual designer, creative director, and now UX/UI designer who has seen a lot of changes in the design industry. Who better could explain the differences between the two fields than a graphic designer? I picked this webinar because I was curious to know more about this so popular field (a lot of my classmates are interested in this field). In just a few minutes Elizabeth explained that the two fields are not that different, they both include a research part (when you design a logo for example), a testing part (showing your drafts of the logos to the client), and then a solution finding process to trying to better represent or understand your client or target audience. The only thing that it differs in the two fields is the thinking process, while the designer focuses on the choice of the right font, shapes, graphics, and color palette to better represent the values of the client, the UX/UI designer focuses more on the actions, reactions, behaviors, and motivations of the target audience or better-called user. Since Elizabeth is the founder of the Designer Up company she then suggested choosing a program to study UX/UI design that better reflects your learning styles. Then she gives a few suggestions on how to collect experiences in this field and how to present ourselves during a job interview or on the portfolio. She suggested using their language, in other words, to inform your interviewer or employer about your skills not simply making a list of them, but explaining how you could be helpful in finding a solution to the problems brand or company. Basically study the company and demonstrate how you could be helpful to them. Another important element from the webinar was her suggestion to create a real in-depth case study, like a personal project to demonstrate your skills on your website. The screenshot I attached to this post, summarizes all the main points she focused on to create an interesting portfolio as a new UX/UI designer.
The second part of the webinar was dedicated to answering the participant’s questions. There were very interesting questions and they were made by people from all over the world. I think most of them were graphic designers thinking to change their careers. It was interesting to learn that UX/UI designers use basically just two apps, Figma or sketch (I don’t know sketch but she said they are very similar), and notion to plan and better organize your time. Elizabeth sounded really knowledgeable and really available to help and answer any questions, about the webinar. She provided all her info and how to better contact her. The perfect person who would be a perfect mentor if you want to start a new career as UX/UI designer.
