UX for Beginners

Chapter 99. Which UX Job Is Right For You?

All UX-related designers work on the same sorts of things, but different jobs focus on different areas. Which one is best for you?

If you ever want to start a heated argument, go into a room full of UX designers and ask, “What is the definition of UX?” I promise you, all hell will break loose.

UX is a word like “personality.” Everybody understands what it is until somebody tries to define it in specific terms, and then the pitchforks come out.

With that in mind, I also understand that beginners need to know which jobs to look for, which jobs exist, and which jobs will make you happy. Following is a very brief overview of UX roles, which hopefully won’t make anybody want to send me death threats.

UI versus UX

First of all UI and UX are very different jobs. If you ever see a job where the job title is “UI/UX” it means the company doesn’t know what UX is, or it’s trying to cover two roles with one salary. Beware.

The User Interface (UI) is what you see. UX is why you see it.

If you’re more excited by making beautiful apps, or working with branding and ad campaigns, or designing logos and icons and color schemes, UI is for you.

If you’re more interested in what this book contains, UX is more your style. (But you’re always welcome to learn both!)

Generalist versus Specialist

You might hear UXers and recruiters talking about “general” UX (a little of everything) or “specialist” UX (focus on one of the roles described in this lesson).

In my opinion, all ...