Design

Beginner’s guide to UI/UX design

My journey from a being a botany graduate to a product designer in fin-tech and a collection of free resources and tips to help you get started at UI/UX design.

Story time

I was in my final year of college pursuing Botany. I was about to graduate in 3 months and had no idea what I would do next. I was also doing freelancing at that time but I had nothing serious planned for future. I began learning coding and gradually started liking it. The feeling of creating something and to be able to see it on screen was the thrilling part for me. But something was still lacking. One day a random video titled — learn UI design in 25 minutes — popped on my youtube feed, and that is where I started my design journey from. It was exactly what I wanted. To be able to identify problems, and build solutions around it.

I gave it my all. Learnt the basics, created a portfolio and gave my finals, all within a span of three months. I packed for Gurgaon right after my exams ended (I lived in Patna). I applied for 100+ jobs the day I landed there, within 15 days, I got the job.

Now I work as a full time Product Designer in a fin-tech company and I absolutely love what I do. To be able to do what you love as a profession is just a different kind of thrill that can only be experienced.

However it wouldn’t be possible if not for the amazing people that guided me through it and I hope my articles can do the same for you.

Let’s get to the content you’re here for —

What is UI / UX design?

The “UI” in UI design stands for “user interface.” The user interface is the graphical layout of an application. It consists of the buttons users click on, the text they read, the images, sliders, text entry fields, and all the rest of the items the user interacts with.

“UX” stands for “user experience.” A user’s experience of the app is determined by how they interact with it.

• Read the complete article here — What is UI design? What is UX design? UI vs UX: What’s the difference

How do I start with UI/UX design?

• I started with this video by Abhinav — Learn UI design in 25 minutes
• Second step is to Bookmark Material Guidelines by Google and keep reading and re-reading to understand the how and why of UI design — Material Design
• For a good UI design there are 4 things to consider-colour, alignment , space and typography and this video by Chethan aka Design Pilot will teach you all of it — Learn UI Design for Mobile Apps like a PRO! — Figma Tutorial
• Browse dribbble, Behance for design inspirations and try recreating screens on your own.
• To learn UX, go through the apps you have on your phone or go to Mobbin Design and UI sources, understand why the screen is designed that way, what purpose does it solves, what happens after you open the app, try understanding the flow.

Bonus Tips

• Find a mentor — The design community is very helpful, follow the people if you like their work, follow their work, you can show them your projects and ask for feedback if they are available .

Note: If you find a mentor and they decide to help you out, respect their time.

• Watch interviews of people from the design industry. Two channels where you can find quality interviews and podcasts are King Sidharth and Whiteboard.fm
• Don’t be hesitant to share your work online. It’s fine to make mistakes. The more feedback you receive, the more you grow.
• Stay active on social media, stay connected to community. Twitter and Reddit are my favorite places for that.

Ending this article with my favorite quote